Egg Foo Young is a super delicious, flavor-packed classic Chinese Omelette. It is usually made with beaten eggs, veggies, bean sprouts, and protein like chicken or shrimp and served with a flavor bursting brown gravy. The recipe I have shared here shows you how to make Chinese Egg Foo Young with easy step-by-step instructions for you to try and enjoy at home.
I have also shared a detailed video of this recipe below to make the cooking process simple and clear. This Egg Foo Young is one of the best omelette dishes that can be enjoyed as a breakfast or as a main course meal with rice for lunch and dinner. You can also serve it as an appetizer using the egg foo young gravy as a dipping sauce.
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What is Egg Foo Young?
Egg Foo Young is a classical flavor-loaded Chinese Omelette. It is usually made with eggs, veggies, and sometimes with chicken, pork, or shrimp as its filling. Then the omelette is served with a brown gravy nothing but a Chinese Stir fry sauce.
It is said that this Egg Foo Young was first discovered by Chinese chefs in America. However, there are so many different stories around the topic. Like the different stories, the dish also got different names like egg fooyung, egg foo yong, egg foo yung, or egg fu young.
You might wonder what makes this Egg Foo Young different from regular omelets? The super crisp veggie or protein-filled omelet smothered in a brown stir fry sauce is the secret. Also, the classical dish is deep-fried in oil while the regular omelets are pan-fried. And it makes a perfect meal when served with rice or noodles just in under 30 minutes. You can also serve the gravy as a dipping sauce for the omelet and enjoy it as an appetizer as well.
Ingredients
The ingredients you will need to make this Egg Foo Young are basic Chinese pantry elements. You may find those ingredients in most Asian grocery stores around. So let's see what are they below.
For Gravy
Following are the ingredients required to make Egg Foo Young Gravy
- Cornstarch - Thickens the gravy and delivers the perfect flowing consistency to the sauce
- Sauces - Soy sauce and oyster sauce delivers the authentic Chinese food flavor and taste
- Water or Broth - I have used water here but feel free to use chicken or vegetable broth for extra taste and flavor
- Shaoxing Wine - It is nothing but a basic cooking wine used in Chinese Cooking
- Sesame Oil - Delivers the earthy taste to your food
- White Pepper Powder - You can also substitute it with black pepper powder
For Egg Foo Young
Following are the ingredients required for Egg Foo Young.
- Egg - Any eggs white or brown eggs that are available to you
- Fillings - Veggies, proteins like chicken, shrimp, pork, or other fillings of your choice
- Sauces - Soy sauce, oyster sauce, and Shaoxing wine that delivers an authentic taste and flavor
- Seasonings - Basic seasonings like salt, pepper powder, and garlic powder
For a detailed ingredients list, please check out the recipe card below.
How to make Egg Foo Young?
The recipe I have shared here is a popular Chinese restaurant-style take-out Egg Foo Young. The recipe is usually made with fillings that are handy for us. You can use veggies of your choice, proteins, meats, or even leftovers. So feel free to use what's handy for you.
Following are the high-level instructions to make this recipe but for detailed step-by-step instructions with photos and video, please check out the recipe card below.
To Marinate
- Marinate your poultry - In a bowl, add the minced chicken, garlic powder, pepper powder, brown sugar, soy sauce, and oyster sauce
- Mix - Mix everything well and reserve it for later use
- Marinate Seafood option - In a bowl, add the shrimp, salt, and pepper powder. Mix well and reserve it for later use as well
To Make Gravy
- Add the ingredients - Add cornstarch, water, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, and oil to a bowl
- Whisk - Whisk well without forming any lumps
- Cook - In a pan with medium heat, pour the above-prepared mixture and cook until it turns thick
- Remove and Reserve - Remove the gravy from heat and reserve it for later use. The gravy may turn thick as it cools down so make sure to reheat before serving
Prep the Fillings
- Saute the Aromatics - In a pan with medium heat, pour oil, and add garlic. Saute until it turns aromatic
- Cook the Fillings - Add the marinated chicken and cook until it turns white. Now add the marinated shrimp and cook until it turns pink. Reserve the cooked fillings for later use
To Make Egg Foo Young
- Season the Egg - In a bowl, open the egg, add pepper powder, salt, onion, cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, and cooked fillings. Mix gently until everything is incorporated
- Pour the Egg Mixture - In a pan with medium heat, pour two ladles of egg mixture and spread the fillings evenly (usually egg foo young is made in the shape of pancakes and so I have shaped it accordingly)
- Cook - Cook the egg until it sets on the edges
- Flip - Flip the omelet and cook for a minute. And finally, flip the omelet and remove it from the heat
- Serve - Place the Egg Foo Young (Chinese Omelette) on a plate along with bean sprouts and top it with gravy that we have reserved already. Garnish with Spring Onions
- Serving Options - Serve this flavor-packed Egg Foo Young with hot white rice as a main course meal or you can also serve the gravy as a dipping sauce for an omelet and enjoy it as an appetizer
Tips
- Pan Fry or Oil Fry - The restaurant-style Egg Foo Young is usually deep-fried in oil, but the recipe shared here is a homestyle pan-fried version. But you can always feel free to deep fry the omelet as well
- Fillings - This Chinese Omelette is a super customizable dish and you can use pork, shrimp, chicken, veggies, or other seafood options that are handy to you
- Gravy - Even though the gravy is served in most Chinese restaurants, you could also make this omelet without the gravy and enjoy them like a regular omelet
Storage Suggestions
This Egg Foo Young tastes super delicious when it is served warm. So I recommend preparing it as fresh as possible. And the gravy usually turns thick as time goes by. So I suggest reheating them to bring them back to a flowing consistency before serving.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this flavor-packed Egg Foo Young with hot white rice as a main course meal or you can also serve the gravy as a dipping sauce for an omelet and enjoy it as an appetizer
Related Recipes
You could also find similar omelet recipes below and more at egg recipes and Asian recipes.
- Omelette
- Spinach Omelet
- Western Omelet
- Spanish Omelette
- Egg White Omelette
- Vegan Omelette (Chickpea Flour Omelet)
More Chinese recipes:
- General Tso's Chicken
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Honey Garlic Chicken
- Kung Pao Shrimp
- Szechuan Chicken
- Szechuan Shrimp
Egg Foo Young Recipe video
I have also shared a detailed video of this Egg Foo Young Recipe below that I hope will help you to make a famous restaurant-style Chinese takeout at home. You could also find this recipe in a story format.
📖 Recipe
Egg Foo Young (Chinese Omelette)
Ingredients
To Marinate Chicken
- 3 tbsp Chicken, minced
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Pepper Powder
- ½ tsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Oyster Sauce
To Marinate Shrimp
- 5 Shrimp, cleaned and cut
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Pepper Powder
For Gravy
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1 cup Water , or Chicken Broth
- 1 tsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp Shaoxing Wine
- 1 tbsp Sesame Oil
- 1 tsp Oyster Sauce
Other Ingredients
- 1 tsp Oil
- 2 tbsp Garlic, minced
- 5 Egg
- ¼ tsp Pepper Powder
- Salt, As needed
- 2 tbsp Onion
- 2 tbsp Cabbage
- 2 tbsp Carrot
- 2 tbsp Bean Sprouts
- Green Onions, to garnish
Instructions
To Marinate
- In a bowl, add the minced chicken, garlic powder, pepper powder, brown sugar, soy sauce, and oyster sauce
- Mix everything well and reserve it for later use
- In a bowl, add the shrimp, salt, and pepper powder. Mix well and reserve it for later use as well
To make Gravy
- Add cornstarch, water, soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, oyster sauce, and oil to a bowl
- Whisk well without forming any lumps
- In a pan with medium heat, pour the above-prepared mixture and cook until it turns thick
- Remove the gravy from heat and reserve it for later use. The gravy may turn thick as it cools down so make sure to reheat before serving
To cook the Fillings
- In a pan with medium heat, pour oil and add garlic. Saute until it turns aromatic
- Add the marinated chicken and cook until it turns white
- Now add the marinated shrimp and cook until it turns pink. Reserve the cooked fillings for later use
To make Egg Foo Young
- In a bowl, open the egg, add pepper powder, and salt, and beat well
- Now add the onion, cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, and cooked fillings. Mix gently until everything is incorporated
- In a pan with medium heat, pour oil and add two ladles of egg mixture, and spread the fillings evenly (usually egg foo young is made in the shape of pancakes and so I have shaped it accordingly). Cook the egg until it sets on the edges
- Flip the omelet and cook for a minute. And finally, flip the omelet and remove it from the heat
- Place the Egg Foo Young (Chinese Omelette) on a plate along with bean sprouts and top it with gravy that we have reserved already. Garnish with Spring Onions
To Serve
- Serve this flavor-packed Egg Foo Young with hot white rice as a main course meal or you can also serve the gravy as a dipping sauce for an omelet and enjoy it as an appetizer
Video
Notes
- Pan Fry or Oil Fry - The restaurant-style Egg Foo Young is usually deep-fried in oil, but the recipe shared here is a homestyle pan-fried version. But you can always feel free to deep fry the omelet as well
- Fillings - This Chinese Omelette is a super customizable dish and you can use pork, shrimp, chicken, veggies, or other seafood options that are handy to you
- Gravy - Even though the gravy is served in most Chinese restaurants, you could also make this omelet without the gravy and enjoy them like a regular omelet
- Serving Suggestions - Serve this flavor-packed Egg Foo Young with hot white rice as a main course meal or you can also serve the gravy as a dipping sauce for an omelet and enjoy it as an appetizer
Nutrition
FAQ
Egg Foo Young is a classical flavor-loaded Chinese Omelette. It is usually made with eggs, veggies, and sometimes with chicken, pork, or shrimp as its filling. Then the omelette is served with a brown gravy nothing but a Chinese Stir fry sauce. And it makes a perfect meal when served with rice or noodles just in under 30 minutes. You can also serve the gravy as a dipping sauce for the omelet and enjoy it as an appetizer as well.
The super crisp veggies and protein-filled omelet smothered in a brown stir fry sauce is the secret. Also, the classical dish is deep-fried in oil while the regular omelets are pan-fried.
Yes. The pan-fried version of this Egg Foo Young is a good source of proteins and minerals. And it is a high protein, low-fat dish when made at home. While the answer for the restaurant version is no, as they deep fry the eggs.
This Chinese Omelet I have shared here contains 152 calories per serving and it is an estimation by the nutrition calculator. The calorie count may change if you change any of the ingredients. You could also find detailed nutritional information in the recipe card above.
I hope you enjoyed the recipe that I have shared here and I would love to hear from you about how it turned out for you. Please let me know.
If you have any other questions, feel free to post them in the comment section below and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.
Happy Cooking!
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