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Egg foo yung is a Chinese-American dish based on a classic Shanghainese dish called yung fu egg slices. It is an egg omelette or pancake with meat and vegetables added, served with brown gravy or soy sauce and chopped green onions. It was likely made in the 1940s or early 1950s by Chinese chefs in the United States. The dish can be found in Chinese restaurants or made at home.
Egg foo yung, also spelled young egg or egg fuyung, is a Chinese-American dish based on a classic Shanghainese dish called yung fu egg slices. In a way, it’s like one of the first omelettes, invented long before the French coined that term. Fu Yung translates as lotus flower, and the original dish generally combined egg whites with ham or minced chicken and was pan-fried or deep-fried.
Chinese chefs in the United States are primarily responsible for egg foo yung as it is known today, and the dish was likely made in the 1940s or early 1950s. The name of the first inventor is now lost, but the dish could have been developed in any restaurant specializing in Cantonese cuisine. Quite simply, the modern dish uses the whole egg in most cases, producing an egg omelette or pancake, to which a small amount of meat and vegetables are added.
The suggestion of culinary historians is that initially this dish was fried. This is an uncommon practice today, and pan frying much like a cook would an omelet, is more common. Even the basic shape doesn’t have to be perfect; egg foo yung can be a little crumpled, folded into squares, or almost resemble scrambled eggs. Brown gravy or soy sauce sauces are added giving the dish a noticeable “Chinese” flavor. It also almost always includes chopped green onions, either incorporated into the eggs or as a side dish on top.
Common additions include strips of pork, beef, chicken, shrimp or, for the adventurous palate, mealworms. Unlike the American omelet, however, eggs don’t have to be stuffed with ingredients. The additions are generally just there to provide some flavor without bulking up the dish and making it more about what is being added than the eggs. The simplest sauce can be simply a soy or tempura sauce topped with a little shallot. Most commonly, Chinese brown gravies are used, such as those that accompany dishes such as broccoli beef.
Some versions of the dish would be nearly impossible to recognize. The St. Paul’s sandwich, for example, is a fried egg foo yung sandwich, served on white bread with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and mayonnaise. This variation of the classic dish can be found in St. Louis, Missouri, where the invention of the sandwich is credited to creative Chinese-American chefs. Elsewhere in the United States, diners are more likely to find egg fu yung in Chinese restaurants, but the recipe is so simple, it’s definitely worth trying at home too, especially since it’s quick to prepare.
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