Three Color Steamed Eggs (三色蒸水蛋)

Three Color Steamed Egg (known in Chinese as sān sè zhēng shuǐ dàn – 三色蒸水蛋) is a recent discovery for me (and for a couple of us, a rediscovery). While newer to me, it’s a beloved and well known dish that you might also see called tricolor eggs or steamed three eggs.

The three eggs in question are beaten chicken eggs, salted duck eggs, and thousand year old eggs (AKA century eggs or millennium eggs—no one can seem to agree on the appropriate visual age of said eggs/preferred level of hyperbole). It’s all topped with crispy fried shallots and a light soy sauce mixture for a satisfying and light meal with a bowl of rice and vegetables. 

The Richness of Eggs x3 

It’s hard to pick one favorite element in this dish. There’s the foundation of silky steamed egg, the bouncy bite of salted duck egg white, the rich, sandy satisfaction of the salted duck egg yolk, and then the creamy umami hit of century eggs. 

A sprinkling of onion-y scallions and crispy fried shallots balances it all out, and the drizzle of soy sauce at the end makes it that much easier to get to the bottom of a bowl of rice. In short, it’s all gloriously layered flavor and tastes super special.

Ingredients & How to Prepare Them

I hesitate to say this recipe is “easy.” It’s easy if you have a well-stocked Asian pantry. That said, here are a few tips for finding and preparing the necessary ingredients.

The fried shallots: Buy Maesri fried shallots if you can find them. If not, it’s relatively easy to make your own with just shallots, oil, and salt. 

I’ve successfully used J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s fried shallot recipe, but it is an extra step. In fact, I thought I had a jar of Maesri fried shallots, but much to my chagrin, I had to pivot to the homemade route last-minute. 

That said, the from-scratch fried shallots come together fast, and if you’re taking the time, you may as well make a big batch and keep them in an air-tight container stored in the refrigerator to use for the rest of the week. 

The salted duck eggs: Look for fresh salted duck eggs at your local Chinese grocery store.

Next come the eggs. If you’re lucky, you can find fresh salted duck eggs at your local Chinese grocery store. This is the only way to get a hold of the whites, as usually only salted duck egg yolks are sold vacuum-packed. You can also make them from scratch using our salted duck egg recipe! There is no need to pre-cook the eggs. More on that in a minute. 

The century eggs: Also known as thousand year old eggs, they’re obviously not actually that old. They are cured in an ash mixture, which gives them their signature black color. They are already cooked and ready to eat out of the box. 

Happily, they are easy to find in Chinese markets these days.

Three Color Steamed Egg Recipe Instructions

Preparation:

Peel and cut each century egg into 6-8 wedges. They don’t have to look perfect, but you can use a piece of cotton thread to make super clean cuts.

Separate the salted duck egg yolks and whites. Beat the whites with chopsticks or a fork for 30 seconds. Carefully slice the duck egg yolks into quarters.

Now it’s time to make the egg mixture. Crack 3 eggs into a liquid measuring cup, and note the volume. Pour the eggs into a large bowl, add salt, and beat with chopsticks or a fork for 1 minute.

Measure the same volume of water, and add it to the bowl. Do the same with the stock. Add the 1 teaspoon sesame oil and white pepper, and whisk until well combined.

Steam the Eggs:

Scatter the chunks of century egg and salted duck egg yolk evenly in a heat-proof shallow dish.  (A 9-inch glass or ceramic pie/tart pan works great. You can use any Corningware, Pyrex, or ceramic dish of similar size. Just make sure it’ll fit in your steaming set-up. We use a metal steamer, but you can use a wok with a lid and a metal steaming rack in the center. Fill the water up to about an inch below the rack, and place the dish on the rack to steam.)

Place the dish in the steamer, and bring the water in your steamer to a boil. Be sure any water in your steamer will not be able to bubble up and touch the bottom of the dish during steaming. 

You’ll assemble the dish in the steamer, so that your pretty pattern of eggs in the dish doesn’t slide around on the way from the counter to the steamer. 

Pour the beaten duck egg white evenly around the dish, around the century eggs and salted yolks. Then pour the egg/water/stock mixture through a fine-meshed strainer into the dish. 

When the water in your steamer is boiling, turn the heat down to medium.

Cover, and steam for 4 minutes. After 4 minutes have elapsed, shut off the heat, but keep the steamer covered. Let stand for 14 minutes with the lid firmly covered.

While that’s happening, prep the sauce by mixing together the hot water, sugar, light soy sauce, and ½ teaspoon sesame oil. 

Uncover the eggs. It is set when it jiggles just slightly when tapped, like Jell-O.

Sprinkle over the scallions and fried shallots (if using). Pour the sauce over the top, and serve!