Posted on

14 January 2016

by

Liz Robb

Ingredients

15g dried shitake mushrooms

A green pepper A small bunch of spring onions 100g baby button mushrooms A carrot 125g canned water chestnuts 2 cloves of garlic A small piece of fresh ginger A red chilli 2 handfuls of fresh beansprouts 200g small cooked and peeled prawns 3 tablespoons of groundnut oil 8 large eggs 1 teaspoon of dark soy sauce A handful of chives Salt and black pepper <strong>For the sauce:

</strong> 1 level tablespoon of cornflour 350ml chicken stock 2-3 tablespoons of tomato puree 3 tablespoons of dark soy sauce A teaspoon of brown sugar A splash of sweet chilli sauce Salt and white pepper

Servings

4

Person

Preparation

1

Soak the shitake mushrooms in a little boiling water for 30 minutes then drain and slice them into small slithers.
2

Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Deseed and cut the green pepper into short thin strips. Trim the spring onions and slice into small pieces. Peel and grate the carrot. Wipe and slice the baby mushrooms. Finely chop the water chestnuts. Peel and grate the garlic and ginger. Deseed and finely slice the chilli. Chop the chives finely, reserving a few to cut into small pieces for garnish.
3

To make the sauce, mix the stock, tomato puree, soy sauce, brown sugar and chilli sauce together in a small saucepan and heat gently until it comes to the boil. Mix the cornflour with a little cold water and add, stirring constantly, and cook for 3-4 minutes until it thickens. Season to taste. Keep warm until you are ready to serve.
4

In a wok, heat a tablespoon of oil and stir fry the pepper for a minute or two. [I had a green one to use up, but red or yellow works just as well.] Add the spring onion and button mushrooms and cook for another minute. Add the carrot, water chestnuts, garlic, ginger and chilli, stirring frequently to stop it from sticking, then the beansprouts, shitake mushrooms and prawns, cooking for another 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat and tip everything into a large bowl.
5

In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs, add the soy sauce and chopped chives then season. Tip the egg mixture into the stir fried vegetables and prawns then combine everything together well.
6

Heat half a tablespoon of oil in a small heavy frying pan. When the oil is hot, ladle in a quarter of the foo yung mixture, tip the pan to spread it evenly and cook until the base is set and lightly browned, for about 3 minutes. Turn the omelette carefully
7

I slide it onto a plate then tip it back into the pan. Cook on the other side until the base is set and the omelette is cooked through. Place in the oven to keep warm then repeat, making another 3 omelettes.
8

Slice each omelette into quarters and arrange on a plate, garnished with chives, accompanied by a small bowl of sauce.
9

I like to serve it with a handful of crunchy prawn crackers to dip into the sauce too!

Cooks Note

Egg foo yung, a type of omelette originating in China and popular in America, is a fairly simple dish but endlessly versatile; you can include in your beaten eggs a wide variety of vegetables such as water chestnuts, thinly sliced Chinese cabbage, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, peppers and beansprouts; you can add meats, such as chicken and beef, or seafood like shrimps; or, for a vegetarian option, pieces of tofu. Choose your favourite ingredients, or use whatever you have in the fridge!
Served with a savoury brown sauce, it is quick and easy but quite healthy, a great choice for a delicious brunch, lunch or supper, or as one of a range of dishes forming a Chinese style dinner. Serves 4.