Sweet & Sour Braised Fried Eggs
Lucas Sin
Photo by Food52
- Serves
- 2 to 4
- Prep Time
- 10 Minutes
- Cook Time
- 5 Minutes
While there’s something particularly arresting about a fried egg with a gooey, or runny egg yolk, it’s important not to discount the wonders of a well-done fried egg with craggly brown edges and a deeply flavorful center. After all, we refer to the flipped fried egg in Chinese as a “wallet egg” because of its shape and the implication of gold, hidden within.
“Overcooking eggs” beyond their gooey textures might feel like a sacrifice in flavor, but it is a great way to coax more flavor out of them. The added cooking time allows amino acids and sugars in the egg to undergo the Maillard reaction, amplifying the distinctive flavor of its caramelizing, brown bottom. Eggs themselves are also immensely flavorful and lend savory flavors to the liquid they’re cooked in, not unlike cooking meat in liquid.
This recipe is a popular home recipe with no particular regional origin, likely popular in China because of its virality on social media. It shares some similarities to the Golden Coin Eggs recipe of taking eggs beyond their usual point of doneness to extract flavor, and the sauce is a brown sweet and sour sauce that thickens as it cooks.
Ingredients
Seasoning Sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon Chinese black (zhenjiang) vinegar
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch or potato starch
- 1/4 cup water
Fried Eggs
- 6 large eggs
- 1/2-inch knob fresh ginger (about ½ ounce; 15 grams), smashed and thinly sliced
- 2 scallions (around 1 ounce; 30 grams), chopped into ½-inch segments
- 1 red chili (around ½ ounce; 15 grams) such as anaheim, chopped into ½-inch segments (optional)
- 4 cloves of garlic (around 20 grams), sliced lengthwise thinly
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Directions
Instructions
- Step 1
In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the seasoning sauce and mix well. Set aside.
- Step 2
Heat a generous amount of oil, enough to just cover the bottom of a skillet or a wok over medium-high heat until barely smoking. Turn to medium. Working in batches if necessary, crack eggs into the pan, giving the eggs sufficient space to fry without touching the other eggs. Maintaining a medium heat, cook eggs until their sides begin to fluff and set, about 30 seconds. Flip and cook the other side for about 30 seconds until golden brown. Continue cooking and flipping until the edges are golden brown and the yolk is barely set. Set aside. Repeat until all the eggs are cooked.
- Step 3
In the same skillet or wok, heat the remaining oil until medium. Add the ginger, scallions, and chili (if using). Stir-fry until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the garlic and stir-fry until barely golden brown, another 30 seconds. Add the mixed seasoning sauce and bring the mixture to a rapid boil, stirring constantly. The sauce should emulsify and become glossy. Return the cooked eggs to the pan and swirl the pan so the flavors begin to meld. Let the sauce reduce and the eggs continue to braise for about 1 minute. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a platter and serve warm with white rice.