Celebrate fortune, happiness and health in the Chinese New Year

#MiddleburyCT #ChineseNewYear #EggFuYung

This year, Chinese New Year begins on Sunday, Jan. 22 and will culminate with the Lantern Festival on Feb. 5 as we welcome the year of the Rabbit.

You know me, if festivities are happening, I’m on board! In the Chinese culture, eggs symbolize birth or a new start, so this week I’m sharing the Chinese American classic egg fu yung. This Chinese restaurant favorite is like an omelet filled with crisp vegetables served with a sweet and savory sauce. It’s surprisingly easy to prepare, very inexpensive, and it’s delicious.

The only thing you probably don’t have on hand would be mung bean sprouts. They’re usually under $2, commonly found packaged in the produce department near the tofu or canned in the ethnic food aisle of your grocery store. Bean sprouts make this dish fresh and crispy, but if you absolutely can’t find them, substitute thinly sliced celery, bok choy or napa cabbage instead. They have the same crunch and a similar taste.

Egg Fu Yung

Celebrate the Chinese New Year with egg fu yung (www.JasonCoblentz.com)

Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Total Time: 1 hour

This makes 6 to 8 egg foo yung and is a satisfying dinner served with ramen or rice and stir fry vegetables on the side. The recipe yields enough sauce to serve over rice and veggies, too.

What You’ll Need:

For the Sauce:
1 (14.5 ounces) can chicken broth, divided
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Here’s How:
In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup of the chicken broth with the soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ginger and garlic, and bring this mixture to a boil. Take the remaining cold chicken broth and mix it with the corn starch until completely blended, no lumps! Slowly, add this to the boiling liquid while whisking to combine. Bring to a boil, stirring until thickened. Hold this on very low heat, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve.

For the Egg Fu Yung:
12 eggs, well beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sesame oil
12 to 14 ounces (about 3 cups) mung bean sprouts
1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
Vegetable oil or olive oil for cooking

Here’s How:

Preheat the oven to 180 F. Combine the well-beaten eggs with salt, pepper, garlic powder and sesame oil. Add the bean sprouts and green onion, stirring to incorporate. In a preheated 8-inch skillet, heat about a teaspoon of oil adding additional oil as needed. Using a 1/2 cup measure for each, place a scoop of the mixture in the hot pan and fry as you would a pancake, turning once, until cooked through and golden brown. Keep warm on a platter in the oven while cooking the remaining mixture.

Repeat with remaining egg mixture to make 6 to 8 pieces. Stir the egg mixture each time you scoop to be sure each one gets an equal share of the sprouts and onion, or the last few will be just egg. Serve topped with the Egg Fu Yung sauce, garnished with green onion.

This inexpensive recipe is a great addition to your Meatless Monday rotation. However, you could also add cooked chicken, shrimp, pork, beef or tofu. Other optional ingredients would be sauteed mushrooms, peas, julienned carrot, thinly sliced cabbage and/or cilantro.

While not traditionally Chinese, it’s fun to have this easy and versatile recipe to help celebrate the “other” New Year. Happy cooking and xin nian kuai le! Happy New Year!

Lifestyle expert Patti Diamond is the penny-pinching, party-planning, recipe developer and content creator of the website Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! Visit Patti at www.divasonadime.com and join the conversation on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom. Email Patti at divapatti@divasonadime.com
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