Steamed egg is something I used to associate with bland school lunches at my bushi-ban in Taiwan. It never looked very appealing and was consistently bland. It was not until a friend took me for dinner to a very attractive Japanese restaurant in downtown Hsinchu that I appreciated the dish.

In between gossiping about her husband and my boss she ordered me a serving of steamed egg. I was a bit apprehensive I have to admit, but when the waitress placed the dish in front of me I knew it was going to be far superior to any other steamed egg dish I’ve ever had before. The color was a lovely pale yellow, with a silky texture, like perfect soft tofu. It tasted supreme.

I have since attempted to recreate this perfect steamed egg dish several times, but sadly my efforts have not come near the one I had that day. So instead of trying for a perfect and simple variety I started experimenting with adding some additional ingredients to create a small breakfast or lunch, resulting in this, my tuna steamed egg.

steamedegg2

For tuna steamed egg you need to find:
a steamer
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
¼ cup water
green part of one spring onion, sliced thinly and some reserved for garnish
1 small chili, sliced thinly and some reserved for garnish
pinch of white pepper
1/2 tin of tuna, drained and shredded

The process:
Bring some water to a gentle simmer in a pot and cover with a steamer. While the water is coming to a simmer, mix the eggs, soy, oil, water, spring onion, chili and white pepper in a bowl. Divide the tuna between two ramekins or heat proof cups and pour the egg mixture evenly over the tuna. Lightly mix the two together, place in the steamer and cover, allowing it to steam for about 15 minutes, or until a fork inserted comes out clean.

Enjoy as is or serve with some fingers of toasted bread, dipping the bread in the steamed egg.

steamedegg1The fun thing about steamed egg is that the varieties are almost limitless. Instead of tuna, try bits of fried bacon, or strips of shredded chicken, or slices of plum tomatoes. Use some white wine instead of water, olive oil instead of sesame and so forth. have fun and do share your attempts!