Shrimp and Egg Stir-Fry (滑蛋虾仁)

A classic Cantonese dish

A simple but delicate dish, shrimp and egg stir-fry is an unmistakable classic of Cantonese cuisine. The Chinese name of this dish Huá Dàn Xiā Rén/滑蛋虾仁 includes a descriptive word “Huá/滑”, meaning slippery and smooth, to emphasise the soft and silky texture of the egg.

I love its clean, uncomplicated look and its wonderful combination of tastes and texture. The egg is cooked to a fluffy, almost melt-in-your-mouth softness and delivers a savoury, aromatic flavour. Whereas the shrimp retains its natural sweetness and crunchy springiness.

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Although very simple in terms of both ingredients and cooking process, this stir-fry dish requires good attention to detail if you wish to cook it to perfection.

Before writing this post, I’ve done quite a few taste tests and research in the scientific literature to explain the “why” and “how” of the dish. Finally, I’m happy to present this recipe. 

How to cook it properly

Cooking shrimp and egg stir-fry takes no effort if you follow the correct procedure and understand the importance of heat control. Here are the steps as well as a few tips on how to get it right.

Season the shrimp

Put shrimp into a bowl then add salt, ground white pepper and starch. Mix with chopsticks until well combined.

This step helps to reduce the dampness of the shrimp (therefore reduce splashing when pan-frying) and to retain the tenderness of the shrimp.

🛎 Tip: You may also butterfly each shrimp by cutting halfway through along its back. This creates a different look once cooked, just like how it turns out in my recipe for Shrimp and Broccoli.

Beat the egg

Crack all the eggs into a bowl. Then add salt, white pepper, sesame oil and a little water. Use chopsticks to beat until it reaches an even, smooth consistency.

🛎 Tip: The addition of water is very important as it gives you a better chance to achieve the desired texture of the cooked egg. Western-style scrambled egg which calls for milk or cream shares the same principle. Food scientist Harold McGee explains in his iconic book On Food and Cooking that added liquid “will dilute the egg proteins and produce a tenderer mass when the eggs are carefully cooked”.

Pan-fry the shrimp

Add cooking oil to a non-stick pan/wok over medium heat. Lay the marinated shrimp in a single layer to fry. Once the first side turns pink, flip over. Turn off the heat as soon as the second side becomes pink too. Transfer the shrimp into the egg mixture leaving the oil in the pan.

🛎 Tip: It’s important not to overcook the shrimp. Otherwise, it’ll become dry and chewy.

Cook the eggs

Pour everything into the pan/wok then turn on the heat again to the lowest setting. As soon as the bottom part starts to solidify, use a spatula to gently scrape and push the egg. This helps the liquid part to reach the hot pan. Keep doing so until most of the egg has turned into curd-like mass but still looks a little underdone (Please refer to the tutorial video).

Sprinkle chopped scallions and dish out immediately. By the time you bring the dish to the table and start eating, the underdone part of the eggs would have been cooked by the heat of the dish.

🛎 Tip: In this step, low heat and continuous scraping are the key to success. As I mentioned earlier that adding water to the eggs helps to achieve a fluffy, tender texture. However, overheating “will cause some of the added liquid to separate. (Harold McGee, On Food and Cooking)”