Universal Chinese Comfort Food

It doesn’t matter how far removed you are from the mainland in the Chinese diaspora: At some point, a relative made you this Chinese steamed egg dish, and now it reappears in your thoughts and dreams every time you’re sick or ailing. Flu? Steamed egg. Broken toe? Steamed egg. Strep throat in June the week before graduation? Steamed egg.

Heck, I got a cavity filled at home last year and what did Ma make when I came back hungry and numb? Steamed egg.

I grew up calling this dish 蒸蛋 (zhēngdàn), literally steamed egg, but others may know it as 蒸水蛋 (zhēngshuǐdàn). Japanese 茶碗蒸し/chawanmushi is similar, though more liquid by ratio and thus even silkier. Korean 계란찜/gyeranjjim is on the opposite end of the spectrum, with much more egg than liquid. All are delicious!

At its simplest, Chinese steamed egg is just water and egg, beaten together and steamed until set. Make it with broth or stock from yesterday’s soup, and that’s already as fancy as it gets.

A dressing of Zhongba light soy sauce and fragrant toasted sesame oil complete the savory custard experience. To add some textural interest and crunch to each bite, however, I indulge in a little pork floss and zhacai, pickled mustard stem. The pickled tang cuts through the minimal egg base, and I’d like to believe the added bit of lacto-fermented goodness in my gut goes some way toward healing from pangs, existential or physical. Food is medicine, is it not?

Altogether, the beauty of this steamed egg is in its ability to materialize from the pantry on the exact days you couldn’t be further from making a grocery run. When you grow up Chinese, pickles are never far from the table—homemade and store-bought alike. To this day (as recently as last week!), any time my dad goes to the Chinese grocery store, he’ll pick up a couple extra packets of our favorite spicy pickled radish or mustard stems. Even when he visited for one weekend over the summer, he managed to leave behind several zhacai packs amid the more typical parent top-ups, like fruits and veggies. Some people stock up on oil and eggs—my dad stocks up on zhacai (and instant noodles).

Zhacai is clearly an unnegotiable pantry staple in our family—it won’t spoil, you can eat it with everything, and it dresses up many a simple breakfast dish, so best to just never run out! Fortunately, The Mala Market finally has its zhacai pickled mustard stem back in stock. Trust that the five-pack will go quickly.

As with many “simple” dishes, there is more technique going on here than meets the eye. Taking a couple extra minutes during the prep stage is well worth it. Room-temperature eggs and the addition of hot water/broth mean the eggs steam more evenly, preventing the edges from overcooking before the center is set.

Before even touching the eggs, heat up one cup of water or broth and set up a steamer system with at least 2 inches of water, so the steaming rack is submerged beneath the surface of the water. Bring the pot to a gentle boil so the steamer is ready to go as soon as the eggs are combined.

Beat the room-temperature eggs together in a shallow bowl (a ramekin is perfect) with salt for at least 1 minute. Whisk in the hot water or broth and combine well. Strain the mixture through a mesh sieve to remove most bubbles and, finally, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Poke a couple fine holes in to let moisture escape, and place in the steamer. Immediately turn the heat down to a mild simmer and cover the pot with a tight lid. Steam for 8-10 minutes (depending on the shallowness of your bowl), and let stand a couple extra minutes before removing from pot.

When you can still jiggle the steamed egg but the top portion is barely set, the egg is done. If you’ve never made steamed egg before or aren’t sure, just slice into the middle and check that it keeps its shape and clear liquid seeps out. It should wobble. Dress the egg with sesame oil, soy sauce, scallions, pickles and some pork floss and you’re set!

• Note: If the heat is too strong, the egg will bubble as it steams, leaving a spongey texture. Better to simmer lower for longer and let the residual heat set the egg.