Silky steamed eggs (蒸水蛋)
Eggs beaten with warm water and steamed gently into a smooth, wobbly custard — soft, quick and easy to eat on tired days.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Serves
- 2
Method
- 1
Beat the eggs with the salt, then stir in the warm water or stock — about 1½ times the volume of the egg. Measuring the beaten egg in a jug makes this easy.
- 2
Strain the mixture through a sieve into a shallow heatproof dish and skim off any bubbles, for a smooth surface.
- 3
Cover and steam. Cover the dish with a plate or foil and steam over gently boiling water on a medium-low heat for 10 to 12 minutes, until set all the way through: it should wobble like a custard, with no liquid egg in the centre.
- 4
Finish with the soy sauce, sesame oil and spring onion, and serve hot.
About this dish
Steamed egg is the dish Cantonese families make when someone needs something soft, warm and comforting. It takes a few minutes to prepare, it's gentle on a tired appetite, and it's a good source of protein — useful in the first days after birth or after a caesarean.
Tips
- For a smooth top with no holes, use warm (not hot) water, strain the mixture, cover the dish and keep the heat gentle.
- Make it a meal by adding a little minced pork or a few prawns under the egg before steaming — steam for a few minutes longer, until the meat is cooked through.
- Eat it fresh. Steamed egg doesn't keep or reheat well.
- Choose British Lion eggs (stamped with a red lion). Duck eggs, or hen eggs without the stamp, should always be cooked until fully set.
Sources
About these recipes
- These are traditional home recipes, shared for cultural interest. They are not medical or nutritional advice, and we don’t claim any dish treats, prevents or cures anything.
- If you have allergies, gestational diabetes or a special diet, or take any medicines or herbal remedies, check with your midwife, health visitor, GP or pharmacist before changing what you eat.
- Follow UK food-safety advice: cook meat, fish and eggs thoroughly; cool leftovers and get them into the fridge within 1 to 2 hours; eat them within 2 days; and reheat only once, until steaming hot.
- Some recipes contain alcohol, and cooking doesn’t remove all of it. If you’re breastfeeding, read our guide to ginger vinegar and chicken in rice wine first.
Experienced carers cook dishes like these every day of the confinement month, and adjust them to how you’re feeling.
Find a carer →More recipes
Chicken in rice wine (雞酒)
Chicken browned with ginger in sesame oil, then simmered in glutinous rice wine — with a lighter, lower-alcohol version for breastfeeding mothers.
Chinese broccoli with ginger (薑汁炒芥蘭)
Crisp Chinese broccoli stir-fried with ginger — the traditional way to cook greens during the confinement month, and quick to make with tenderstem too.
Fish congee with ginger (薑絲魚片粥)
Silky rice congee with thin slices of white fish and shredded ginger — a warm, easy breakfast for tired days and recovery after a caesarean.