Chinese Eggs with Soy-Sesame Sauce

A few years ago when I was visiting a Chinese vendor's wicker factory in Fujian Province, our meeting ran late and my host served me an impromptu dinner cooked in his employee canteen kitchen (most Chinese factories provide housing, schools, and at least 2 hot meals a day for their employees). The cook, who shopped for fresh food daily, had only eggs, veggies, rice, and noodles on hand. I was delighted by how tasty the eggs were.

1 tablespoon soy sauce (reduced sodium is OK)
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1-1/2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon minced scallions
4 teaspoons canola oil
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons sesame seeds (black or white)
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, vinegar and scallions in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat canola oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat and swirl to coat the pan. Crack 2 eggs into a small bowl. Crack the other 2 eggs into another bowl.

Working quickly, pour 2 eggs on one side of the pan and the other 2 on the other side. The egg whites will flow together, forming one large piece.

Sprinkle sesame seeds, basil and pepper over the eggs. Cook until the egg whites are crispy and brown on the bottom and the yolks are firmly set, about 3 minutes. Doing your best to keep the eggs in one piece, flip them over using a wide spatula and cook until the whites turn crispy and brown on the other side, 1-2 minutes more.

Pour the soy sauce mixture over the eggs. Simmer 30 seconds, turning the eggs once to coat both sides with sauce. Cut and serve in wedges, drizzled with the warm sauce, over rice or noodles.

4 servings