I am an egg foo yong connoisseur, so I was completely confused when I tried it here in Phoenix. The egg patties were plain and hard and the vegetables were served on top. I found this so disturbing that for the first few months we lived here I tried every Chinese restaurant in a fifteen-mile radius that was listed in the phone book. None of them served the version I was used to, with the vegetables inside. You know what happened next: I came up with this recipe.

　　

Ingredients

serves 1

　　

Gravy

1 vegetable bouillon cube

　　1 cup water

　　1 tablespoon soy sauce

　　1 tablespoon cornstarch

　　

Egg Foo Yong

1 (15-ounce) can mixed Chinese vegetables

　　2 eggs

　　1 teaspoon soy sauce

　　1 teaspoon canola oil

　　1 cup cooked white rice (see page 6)

　　

Step 1

To prepare the gravy: Place the bouillon cube and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Combine the soy sauce and cornstarch, stir until smooth, then stir into the bouillon. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, or until the mixture comes to a full boil. Turn down the heat very low to keep the sauce warm while you finish the dish.

　　

Step 2

To prepare the egg foo yong: Drain the vegetables well. Place the eggs and soy sauce in a bowl and beat until thoroughly combined. Stir in the vegetables. Heat the canola oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Pour the egg mixture into the pan, cover, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

　　

Step 3

Scoop the rice onto a plate, top with the egg foo yong, and pour the gravy over the top.

　　

food trvia

Step 4

Egg foo yong is a kind of omelet—dry, more like an Italian frittata than a French omelet—filled with veggies and sometimes meat, fried in a pan, and served with gravy. Popular wisdom says it was invented by Chinese-American cooks in the 1930s, but actually it does have genuine Chinese origins. In any case, it is a classic Chinese-restaurant dish in the United States.

　　College Vegetarian Cooking