When you travel, it feels as if there are two worlds: your home and the rest of the world. When you step into a restaurant, this feeling is echoed, and it changes based on which restaurant you are in. Right around the corner from home, a restaurant may feel like you are in Thailand eating pad Thai, in America enjoying a cheese burger or in France eating snails. In other cases, you may be half way around the globe in a spot full of Aussies that makes you feel like you are back home. Hi, my name is Betina, and I love eating out and travelling. This blog looks at everything related to those concepts. It talks about the sense of home and away in restaurants. Whether you are a diner or a restaurateur, I hope you enjoy the diverse posts I include in this blog.
If you enjoy egg-based dishes but typically opt for a classic chicken curry or beef chow mein when visiting a Chinese restaurant, you're missing out. A number of traditional Chinese dishes use egg as the main ingredient, and eggs are a popular source of protein across China. Here are four egg dishes to look out for the next time you visit a Chinese restaurant:
Steamed Pork In Egg Custard
Steamed pork in egg custard is a popular Cantonese dish that consists of seasoned ground pork layered with steamed egg. The pork is seasoned with soy sauce, ginger and star anise, and the dish is steamed in a water bath, which makes the egg light and fluffy. This dish is usually garnished with sliced spring onions and served with rice.
Tea Egg Noodles
Tea eggs are aromatic hardboiled eggs that are cooked for several hours to allow the flavours of the infusion they are cooked in to penetrate all the way through the egg. Once boiled, the shells of the eggs are cracked and the eggs are then cooked for a second time in an infusion of black tea, star anise, soy sauce, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and peppercorns. Once peeled, the eggs have a striking marbled pattern and unique aromatic flavour. They are served over noodles cooked simply in chicken broth and garnished with sesame seeds, coriander and sliced chillies.
Egg Drop Soup
Egg drop soup is a comforting dish that consists of beaten eggs stirred into chicken broth, which produces light, fluffy eggs that have a distinct umami flavour. It's not uncommon for the chicken broth to be seasoned with ginger, white pepper and soy sauce, and the dish can be eaten on its own for a light lunch or enjoyed with steamed rice and a side of fresh greens.
Egg Foo Young
Egg foo young is similar to an omelette, but it's served with a gravy and typically eaten with steamed rice. Meat and vegetables, such as mushrooms, shredded cabbage, bean sprouts and spring onions are mixed into beaten egg and the mixture is seasoned with a little black pepper and rice wine before being cooked in a hot pan. The gravy consists of chicken broth, sesame oil, soy sauce and rice wine and is poured over the cooked egg just before serving.
These are just a few examples of Chinese dishes that aren't to be missed if you enjoy eating eggs. Next time you visit a Chinese restaurant, look for these dishes on the menu or ask your server to recommend a traditional egg dish.
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