Gluten Free Egg Foo Young

Egg foo young, also spelled egg foo yong, egg fu yung, egg fooyung, and egg furong, literally means “lots of eggs”. This gluten free egg foo young is prepared with eggs, vegetables, and meat or shellfish, if desired. You can add your favorite vegetables or traditional bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, sliced cabbage, or mushrooms, to name a few ideas. Water chestnuts or bamboo shoots add a delightful texture. What makes it distinctly different from frattata (its Italian cousin) is the sauce it is served with.

Note: If you are sensitive to trace amounts of gluten, do not consume mushrooms. They are often grown on wheat though they usually test well below 20 parts per million.

In Chinese Indonesian cuisine it is served with sweet and sour sauce and peas. Otherwise it is served with a savory sauce containing soy sauce and rice wine or sherry. You will find a recipe for each below along with brands of ingredients for your convenience.

This gluten free egg foo young cooks in no time at all, making it an easy gluten free meal for busy weeknights or an impromptu brunch or lunch.

Gluten Free Egg Foo Young

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Yield: Serves 1 - 2 with ample sauce.

Gluten Free Egg Foo Young

A classic gluten free egg foo young recipe made your way with your choice of sweet and sour sauce or a savory sauce.

Ingredients:

    For the Egg Foo Young:
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons Chinese rice cooking wine (or dry cooking sherry)
  • 3 Tablespoons neutral cooking oil, divided
  • 2 green onions
  • 1 Tablespoon minced water chestnuts
  • 1 cup diced chicken (or diced pork, ham or beef, or shrimp)
  • 1 cup vegetables of your choosing (peas, shredded napa cabbage (drained), bean sprouts, artichoke hearts, green beans, etc.)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons San-J gluten free tamari sauce (or gluten free soy sauce - Kikkoman brand)
  • For the Sweet and Sour Sauce:
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons cornstarch (or potato starch)
  • 1 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)
  • 1 Tablespoon gluten free soy sauce (or tarmari sauce)
  • For the Optional Savory Sauce:
  • 3/4 cup gluten-free chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon gluten-free soy sauce (or tamari sauce)
  • 2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)
  • 1 Tablespoon gluten-free oyster sauce - Choy Sun, Panda Brand, PF Chang's brands (or try gluten-free hoisin sauce - Wok Mei brand)
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot chili oil* (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch (or potato starch)
  • 2 teaspoons water
  • For the Garnish:
  • 1 green onion, sliced, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

    To Make the Egg Foo Young:
  1. Whisk the eggs, salt, pepper and rice wine/sherry together in a medium-size bowl.
  2. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat with about 2 teaspoons of cooking oil and quickly fry the green onion and bamboo shoots for about 1 - 2 minutes. Add the meat, vegetables and soy sauce, and fry for an additional minute. Remove the pan from the burner and set it aside to cool.
  3. Add the cooled above mixture to the egg mixture in step 1 and stir together.
  4. Heat 2 teaspoons of cooking oil in a 7-inch or medium-sized skillet and pour the egg/vegetable mixture into the pan. Cook until the eggs are set enough to turn over; turn over and cook until the omelette is fully set and golden brown. Add additional oil while flipping the omelette over, if needed.
  5. To Make the Sweet and Sour Sauce:
  6. In a small, cold saucepan, whisk together the brown sugar and cornstarch, breaking up and lumps of sugar.
  7. Add the pineapple juice, water, vinegar and soy/tamari sauce, and whisk together over medium heat. Cook until thickened. Water down as needed or make thicker with a slurry of additional starch and water.
  8. Serve the egg foo young over rice or alone, top with warm sauce, and garnish with sliced green onion..
  9. To Make the Optional Savory Sauce:
  10. Add the chicken broth, soy/tamari sauce, wine/sherry, osyter/hoison sauce, chili oil, and sugar to a small sauce pan. Bring this mixture to a boil and stir occasionally.
  11. In a small container, add the starch and water and whisk together or shake with a closed lid until combined. Add it to the boiling mixture and stir constantly until it thickens. Serve atop the egg foo young as a substitute for the sweet and sour sauce and garnish with sliced green onion.

Tips

*If you desire some heat and need a substitute for hot chili oil, add a bit of ginger or cayenne to either the savory sauce or the egg foo young. For the sweet and sour sauce add only ginger.

I cooked my rice in chicken broth for additional flavor.

7 Replies to “Gluten Free Egg Foo Young”

  1. Does this recipe freeze well? I try to make meals ahead of time and freeze them for lunches etc. and I miss my chinese food, this was a favorite.

    1. Hi Nicole,

      Scrambled eggs usually tend to become rubbery when frozen, and especially when microwaved. I suggest to under-cook the eggs, allow the dish to cool completely, and freeze in individual size portions. Then defrost at room temperature. To prevent that rubbery texture, I prefer to steam them to reheat instead of using the microwave. Enjoy!

      Carla

  2. Wow! Thank you, looks amazing, I am going to try it this week. Any ideas if I need/want to substitute something for the brown sugar in the sauce recipe? I am trying to cut way back on sugar. Do you think it would work/be as good without the brown sugar or say only 2 T instead of the 1/2 cup called for?

    1. Jen,

      The brown sugar is just in the sauce. Without the sugar it wouldn’t be sweet and sour. You can always use agave since it is lower on the glycemic index. Other than that, I suggest using an entirely different sauce recipe or a new recipe. You may wish to make a sauce using gluten free chicken broth and soy sauce. Then thicken with it a slurry of water and cornstarch.

      Good luck,
      Carla

    1. Hi Liz,

      As stated above, people are who are super-sensitive to gluten as in those who cannot tolerate any amount of cross-contamination (not the normal under 20 parts per million), should consider avoiding mushrooms. I do state above that they usually test at under 20 ppm.

      In addition, because one of my readers reacts to mushrooms, and was appalled that I did not have this warning on my recipes that contain mushrooms, I now add this warning.

      Carla

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