Chinese Steamed Egg (蒸鸡蛋)

About

Aloha everybody! My name is Ivy and I was born and raised in Honolulu, HI. I am full Chinese. I am currently attending University of Hawaii at Manoa and will be in my 2nd-year of nursing school this upcoming fall. My parents are first-generation immigrants who moved to Oahu from Guangdong (a province in China) in the '90s and has been here ever since. I grew up primarily eating Chinese food my entire life so I decided to pick a classic childhood dish that holds extreme sentimental value to me—Chinese steamed egg or 蒸鸡蛋. 蒸鸡蛋 is a super simple dish that many Chinese kids grew up with, including my mom, who I will be representing as my kupuna for this project. Living on the rural side of China, my mom did not have access to many sophisticated ingredients, nor could she afford it back then either so this was her favorite go-to dish, which in turn, became mines as well too. This dish relates to my culture because this is a savory food found all over China despite having varying cuisines between provinces. There are many variations of it all over Asia and is known as chawanmushi (茶碗蒸し) in Japan and Gyeran-jjim (계란찜), in Korea. In the Chinese version, the most common ingredients you will see have green onion, preserved eggs, or dried shrimp added to the mix. Being that this dish is very simple, this food can be a side dish paired with rice any time of the day! It is especially common among children and older adults because of its soft, velvety texture. Personally, I ate this a lot as a child, not only because I was a slow eater, but I was also extremely picky. I remember eating this a lot for breakfast because it was super fast to make. I was also able to finish eating very quickly before getting to school because it was super delicious and required very little time to chew.

How to Make Steamed Egg (蒸鸡蛋)

Nutrition Information

Micronutrients

Eggs are a good source of Vitamins A, B2 (Riboflavin), B5, B12. They also contain a sufficient amount of selenium, phosphorus, and folate. Overall, eggs are rich in vitamins and minerals and very inexpensive too!

• Vitamin A: Known to support the vision function of the eyes. A deficiency in this can lead to night-blindness. It also helps regulate cell growth and death, which may lower the risk of cancer. In addition, with an adequate intake during pregnancy, is important for fetal growth with their eyes, heart, limbs, and ears.
• Vitamin B2: Helps break down carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. This vitamin, along with the other B vitamins, has an important role in our body's energy supply.
• Vitamin B5: Helps convert our food to energy. A deficiency of this can lead to fatigue, irritability, numbness, muscle pain, and cramps.
• Vitamin B12: Helps keep our nervous system healthy (which is crucial to the fetus when pregnant), involved in red blood cell formation which reduces the risk of anemia, and involved in DNA synthesis.
• Selenium: Main role is a lipid (fat) protector and can play a role in preventing cardiovascular disease.
• Phosphorus: Well known to be involved in the healthy formation of the bones and teeth
• Folate: Essential for the growth and specialization of cells in the CNS, making it very beneficial for pregnant women and their fetus by reducing the risk of neural-tube defects. Also plays a big role in making red blood cells - a deficiency of this can cause macrocytic anemia.

Green Onion contains a good amount of Vitamin A, C, and K. This vegetable is known to be nutrient dense, meaning its low in calories and high in vitamins and minerals!

• Vitamin A: see above
• Vitamin C: Helps synthesize collagen, an important protein for proper wound healing.
• Vitamin K: Critical for proper blood clotting function. A deficiency in this can cause bleeding disorders. It also helps with maintaining bone health, if intake is inadequate it may increase the risk for fractures.

My Plate

• Grains: N/A
• Fruits: N/A
• Vegetables: Green Onion
• Protein: Dried Shrimp, Eggs
• Dairy: N/A

SPC Classification

• Energy Foods: N/A
• Protective Foods: Green Onion
• Body Building Foods: Egg, Dried Shrimp

References

• http://hawaiifoods.hawaii.edu/index.asp
• https://www.choosemyplate.gov/WhatIsMyPlate
• SPC's Three Food Groups (Course Website)
• FSHN 185 Textbook: Human Nutrition