Chinese · Authentic-ish Chinese
Egg Foo Young
212 kcal a serving, against 509 for the traditional version. That is 297 kcal off, or 58%, with 27.4g of protein. Serves 4. 20 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Whole eggs beaten furiously and poured into a wok filled with smoking hot oil. The eggs soufflé instantly, trapping pockets of fat and large pieces of fatty pork. The massive, greasy structure is then drowned in a thick, salty brown gravy heavily thickened with starch.
What changed, and what each change costs
100g of sunflower oil down to 15g, replacing the shallow fry with a standard pan fry
Shallow frying forces the egg to absorb massive amounts of fat to get that signature takeaway puff. Cooking it like a flat omelette cuts the grease entirely.
What it costs you. You'll lose the spectacular, airy volume. What you've got is just a very good flat omelette. A magical floating egg cloud anymore is a different dish and you know where to find it.
150g of fatty pork shoulder for 250g of raw prawns
Pork shoulder brings a lot of fat to an already fatty dish. Prawns are pure, lean muscle that cook quickly.
What it costs you. Prawns don't release rich fat into the gravy. The sauce relies entirely on the chicken stock and soy sauce for its depth.
400g of whole eggs swapped for a mix of 300g of egg whites and 100g of whole eggs
Egg yolks are fantastic, but they bring a lot of fat. Spiking a couple of whole eggs with a massive dose of pure egg whites keeps the portion huge while boosting the protein.
What it costs you. The colour is much paler. It lacks the deep, golden yellow hue of a pure whole-egg omelette.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 509 | 212 |
| Protein | 22.6g | 27.4g |
| Fat | 42.1g | 7.5g |
| Saturated fat | 8.3g | 1.5g |
| Carbohydrate | 9.9g | 8.7g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 4.4g | 12.9g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Chinese prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. crustaceans, eggs, gluten, soybeans.
The method is in the book
This version actually feels like a proper meal rather than a greasy mistake. Yes, it sits flat on the plate. No, it doesn't have the deep-fried, crispy edges of a restaurant version. But the gravy is intensely savoury, the prawns give it a solid bite, and you can eat a massive portion without feeling dreadful. The trade is absolutely worth it.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Chinese, along with 55 more. Buy the paperback