Recreating Takeaway Magic at Home
For those evenings when your favourite Chinese takeaway feels just out of reach, Guardian columnist Meera Sodha offers a brilliant homemade solution. Her vegetarian mushroom egg foo yung served over buttered rice brings the comfort of classic British-Chinese cuisine directly to your kitchen.
The Story Behind Egg Foo Yung
This delightful dish has a fascinating history that spans continents. Egg foo yung began as an egg-based creation in Guangdong province before becoming a staple on both American and British Chinese takeaway menus since the early 1900s. Sodha mentions particular fondness for versions served at Yau's in Broughton near Scunthorpe and Chi's in Kenton, Devon, where it arrives as a delicate, vegetable-packed omelette that practically melts in your mouth.
While this recipe doesn't attempt to perfectly replicate those specific restaurant versions, it captures the essential joy of the dish for home cooks. The preparation takes just 10 minutes with 45 minutes cooking time, serving four people generously.
Crafting the Perfect Mushroom Egg Foo Yung
The success of this recipe hinges on a few crucial techniques. You'll need a reliable nonstick pan and must ensure you cook the vegetables until all water evaporates, preventing a soggy omelette. The ingredient list combines British supermarket staples with authentic Asian flavours.
For the main components, you'll require 350g jasmine rice, 80g unsalted butter, 4 garlic cloves, and 300g shiitake mushrooms. The flavour comes from mirin, light soy sauce, and a simple sauce made from crispy chilli oil, additional soy sauce, and rice vinegar. Eight medium eggs bind everything together, with chives adding freshness and colour.
The method begins with perfectly cooking the jasmine rice, rinsing it until the water runs clear before steaming with just-boiled water. The clever addition of 30g butter placed in the centre of the cooked rice creates an irresistibly rich base for the omelette.
While the rice cooks, you'll prepare the spicy dipping sauce and sauté the mushrooms and garlic in butter until all moisture evaporates. This step is crucial for achieving the right texture. The cooled mushroom mixture then gets folded into whisked eggs with salt and most of the chives before being cooked in batches to create individual omelettes.
Each serving gets assembled with a quarter of the buttered rice, topped with a golden-brown omelette and finished with reserved chopped chives. The chilli vinegar sauce served alongside provides the perfect spicy contrast to the rich eggs and mushrooms.
Join Meera Sodha for Guardian Live
Food enthusiasts can look forward to a special Guardian Live event on Wednesday 26 November featuring Meera Sodha alongside writers Stuart Heritage and Tim Dowling. Hosted by Nish Kumar with Georgina Lawton, the event celebrates the best of Guardian culture and offers audiences both in London and via livestream the chance to engage with these popular writers.
