Steamed eggs, or what I called 炖蛋 growing up, has always been one of my comfort foods. My grandma used to make it for me when I was sick, and it was one of the first things I learned how to cook. It’s also so simple – it’s just a savory, super simple steamed egg dish. It’s technically an egg custard, but “custard” sounds scary, and this isn’t complicated or scary at all. If you’ve ever heard of the Japanese dish chawanmushi or the Korean dish gyeran-jjim, this is in a similar vein. It’s lowkey, homey, and comforting, and as a bonus you’re practically guaranteed to have the ingredients you need to make it at home.

Traditionally, this is made in a steamer basket over water, but that has always been the main limiting step to making it for me – boiling water for a giant steamer just to cook one serving of eggs seems like too much work. This dish also doesn’t keep very well as leftovers, so it’s not really something to make in a batch as meal prep. It’s perfected its purpose in life: one person’s comfort food.

So, I was super happy recently when testing making this in a microwave. It comes out a little less smooth than the steamed version, but it’s so easy to make, and it cooks in just a few minutes. I can make myself one bowl, it only takes one dish, and it’s perfect. So if you’re craving something warm, simple, and all to yourself, what are you waiting for?

Ingredients

• Eggs
• Soy sauce
• Water or any kind of stock
• Cooking wine (optional)
• Scallions (optional)

Tips

• A shallow bowl is best for cooking this dish, since it helps distribute the heat more evenly.
• Beating the eggs well is the trick to success with this, to guarantee a smooth custard. Technically you should also skim the bubbles off the surface before you cook it, but I usually don’t have the energy to and it’s always turned out fine.
• Be careful not to overcook the custard, as that will cause it to start weeping. Cook it for a few minutes to start off, and if it is still liquid, continue in short increments until it is ready. It won’t be completely solid, but if it is mostly firm and jiggly, it’s done.

Microwave Steamed Eggs

Quick and easy comfort food that only needs a few ingredients!

Prep Time: 2 min	Cook Time: 3 min
Total Time: 5 min	Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup stock, any kind, or even water in a pinch
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, divided
• Pinch of chopped scallions (optional)
• 1 teaspoon Shaoxing cooking wine (optional)

Instructions

1. Beat eggs in a wide, shallow bowl until completely combined. A good test for if they are beaten enough is if you can “scoop” it up on a pair of chopsticks and the egg mixture is completely liquidy. If there are still thick, gelatinous globs of egg white on the chopstick, it’s not mixed enough yet.
2. Mix in the stock, stirring slowly to avoid spilling.
3. Add in 2 teaspoons of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of cooking wine.
4. Optionally, skim off the bubbles on top.
5. Cover with a plate and microwave for 3 minutes. It is done if it is mostly firm and jiggly; it’s okay if there is still a little bit of liquid on the top. If it’s not done yet, microwave for an additional 30 seconds at a time until set.
6. Top with scallions if you have them, and drizzle on the remaining soy sauce. Enjoy!

Notes

Notes This recipe is vegetarian if you use vegetarian stock. It is also gluten-free.