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Fish, East Asian

Cantonese shrimp with egg sauce and rice

Cantonese shrimp with egg sauce is a Chinese dish for 4 people, ready in 30 minutes, rated easy, at about €4.60 per person. The trick is pouring the beaten egg in a thin stream off the heat, which forms silky ribbons instead of scrambling, coating the rice, shrimp, and ground pork in a fermented black bean sauce.

Tonight, Cantonese shrimp in a silky egg sauce with ground pork and black beans, a Chinese restaurant classic you'll nail at home.

Cantonese shrimp with egg sauce and rice
Total time
30 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€4.60
Calories per person
610 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Summer, Spring, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

The sauce is really the star here. It starts with ground pork, garlic, and ginger, seasoned with fermented black beans, thickened with cornstarch, then finished with beaten egg at the very last moment. The result is silky, lightly salty, with that deep, slightly smoky flavor black beans give, and shrimp that stay tender because they only cook for about two minutes.

This is a weeknight dish that breaks the routine without needing a wok or fancy technique. Kids generally like the soft texture of the egg sauce and the ground pork that mellows the shrimp's briny flavor. Make it on a busy evening or on a Sunday when you're craving Chinese food without hunting down complicated ingredients.

The ingredients

4 people

Fish counter

  • Shelled shrimp 500 g

Butcher

  • Ground pork 150 g

Dairy

  • Eggs 3

Pantry

  • Fermented black beans 1 tbsp
  • Soy sauceoften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Cornstarchoften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • Chicken broth 30 cl
  • Vegetable oiloften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Riceoften in the pantry 300 g

Fruits and vegetables

  • Garlic 3 cloves
  • Fresh ginger 10 g
  • Scallions 3 sprigs

Allergens Shellfish, Eggs, Soy, Gluten

The step by step recipe

  1. Rinse the black beans, then mash them with the chopped garlic and ginger.

    If you can't find black beans, a bit of dark soybean paste works fine.

  2. Cook the rice in salted water, then drain it. 11 min

    The rice needs to be ready before the sauce, which can't wait around.

  3. Sauté the ground pork in the oil with the black bean mixture, garlic, and ginger. 5 min

    Break up the pork well so the sauce coats it evenly.

  4. Add the shrimp and sauté them, then pour in the broth and soy sauce, and thicken with the dissolved cornstarch. 5 min

    Shrimp cooked for one or two minutes stay tender.

  5. Turn off the heat, pour in the beaten eggs in a thin stream while stirring gently, then serve over the rice with scallions. 2 min

    Stir slowly in one direction only, the sauce turns silky.

Our tips to get it right

  • Get everything ready before you turn on the heat, mashed black beans, chopped garlic and ginger, beaten eggs, dissolved cornstarch, because the cooking moves fast once it starts.
  • Drain the shelled shrimp well before adding them, extra rinsing water dilutes the sauce and keeps it from thickening properly.
  • If the sauce still looks thin after adding the cornstarch, let it simmer a few more seconds over low heat before turning it off, it thickens further as it cools slightly.

The variations

  • Swap the shrimp for thin strips of chicken breast, the egg and black bean sauce works just as well with poultry.
  • For a vegetarian version, skip the pork and shrimp and add wood ear mushrooms or peas, keeping the garlic, ginger, and black bean base.
  • For kids in a hurry, cut the ginger in half and serve the sauce a bit milder, straight over plain white rice.

What to serve it with

  • Plain white rice, already part of the recipe
  • Steamed vegetables, broccoli or bok choy
  • Hot green tea or lemon water

Storage

Store leftovers in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 2 days, the egg texture doesn't hold up as well after that. Reheat gently in a pan or saucepan over low heat, stirring, without letting it boil hard so the egg doesn't turn rubbery. Freezing isn't recommended, the egg sauce loses its silkiness once thawed.

Questions about this dish

Can you substitute the fermented black beans?

Yes, a tablespoon of dark soybean paste gives a similar result. The flavor will be a little less distinctive, but the sauce will still taste rich and balanced.

How do you keep the egg from turning into scrambled egg?

Turn off the heat before adding the beaten egg and pour it in a thin stream, stirring slowly in one direction. The residual heat is enough to set it into silky ribbons.

Can you make the sauce base ahead of time?

You can prepare the garlic, ginger, and black bean mixture ahead and keep it in the fridge. Add the beaten egg only right before serving so it keeps its texture.

What rice works best with this dish?

Regular long grain white rice is ideal, it soaks up the sauce without turning mushy. Cook the rice first since the egg sauce can't sit around and wait.

How long does it take to make Cantonese shrimp with egg sauce and rice?

Count 30 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in Cantonese shrimp with egg sauce and rice?

About 610 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does Cantonese shrimp with egg sauce and rice cost?

About €4.60 per serving, or €18.40 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains shellfish, eggs, soy, gluten. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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