Often we see silky smooth steamed egg done by restaurants, the Japanese famous steamed egg – Chawanmushi. They are smooth and without any rough surface even if they are kept for long hours in the steamer. And you face challenges like the steamed egg surface become rough in under 5 minutes, their secret? Is to control the steaming temperature!
This method also works for Chawanmushi!
Eggs are temperature sensitive ingredient, here is what would happen to egg (without adding water) on different temperature range;
| Temperature | What happens | Egg Dish |
| 59°C (138°F) | This temperature does not coagulate the egg but good enough to terminate salmonella. | Pasteurized Egg, like what you buy on the supermarket shelf. |
| 60°C (140°F) | Eggs begin to show coagulation | Hold cooked eggs and egg-containing foods hot |
| 62°C (144°F) | Whole egg coagulate (whisked egg) | Meringues, poached eggs |
| 65°C (149°F) | Egg yolk coagulates | Scrambled eggs, fried eggs over easy, over hard, egg white omelet and basted. |
| 70°C (158°F) | Egg white coagulates | Scrambled eggs, fried eggs over easy, over hard, egg white omelet and basted. |
| 71°C (160°F) | Hard-boiled egg | |
| 71°C (160°F) + | Moisture is being forced out of the egg and starts becoming dry. An extended period of time will make it become rough and rubbery. |
As you can see from the table that eggs are very sensitive to temperature and we have to cook them with extra care. (Learn how to cook 9 more types of egg dish here)
We will be increasing the volume of the egg by adding water, so the egg will not overcook so easily. BUT, they are still very delicate to temperature, hence I am sharing this simple trick with you on how to steam silky smooth egg at home without any fancy thermometer.
The trick is to leave a gap with the cover, do not fully close the steamer to allow excess steam to escape. This way, the steam temperature would not be too hot to the egg and you are guaranteed to get a silky smooth temperature. I did this thousand of time and it worked every time.
When I was a kid, my parents have always made me steam eggs. Sometimes it is steamed nice and perfect, jiggly, and smooth. Sometimes they are rough and completely dry. So I did my homework to find out what causes that and how do we make the best steam egg that is smooth and melt in your mouth. Check this out for a fail-safe steam egg technique!
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How much water is equal to 1 egg?
Hi Ng,
1 egg is about 3 tbsp or 45 ml.
However, there is a few grades of eggs - AA, A, B, C. These are sizes, with AA largest, and C smallest. These egg grading system maybe different from countries to countries. Hence I've demonstrated in the video with the simplest method, which is simply with using a scoop to see the volume level of the egg and add the same volume. You can use whatever utensils you have that is deem suitable, a cup, a spatula, etc.
Hope this helps!
Dear Ethan Wong,
Can i mix oil and soy sauce before steaming?
Thank you very much and have a nice day!
Best regards,
Giang
Hi Giang,
Not recommended as the oil will probably stay afloat and if you are adding soy sauce in, then you will need to slightly reduce the amount of water since soy sauce is liquid.
You too have a nice day!
First of all, thank you for the wonderful recipe. I like to ask how do I estimate the steaming time if I like add more 4 eggs? Thanks again.
Hey Hazel!
Steaming time depends on the depth of yr container, consistency of the steam and size of yr steamer.
Lets not get too technical. Simply put, it could vary from 8 - 15 minutes.
8 eggs, I say try checking at 8 - 10 minutes, shake it a little to see how it is. From there u can decide whether u want to stop steaming or continue steaming to further set it.
Hope this helps!
Hey Ethan! Thank you for the tips! Appreciate it greatly.
All the best ?
Thanks for the recipe n tips. Indeed I succeeded! Smooth and silky!