Savoury egg custard
- 1 tsp dried shrimp
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 tsp salt
- boiled water, cooled
- 60g minced pork
- 2 tbsp spring onion
- sesame oil
- oyster sauce
Steaming is a technique that, like stir-frying, is used by Chinese all over the world. But, unlike stir-frying - with its flamboyant action, sizzle and excitement - steaming is subdued. Ingredients are gently caressed by an enveloping, even heat. Strangely, steamed food has not been widely embraced by Western chefs other than for special dishes and puddings.
Method
- Soak the dried shrimp for 30 minutes, then finely chop. Beat eggs lightly, add salt. Using half an egg shell as a measure, fill it with the water. Add this to the beaten eggs and repeat three times. This will lighten the egg mixture to the desired texture.
- Add the pork, shrimp and spring onions to the egg mixture, combining well. Now pour the contents into a heatproof dish.
- Insert a steaming rack in your wok (a round cake rack or similar will do). Add boiling water to just below the base of the rack and place the heatproof dish on the rack. When water returns to the boil, cover the wok with its lid, reduce heat, and steam the egg mixture gently for
15-20 minutes.
- Remove the dish from the wok and complete the recipe by sprinkling several drops of sesame oil and about 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce over the custard.
