This recipe for Chinese scrambled eggs is made with Chinese garlic chives. If you've never had them before, they are similar to regular chives except with a more pronounced garlic taste. These go very nicely with eggs, but you can use regular chives as well if you can't find garlic chives in your local grocery store, Asian market, or farmers' market.
The dish is Chinese insofar as it uses those chives, but also the fact that the eggs are scrambled in a decent amount of oil, rather than butter. This dish typically calls for a lot of chives—you'll use a fair amount of the bunch—but you can feel free to reduce the amount to 2 or 3 tablespoons and add other seasonings if desired. Eggs are a bit of a blank slate when it comes to flavor and they can take a lot of chopped-up ingredients without losing their taste. Serve these eggs with a side of steamed white rice.
Ingredients
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1 bunch Chinese garlic chives
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4 large eggs
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2 tablespoons vegetable oil, or peanut oil
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1 1/2 teaspoons light soy sauce, or up to 1/2 teaspoon salt
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Freshly ground black, or white pepper, to taste
Steps to Make It
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Gather the ingredients.
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Wash and drain garlic chives. Remove hard ends and any wilted green leaves at the top and chop into 1-inch lengths until you have 1/3 cup (5 tablespoons).
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Beat eggs in a medium bowl. Add 1 teaspoon vegetable or peanut oil, soy sauce or salt, and pepper.
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Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
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Add remaining oil, lifting the frying pan so that oil covers bottom of pan. When oil is hot, add chives.
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Stir-fry briefly, then add beaten egg mixture.
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Reduce heat to medium and gently scramble eggs.
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Remove from heat when just done, but still moist.
Tips
Making scrambled eggs takes a little bit of practice to get the eggs soft and fluffy and to avoid burning them. One of the tricks is to keep the pan at a medium (or even medium-low) temperature so as to not scorch them before they're cooked. Another helpful tip involves keeping the eggs moving in the pan, in a gentle way, so they stay fluffy while cooking, but also don't overcook. This method produces softly scrambled eggs.
How to Store Scrambled Eggs With Chives
Scrambled eggs really are best eaten as soon as they are made, but if for some reason you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for two to three days. Reheat in a little bit of vegetable oil on a medium-low skillet, or use them in other recipes such as fried rice, adding other vegetables or proteins as desired.
Variation
Feel free to use sesame oil instead of the vegetable or peanut oils for a different flavor.
Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
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133 | Calories |
12g | Fat |
1g | Carbs |
6g | Protein |
Nutrition Facts | |
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Servings: 2 to 4 | |
Amount per serving | |
Calories | 133 |
% Daily Value* | |
Total Fat 12g | 15% |
Saturated Fat 3g | 14% |
Cholesterol 186mg | 62% |
Sodium 207mg | 9% |
Total Carbohydrate 1g | 0% |
Dietary Fiber 0g | 0% |
Total Sugars 0g | |
Protein 6g | |
Vitamin C 0mg | 2% |
Calcium 30mg | 2% |
Iron 1mg | 5% |
Potassium 80mg | 2% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. |