• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Whisk Affair
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Indian Recipes
  • Meal Type
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Appetizers
    • Main Course
    • Desserts
  • My Cookbook
    • My E-Books
  • Subscribe
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Eid Specials
  • Buy my Cookbook
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Whisk Affair » Recipes » Meal Type » Global Breakfast » Egg Foo Young

    Published: Mar 18, 2021 | Last Updated On: Mar 19, 2021 by Neha Mathur | This post may contain affiliate links. I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Egg Foo Young

    1267 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Make this homemade crispy and fluffy Chinese egg omelette, Egg Foo Young at home in under 15 minutes. Add veggies or meat of your choice to make it super filling.

    If you love to make eggs for breakfast, here are some more recipes for you – Perfect Scrambled Eggs, Healthy Spinach Egg White Muffins, Akuri, Mushroom Omelette, and Egg White Scramble.

    Egg foo young served on a plate.
    Jump to:
    • About This Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • How to make Egg Foo Young?
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Pro Tips by Neha
    • Variations
    • Serving Suggestions
    • You might also like
    • Recipe Card

    About This Recipe

    Egg Foo Young is a Chinese version of an egg omelette. Also spelled as egg fooyung, egg foo yong, egg foo yung, or egg fu yung, it is an egg dish found in Chinese Indonesian, British Chinese, and Chinese American cuisine.

    Literally meaning “Hibiscus egg”, Egg Foo Young is prepared with beaten eggs and most often minced ham and is a great option for a healthy filling breakfast. The cooked eggs have a crispy edge and are super fluffy from the inside.

    This recipe was invented to use up all the leftovers of the kitchen, which includes veggies and meats and thus this can be prepared with a variety of vegetables as well as meat.

    It may be made with various vegetables such as bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, cabbage, mushrooms, spring onions, and water chestnuts. Roast pork, shrimp, chicken, beef, or lobster meat can also be added to this.

    In America, it is served with brown sauce or gravy. A tangy sauce that instantly takes the dish to another level.

    The vegetables in the eggs, the slight hint of umami flavor from the soy sauce, and sesame oil, this omelette is different. This one is definitely a favorite breakfast dish in any Chinese restaurant,

    This dish is,

    • Easy to make
    • Non-Vegetarian
    • Tasty
    • A popular takeout dish
    • Perfect for everyday breakfast
    • A twist to your regular Omelette

    Ingredients

    Eggs – Eggs make the base of this recipe of homemade egg fooyung. It’s mostly hen’s eggs but you can use any other egg too.

    Vegetables – Bean sprouts, mushrooms, spring onion, garlic, etc are added to the eggs to give it a nice crunch and flavor.

    This dish is one of those clean your refrigerator kind of dish, where you can toss in all the leftovers into the eggs and cook it into an omelette. So if you are short of one of the mentioned veggies, just swap it with whatever you gave at hand.

    Shrimp – I have added chopped shrimp to the recipe. You can add any meat of your choice like beef, chicken, pork, etc.

    Other Ingredients – Other than the above ingredients, I have used red chili flakes, salt, and a dash of Homemade Chinese Five Spice. You can even use store-bought Chinese five-spice if you can’t make one at home.

    Sesame Oil – The omelette is finally fried in hot oil. I have used sesame oil as it gives a very traditional Chinese flavor to it but you can use oil of your choice.

    Sauce – This Omelette is served with a delicious sauce that is made with Chicken Broth, Soy sauce, Corn Flour, Rice Vinegar, and Sesame Oil.

    This thick sauce has a umami flavour due to the use of soy sauce, which adds a delicious taste when poured on the omelette.

    How to make Egg Foo Young?

    Start by making the gravy. To make the gravy, mix 1 and ½ tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoon of water in a small bowl and make a slurry. Add all the ingredients like 1 cup chicken broth, 2 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and the cornstarch slurry to a small saucepan. 

    Ingredients to make the gravy added to a pan.

    Cook for 4-5 minutes on medium heat until the sauce thickens. Keep stirring continuously to avoid the formation of lumps. Remove the pan from heat and let the sauce cool down.

    Ready gravy.

    To make the omelette, break 8 large eggs into a medium-size mixing bowl. Whisk them using a wire whisk.

    Eggs broken in a bowl.

    Add 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 10-12 medium-sized chopped shrimps, 3-4 sliced button mushrooms, ¼ cup chopped bean sprouts, ¼ cup chopped green onions, salt to taste, ¼ teaspoon five-spice powder, and 1 teaspoon red chili flakes to the bowl and mix well.

    Remaining ingredients added to the bowl.

    Heat a 5-7 inch frying pan. Add 2 tablespoon oil in the pan and let it heat.

    Sesame oil heating in a pan.

    Once the oil is hot, pour ¼th of the egg mixture into the pan and cook on medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes, until the omelet is crisp and browned from the bottom.

    Egg mixture poured in the pan.

    Flip it using a rubber spatula and fry from the other side as well. Remove on the serving plate.

    Flipped.

    Pour the sauce over the eggs and serve hot.

    Gravy poured over ready egg foo young.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Is it healthy?

    The egg is high in protein and it is also loaded with vegetables, and thus with a little change in the frying technique, it can be considered healthy for people following a low fat, low carb, and high protein diet.

    Use less oil to fry the eggs.

    Egg Foo Young V/S Omelette

    The main difference between the two is the set of ingredients mixed in the eggs. While Omelette generally uses only onion, tomato, green chilies, and basic spice powders, Egg Fooyung uses garlic, various veggies, meat, five-spice powder, and red chili flakes.

    Omelette is cooked in less oil while Egg Foo Yung is fried in oil.

    Also, Omelette is just cooked and served as it is or with Toast, but Egg Foo Young is served with a delicious sauce.

    Pro Tips by Neha

    The eggs get cooked in under 2-3 minutes. So if you’re adding veggies or meat that will not get cooked in this time, then make sure to cook them before adding it to the eggs.

    The crispy and fluffy texture of this omelet comes from frying in slightly more oil. If you reduce the amount of oil, the edges will not be crispy and the omelet will be flatter.

    Fry on medium high heat for crispy edges and rich flavor.

    Variations

    You can make this recipe with only vegetables or add meat of your choice like shrimps, ham, chicken, beef, pork, lobster, sausage, etc.

    Vegetables – Add vegetables like mushrooms, celery, green onions, peas, carrot, bell pepper, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, and bamboo shoots.

    Shrimp – Add chopped cleaned shrimp in the egg mixture and cook as mentioned. If you are using small shrimp, you can use them whole as well.

    Pork, Beef, or Chicken Mince – Add the mince directly to the egg mixture. The heat will cook the meat while the omelette is cooking.

    If not using mince but the meat, make sure to cook it beforehand otherwise it may be raw at the end.

    Shredded Chicken – You can also add boiled or grilled shredded chicken to the egg mixture.

    Serving Suggestions

    You can serve it on its own for a high protein breakfast or along with a bed of white steamed rice for a delicious Chinese meal.

    You might also like

    • Shrimp Chow Mein is a no-fuss, easy one-pot meal that gets ready in under 30 minutes using simple ingredients. Say no to takeaways and make these Cantonese-style shrimp noodles at home using my easy recipe.
      Easy One Pot Shrimp Chow Mein
    • Thai Basil Chicken Served in a bowl.
      Thai Basil Chicken
    • Thai Red Curry is a popular spicy curry from Thai cuisine. You can make it vegetarian, with chicken, shrimp or with fish. This recipe is very easy to make and is very close to the authentic red curry that you would get in Thailand.
      Thai Red Curry
    • Make this hot and spicy, Hunan-style chicken at home in under 30 minutes. It's budget-friendly, loaded with colorful veggies and the spices can be adjusted to your taste.
      Easy Chinese Hunan Chicken (Takeout Copycat)

    Recipe Card

    Loved this recipe?Click here to leave a review and give us a five star rating ★★★★★
    Make this homemade crispy and fluffy Chinese egg omelette, Egg Foo Young at home in under 15 minutes. Add veggies or meat of your choice to make it super filling.

    Egg Foo Young Recipe

    Make this homemade crispy and fluffy Chinese egg omelette, Egg Foo Young at home in under 15 minutes. Add veggies or meat of your choice to make it super filling.
    4.25 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Chinese
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 162kcal
    Author: Neha Mathur

    Ingredients 

    For the sauce

    • 1 cup chicken broth
    • 2 teaspoon soy sauce
    • 1 and ½ tablespoon cornstarch
    • 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
    • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

    For the omelet

    • 8 large eggs
    • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
    • 10-12 medium size shrimps (cleaned, deveined, and chopped into small pieces)
    • 3-4 sliced button mushrooms
    • ¼ cup chopped bean sprouts
    • ¼ cup chopped green onions
    • salt to taste
    • ¼ teaspoon Chinese five spice
    • 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
    • oil for frying
    US Customary or Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Start by making the gravy. To make the gravy, mix 1 and ½ tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoon of water in a small bowl and make a slurry. Add all the ingredients like 1 cup chicken broth, 2 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, and the cornstarch slurry to a small saucepan. 
    • Cook for 4-5 minutes on medium heat until the sauce thickens. Keep stirring continuously to avoid the formation of lumps. Remove the pan from heat and let the sauce cool down.
    • To make the omelette, break 8 large eggs into a medium-size mixing bowl. Whisk them using a wire whisk.
    • Add 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 10-12 medium-sized chopped shrimps, 3-4 sliced button mushrooms, ¼ cup chopped bean sprouts, ¼ cup chopped green onions, salt to taste, ¼ teaspoon five-spice powder, and 1 teaspoon red chili flakes to the bowl and mix well.
    • Heat a 5-7 inch frying pan. Add 2 tablespoon oil to the pan and let it heat.
    • Once the oil is hot, pour ¼th of the egg mixture into the pan and cook on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes, until the omelet is crisp and browned from the bottom.
    • Flip it using a rubber spatula and fry from the other side as well. Remove on the serving plate.
    • Pour the sauce over the eggs and serve hot.

    Notes

    The eggs get cooked in under 2 minutes. So if you’re adding veggies or meat that will not get cooked in this time, then make sure to cook them before adding it to the eggs.
    The crispy and fluffy texture of this omelet comes from frying in slightly more oil. If you reduce the amount of oil, the edges will not be crispy and the omelet will be flatter.
    Fry on medium high heat for crispy edges and rich flavor.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 365mg | Sodium: 633mg | Potassium: 217mg | Vitamin A: 685IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 2.4mg
    Pin this recipe for later use!I LOVE to see your creations so pin and mention @WhiskAffair!
    Sign up for regular updates?I would love to have you as part of my journey. Click to sign up!

    More Global Breakfast Recipes

    • Korean Strawberry Milk is a delicious and refreshing drink made using fresh or frozen strawberries, sugar, and milk. Make this cafe-style beverage at home using my easy recipe (vegetarian, gluten-free, can be easily made vegan).
      Korean Strawberry Milk
    • Make these Bakery-Style Strawberry Banana Muffins at home using my easy recipe. These muffins are rich, delicious and have the most perfect crumb.
      Bakery Style Strawberry Banana Muffins
    • Strawberry Chia Seed Smoothie is a delicious protein-loaded breakfast option that is perfect to start your day. It is easy and quick to make and keeps you full for a long time (vegan, gluten-free).
      Strawberry Chia Seed Smoothie
    • Pumpkin Pecan Waffles are nothing but classic waffles loaded with fall flavors. Make them using my easy recipe.
      Pumpkin Pecan Waffles

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Did you make this recipe? Let me know! Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Shashi at Savory Spin

      April 05, 2021 at 2:46 pm

      I’ve never made egg foo young so Im saving this recipe to try soon – thanks so much for sharing it.

      Reply
      • Neha Mathur

        April 06, 2021 at 12:32 pm

        You will love it.

        Reply
    2. Ms. Taylor

      December 30, 2022 at 10:58 pm

      5 stars
      Easy, nutritious and inexpensive. What more could you want?

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hey! Nice to meet you

    Neha Mathur, Founder & Recipe Expert at Whisk Affair

    Hi! I'm Neha, Blogger & Recipe Expert behind Whisk Affair. I've nurtured Whisk Affair since 2012 by trying & testing every recipe published. Be sure that it will turn out good each time! Read More about me…

    Stay Connected

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    My Cookbook

    Neha's Cookbook Cover

    Click to Buy Now on Amazon

    Most Popular Recipes

    • Make this delicious restaurant-style Hibachi Fried Rice (Japanese Style Fried Rice) for a quick Asian-inspired meal. Serve it with Hibachi chicken and Yum Yum sauce and get transported to a Japanese Steakhouse.
      Best Hibachi Fried Rice (Japanese Style Fried Rice)
    • This oven-baked lemon garlic baked tilapia is super easy to make and comes together in under 20 minutes. It's low carb, gluten-free, keto-friendly, and very flavorful. Here is how to make it.
      Spicy Lemon Garlic Baked Tilapia
    • Creamy Garlic Parmesan sauce served in a bowl.
      Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce
    • Lemon tea served in cups.
      Lemon Tea
    • Light, hearty and delicious, Chicken Clear Soup is super easy to make at home. It is made using simple ingredients and comes together in under 30 minutes. This soul-soothing soup is gluten-free and low carb too.
      Chicken Clear Soup
    • Egg White Scramble is a healthy, fluffy, and delicious option for breakfast. Serve it with some toast and fruits and milk on the side. Here is how to make the best fluffy scrambled egg white recipe at home!
      Scrambled Egg Whites

    Summer Mango Recipes

    • Kacche Aam Ki Launji is a sweet and spicy chutney made using tangy green mangoes, jaggery, and a few simple spices. This chutney keeps good in the refrigerator for upto 3 months. So make a big batch and enjoy!
      Kacche Aam Ki Launji (Sweet & Spicy Raw Mango Chutney)
    • Learn How To Make Mango Pulp in under 5 minutes and use it round the year to make your favorite recipes.
      How To Make Mango Pulp (Mango Puree)
    • Green mango chutney is a spicy and tangy Indian accompaniment made using green mangoes. Serve it with an Indian snack or meals for a tangy treat.
      Green Mango Chutney (Raw Mango Chutney)
    • This Easy Mango Pico De Gallo is fruity, sweet, and spicy and comes together in under 10 minutes using simple ingredients. Serve it with nachos, chips, rice, or tacos for a perfect summer special accompaniment (vegan, gluten-free).
      Easy Mango Pico De Gallo (Mango Salsa)
    • Mango Magic Tropical Smoothie is a delicious drink loaded with tropical flavors. Sip it for breakfast or for snacks (gluten-free, can be easily made vegan).
      Mango Magic Tropical Smoothie
    • Aam panna is a refreshing Indian summer drink made using green mangoes. It is sweet, tangy, and bursting with beautiful flavors. Make it in an instant pot or a traditional pressure cooker.
      Aam Panna (Tangy Green Mango Drink)

    Eid Specials

    • Mohabbat ka Sharbat is a refreshing Old Delhi-style summer drink. It has flavors from watermelon and rose syrup. Here is how to make it (vegetarian, gluten-free, and can be made vegan).
      Mohabbat Ka Sharbat
    • Lachha Rabdi (Rabri) is a popular North Indian dessert made by reducing milk and flavoring it with saffron and rose water (or cardamom). Make it in an authentic way using my easy recipe.
      Authentic Lachha Rabdi (Rabri)
    • Sheer Khurma or Sheer Korma is a traditional Indian dessert that is a must-make for the festival of Eid. It is made by cooking fine vermicelli with ghee, milk, dates, and dry fruits. Saffron is added to it for a unique flavor.
      Sheer Khurma (Vermicelli Milk Dates Pudding)
    • Super crispy from the outside and juicy from the inside, these Homemade Fish Fingers are a breeze to make. You just can't go wrong with this delicious and easy recipe.
      Homemade Crispy Fish Fingers
    • Kesar Phirni or Firni is a traditional Kashmiri dessert that is made using milk and rice. This Mughlai sweet is a treat to eat and is very easy to make. Here is how to make it.
      Traditional Phirni Recipe (Firni, Indian Rice Pudding)
    • Shahi Tukda (Shahi Toast) is a Mughlai dessert made using deep-fried bread slices, reduced saffron flavored milk (rabdi), and sugar syrup. It is a perfect dessert for festivals and special occasions (vegetarian).
      Mughlai Shahi Tukda

    Footer


    ^ back to top

    About

    About Neha

    Diwali E-Book

    My Cookbook

    Stay Connected

    Sign up! for emails and updates

    Contact Me

    Policies

    Privacy Policy

    Terms & Conditions

    Accessibility Policy

    Whiskaffair has been featured in leading media including the huffington post, bloomberg quint, buzz feed, your story and many more

    Copyright © 2022 WhiskAffair Food LLP