Savory egg custard with clams and shrimp

4 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
½ cup Juice from canned clams
1¼ cup Low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon Oil
1 teaspoon Rice wine
1 teaspoon Light soy sauce
¼ teaspoon Sugar
pinch White pepper
4 Eggs
½ cup Canned whole baby clams
3 tablespoons Chopped Chinese garlic chives, or green onions
6 mediums Shrimp, shelled, deveined
1 teaspoon Oyster sauce

Directions

This steamed egg dish exemplifies the simplicity of Chinese home cooking it takes about 5 minutes to prepare. The Chinese use a heat- proof porcelain shallow bowl 7 inches wide by 3 inches deep with sloping sides to steam this egg dish. A 1 quart ceramic souffle dish or a Pyrex bowl works just as well. To ensure a smooth, silky texture, avoid high heat when steaming.

Combine the clam juice, chicken broth, oil, wine, soy sauce, sugar and pepper in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; cool completely.

Lightly beat the eggs in bowl. Slowly stir the cooled broth mixture into the eggs until thoroughly mixed. Avoid over-beating.

Scatter the clams and 2 tablespoons of the chives in the bottom of a 1quart heat-proof bowl. Strain the egg mixture through a fine mesh sieve over the clams.

Bring the water in a steamer to a boil over high heat. Place the bowl on a rack above the boiling water. Cover, reduce heat to a gentle boil, and steam for 2 minutes, or until the eggs begin to set.

Carefully remove cover from steamer, and scatter the shrimp on top of the custard. Cover and steam for 5 minutes longer, The custard is done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Carefully remove bowl from the steamer. Drizzle with oyster sauce and garnish with remaining chives. Spoon over rice. Serve hot.

Serves 4 to 6.

PER SERVING: 90 calories, 10 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat (1 g saturated), 160 mg cholesterol, 186 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.

From an article by Joyce Jue, San Francisco Chronicle, 11/11/92.

Posted by Stephen Ceideberg; February 22 1993.

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