This Steamed Egg with Shrimp and Tofu is an easy and soothing way to get more protein into your diet. Soft steamed egg, silken tofu, and tender shrimp are delicious scooped over rice!
A High Protein Recipe
There’s been a lot of talk of getting more protein into your diet these days. That’s why I love this easy steamed egg recipe.
Instead of chewing on endless pieces of chicken to get your protein in, Chinese steamed egg has a silken texture that can be enjoyed by the whole family—from toothless babies to toothless elders!
Packing in a block of silken tofu and shrimp helps make it heartier and more flavorful, and ups that protein content many of us are searching for on any given day. (If you’re vegetarian, you can omit the shrimp and opt for chopped beech or oyster mushrooms!)
Steamed Eggs are A Dinnertime Go-To
When we don’t know what to cook, or we need another dish to round out a meal, we often turn to our steamed egg recipes.
Here are some of our favorite steamed egg recipes. Use these recipes as a starting point to inspire other combinations!
- Steamed Eggs (蒸蛋)
- Steamed Eggs with Crispy Pork (feel free to use ground chicken, beef, turkey, or vegan protein substitutes)
- Steamed Eggs with Okra and Soy Sauce (use any of your favorite vegetables!)
- Three Color Steamed Eggs (三色蒸水蛋) (with Century Eggs and Salted Duck Eggs)
How to Steam Food
We have a detailed post on different ways to set up a steamer, from a classic bamboo steamer or a stainless steel steamer to various tools you can use to steam in your wok or a regular skillet or pot.
You can get so much flavor, ease, and health benefits from steaming your food. It’s one of my favorite ways to cook. Check out our post to learn more!
Recipe Instructions
Pick an extra wide, heat-proof shallow dish with at least a 2” depth. A pie plate works well.
Cut the silken tofu into ¾-inch (2cm) cubes and transfer to the shallow steaming dish for 15-20 minutes to drain out excess water and let it come up to room temperature. In the meantime, prepare the remaining ingredients.
Toss the shrimp with a pinch of salt and a pinch of white pepper. Set aside.
A kitchen scale is ideal for this next step. Place a medium bowl on the scale and zero it out. Crack the eggs into the bowl, noting the weight of the eggs in grams (2 eggs without their shells weigh about 110g). Add the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and beat the eggs for at least one minute, until there are no more streaks of egg white and the egg mixture is watery. Add the chicken stock—double the weight of the eggs. In our case our 2 eggs weighed 110 grams and we added 220g chicken stock, which is slightly less than 1 cup. Beat until thoroughly combined.
Carefully pour out the water that drained from the silken tofu.
Then pour the egg mixture through a fine-meshed strainer into the shallow steaming dish, over the top of the tofu.
Bring the water to a boil in your steamer over high heat. You should have at least a couple inches of water, but you don’t want the water to ever touch the bottom of the dish as it steams. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium. Carefully place the dish in the steamer and cover tightly. Steam for 15 minutes over medium heat. Keeping the heat relatively low is important to ensuring the eggs have that silky texture.
While the eggs and tofu are steaming, prepare the sauce by combining the light soy sauce with 1 tablespoon of chicken stock.
After 15 minutes, place the shrimp gently on top of the egg. Cover and steam for another 2-4 minutes until the shrimp are just cooked through. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your shrimp.
Finally, pour the sauce over the finished dish, sprinkle with scallions, and serve!
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Recipe
Steamed Egg with Shrimp & Tofu
Ingredients
- 8 ounces silken tofu about ½ package
- 7 ounces peeled deveined shrimp
- 1 pinch salt (plus ¼ teaspoon, divided)
- 1 pinch white pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup low sodium chicken stock (amount is approximate; double the weight of your eggs to get the exact amount of chicken stock you will need)
For topping:
- ½ tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon low sodium chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon chopped scallion
Instructions
- Pick an extra wide, heat-proof shallow dish with at least a 2” depth. A pie plate works well.
- Cut the silken tofu into ¾-inch (2cm) cubes and transfer to the shallow steaming dish for 15-20 minutes to drain out excess water and let it come up to room temperature. In the meantime, prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Toss the shrimp with a pinch of salt and a pinch of white pepper. Set aside.
- The next step is ideally done with a kitchen scale. Place a medium bowl on the scale and zero it out. Crack the eggs into the bowl, noting the weight of the eggs in grams (2 eggs without their shells weigh about 110g). Add the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and beat the eggs for at least one minute, until there are no more streaks of egg white and the egg mixture is watery. Add the chicken stock—double the weight of the eggs. In our case our 2 eggs weighed 110 grams and we added 220g chicken stock, which is slightly less than 1 cup. Beat until thoroughly combined.
- Carefully pour out the water that drained from the silken tofu. Then pour the egg mixture through a fine-meshed strainer into the shallow steaming dish, over the top of the tofu.
- Bring the water to a boil in your steamer over high heat. You should have at least a couple inches of water, but you don’t want the water to ever touch the bottom of the dish as it steams. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium. Carefully place the dish in the steamer and cover tightly. Steam for 15 minutes over medium heat. Keeping the heat relatively low is important to ensuring the eggs have that silky texture.
- While the eggs and tofu are steaming, prepare the sauce by combining the light soy sauce with 1 tablespoon of chicken stock.
- After 15 minutes, place the shrimp gently on top of the egg. Cover and steam for another 2-4 minutes until the shrimp are just cooked through. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your shrimp.
- Finally, pour the sauce over the finished dish, sprinkle with scallions, and serve!
