Scallion oil (I like Kenji’s recipe) is really good on steamed eggs. For a twist try using dashi as your liquid - it makes a more Japanese chawanmushi-like steamed eggs.
Oh that is a really good idea (thank you!!), because then you'd get the hit of ginger too, wouldn't you? Will have to give that a go when I get a second -- and dashi was already on my to-try list in the liquid, though I don't have any in stock at the moment and I'm trying to run the pantry down as we're hopefully moving house in the spring so I've written it down so I don't forget!
Loved this post, thanks! Steamed eggs are such a magical comfort food - and so fast and easy too. Very versatile as well since you can primp them up with all sorts of toppings.
Love your pics too - they're gorgeous. Guess what we're making for dinner tonight, haha!
These days, when we need our fix in a hurry (and don't care whether it looks pretty 😉), we just use a small steel salad-type bowl and a lidded metal saucepan. (For company, we lug out the big steamer baskets and use mini chawanmushi cups.)
Metal heats up a bit faster, and the wide flat shape of the bowl we decided on also keeps the eggs in a shallow even layer (just under 2cm thick).
Like you, we steam on high for 3 min (with the lid kept slightly ajar to keep the steam from condensing). But after turning off the heat, we find that another 3 min is more than enough to finish setting the eggs.
And we use a higher water ratio (1.5x), so the custard should actually take longer to set.
For a speedier fix, especially in the mornings, you might want to see if switching to a wider and shallower bowl (metal or ceramic) cuts down your waiting time ☺️. But it does look so much prettier and so much more tempting in your bowl 😝.
Oh we normally have them on rice whether it's dinner or not - it's just such a natural combo - even though they're perfectly lovely on their own.
For toppings, we usually go simple, with just soy, scallions (sliced on the bias) and sesame seeds. Sometimes we add fermented black beans and chilli, or tobiko (flying fish roe - love the crunch) and shiso (sliced really really thin) when we can get them at a decent price.
You can alo add fillings - my aunt likes hers with finely minced pork or shrimp. I like mine really silky, so I usually don't.
Re lid: We just prop it up a bit with a chopstick, but that "method" won't work with your multi-cooker 😝.
Will your cooker lid close properly if you add a thin piece of cotton or linen between the lid and the pot? That would help absorb some of the condensation - it's a common trick when you're not using a bamboo steamer.
Oh I love the idea of fish roe! I assume that is the black beans just double rinsed, or do you soak them? And how does she do the add-ins, stirred in, or as a bit of a layered exercise? And yes it will, will try the string trick!
Btw the "tempering" thing applies to many Asian condiments. When you use miso, doenjang, fermented beancurd etc in stirfries especially, you need to first loosen them up with some wine or vinegar, or at least some water or even oil. That way, they don't clump or burn when they hit the heat. It also helps balance out the saltiness.
You see I knew this, but in my head I never saw fermented black beans, probably because I get them dry so they're whole beans as condiments. All so interesting!
Btw have you tried tamago tofu? It's actually a "faux" tofu, made just like steamed eggs but with dashi. After cooking, you chill it till it's firmed up, then cut it into blocks and serve like tofu.
My family does an actual tofu with eggs added, where we blend mashed tofu with beaten eggs, layer with fillings like shiitake slivers, then steam till firm.
Tobiko is such fun to eat 😊. When we can get it on sale, we pop it on top of toast, tortilla chips, mix it into cream cheese for bagels...
You can use ikura too, but I personally find them too "watery" to really pair well with steamed eggs (which are already half-water).
- Fermented black beans: If you're using dried ones, wet them down with some rice wine or sake, or even a mild vinegar, then leave for 10-15 minutes. That helps to plump them up and temper the saltiness.
We prefer not to wash or soak in water cos you can lose a lot of the flavour (unless you really find them too funky).
We mostly use organic ones that come prepacked in black bean soy sauce and a bit of sugar (the brand we like most is Hoi Fa/Taiwan but there are others). They're beautifully plump and just salty enough - you can even have them plain with rice or do an Asian riff on carbonara.
- Fillings: We haven't tried layering - we normally add only a small amount, which just ends up "floating" in the egg mixture 😝.
We don't use more than 2 parts fine mince to 1 part egg (by weight) - too much might give you a Spanish tortilla rather than steamed eggs haha.
We put it in the steaming bowl, season it with some soy or sea salt, then loosen it up so it doesn't clump, pour in the egg mixture and swirl gently. Don't "beat" the mixture or you'll get ugly bubbles 😉.
Oh the mince doesn't have to be meat. Shiitake (dried or fresh) marinated in some sake and soy or miso is also lovely.
This is all so helpful, thank you!! And I'll try the dried beans with rice wine or sake, as I've always done a double rinse like the box says... every recipe I've ever used them in say to follow the packet instructions!
Do you have them over rice when you do them for dinner? I was thinking that might be lovely, and what toppings do you love?
And it had not occurred to me to test the set before the 14 minute mark, but you're right the depth of the bowl matters, and of course that time was written for a 3 egg recipe not my 2 egg - I'll also try tilting the lid using the other bowl to try and help with the pool of liquid on top, though that multi-cooker does have two holes for steam on the lid.
Oh on days when it's just me, I sometimes do a single egg in a small ramekin - that takes like 2 + 2 min! But it can be a bit tricky to scoop out cos the bottom of the ramekin isn't curved like a bowl's.
And for friends, I often do a 4-egg portion like a flan, using a fluted tart tin, then top it with smashed chicharonnes, diced chillis and pickled French shallots (cut on the bias).
I know! Part of me is 'how have I never made these before', but the other part knows exactly why, as detailed, as my steamer is such a faff to deal with - who knew something so great could come out of a packet of frankly terrible steamed buns?!
Scallion oil (I like Kenji’s recipe) is really good on steamed eggs. For a twist try using dashi as your liquid - it makes a more Japanese chawanmushi-like steamed eggs.
Oh that is a really good idea (thank you!!), because then you'd get the hit of ginger too, wouldn't you? Will have to give that a go when I get a second -- and dashi was already on my to-try list in the liquid, though I don't have any in stock at the moment and I'm trying to run the pantry down as we're hopefully moving house in the spring so I've written it down so I don't forget!
Loved this post, thanks! Steamed eggs are such a magical comfort food - and so fast and easy too. Very versatile as well since you can primp them up with all sorts of toppings.
Love your pics too - they're gorgeous. Guess what we're making for dinner tonight, haha!
These days, when we need our fix in a hurry (and don't care whether it looks pretty 😉), we just use a small steel salad-type bowl and a lidded metal saucepan. (For company, we lug out the big steamer baskets and use mini chawanmushi cups.)
Metal heats up a bit faster, and the wide flat shape of the bowl we decided on also keeps the eggs in a shallow even layer (just under 2cm thick).
Like you, we steam on high for 3 min (with the lid kept slightly ajar to keep the steam from condensing). But after turning off the heat, we find that another 3 min is more than enough to finish setting the eggs.
And we use a higher water ratio (1.5x), so the custard should actually take longer to set.
For a speedier fix, especially in the mornings, you might want to see if switching to a wider and shallower bowl (metal or ceramic) cuts down your waiting time ☺️. But it does look so much prettier and so much more tempting in your bowl 😝.
Oh we normally have them on rice whether it's dinner or not - it's just such a natural combo - even though they're perfectly lovely on their own.
For toppings, we usually go simple, with just soy, scallions (sliced on the bias) and sesame seeds. Sometimes we add fermented black beans and chilli, or tobiko (flying fish roe - love the crunch) and shiso (sliced really really thin) when we can get them at a decent price.
You can alo add fillings - my aunt likes hers with finely minced pork or shrimp. I like mine really silky, so I usually don't.
Re lid: We just prop it up a bit with a chopstick, but that "method" won't work with your multi-cooker 😝.
Will your cooker lid close properly if you add a thin piece of cotton or linen between the lid and the pot? That would help absorb some of the condensation - it's a common trick when you're not using a bamboo steamer.
Oh I love the idea of fish roe! I assume that is the black beans just double rinsed, or do you soak them? And how does she do the add-ins, stirred in, or as a bit of a layered exercise? And yes it will, will try the string trick!
Btw the "tempering" thing applies to many Asian condiments. When you use miso, doenjang, fermented beancurd etc in stirfries especially, you need to first loosen them up with some wine or vinegar, or at least some water or even oil. That way, they don't clump or burn when they hit the heat. It also helps balance out the saltiness.
You see I knew this, but in my head I never saw fermented black beans, probably because I get them dry so they're whole beans as condiments. All so interesting!
Btw have you tried tamago tofu? It's actually a "faux" tofu, made just like steamed eggs but with dashi. After cooking, you chill it till it's firmed up, then cut it into blocks and serve like tofu.
If you haven't tried it yet, you can check out Nami Chen's recipe at https://www.justonecookbook.com/egg-tofu/
My family does an actual tofu with eggs added, where we blend mashed tofu with beaten eggs, layer with fillings like shiitake slivers, then steam till firm.
I've actually had this recipe bookmarked for years! And big fan of egg and tofu as a combo, love them in a stir-fry!
Tobiko is such fun to eat 😊. When we can get it on sale, we pop it on top of toast, tortilla chips, mix it into cream cheese for bagels...
You can use ikura too, but I personally find them too "watery" to really pair well with steamed eggs (which are already half-water).
- Fermented black beans: If you're using dried ones, wet them down with some rice wine or sake, or even a mild vinegar, then leave for 10-15 minutes. That helps to plump them up and temper the saltiness.
We prefer not to wash or soak in water cos you can lose a lot of the flavour (unless you really find them too funky).
We mostly use organic ones that come prepacked in black bean soy sauce and a bit of sugar (the brand we like most is Hoi Fa/Taiwan but there are others). They're beautifully plump and just salty enough - you can even have them plain with rice or do an Asian riff on carbonara.
- Fillings: We haven't tried layering - we normally add only a small amount, which just ends up "floating" in the egg mixture 😝.
We don't use more than 2 parts fine mince to 1 part egg (by weight) - too much might give you a Spanish tortilla rather than steamed eggs haha.
We put it in the steaming bowl, season it with some soy or sea salt, then loosen it up so it doesn't clump, pour in the egg mixture and swirl gently. Don't "beat" the mixture or you'll get ugly bubbles 😉.
Oh the mince doesn't have to be meat. Shiitake (dried or fresh) marinated in some sake and soy or miso is also lovely.
This is all so helpful, thank you!! And I'll try the dried beans with rice wine or sake, as I've always done a double rinse like the box says... every recipe I've ever used them in say to follow the packet instructions!
Some have been packed in so much salt that you do need to give em a quick rinse to get rid of the excess salt before you use them.
Do you have them over rice when you do them for dinner? I was thinking that might be lovely, and what toppings do you love?
And it had not occurred to me to test the set before the 14 minute mark, but you're right the depth of the bowl matters, and of course that time was written for a 3 egg recipe not my 2 egg - I'll also try tilting the lid using the other bowl to try and help with the pool of liquid on top, though that multi-cooker does have two holes for steam on the lid.
Thanks for all your thoughts / tips!
Oh on days when it's just me, I sometimes do a single egg in a small ramekin - that takes like 2 + 2 min! But it can be a bit tricky to scoop out cos the bottom of the ramekin isn't curved like a bowl's.
And for friends, I often do a 4-egg portion like a flan, using a fluted tart tin, then top it with smashed chicharonnes, diced chillis and pickled French shallots (cut on the bias).
Steamed eggs was one of my revelations of 2024!
I know! Part of me is 'how have I never made these before', but the other part knows exactly why, as detailed, as my steamer is such a faff to deal with - who knew something so great could come out of a packet of frankly terrible steamed buns?!
There is always an unexpected learning :) I just use a metal steamer insert in one of my usual pots and it works a treat!