Yellow Chives and Eggs Stir Fry

Ready in just 15 minutes, this easy and delicious dish combines the mild, slightly sweet flavor of yellow chives with tender, silky eggs.

Silky Yellow Chives and Eggs Stir Fry: A Guangdong Delight

Yellow Chives and Eggs Stir Fry, known as 韭黄滑蛋 (jiǔ huáng huá dàn) in Chinese, is a dish from Guangdong cuisine that emphasizes tenderness. In this culinary tradition, many dishes include the term “滑” (huá), which means “slippery” and highlights the dish’s smooth, tender texture. Examples of such dishes include Shrimp and Eggs Stir Fry (虾仁滑蛋) and Steamed Mushrooms and Tender Chicken (香菇蒸滑鸡).

This recipe combines mild, slightly sweet yellow chives with eggs cooked to a silky, tender consistency. It’s a quick and delicious dish, perfect as a light main course or side dish. The addition of a cornstarch slurry to the eggs ensures that they turn out tender and smooth, so it’s essential not to overlook this step.

Garlic chives vs Yellow chives

You’re likely familiar with garlic chives, also called Chinese chives, often used as fillings in dishes such as chive dumplings and chive pockets. Yellow chives, another variety of garlic chives, are grown without sunlight, which prevents them from producing chlorophyll and gives them a yellowish color instead of the usual green.

Despite their different appearance, yellow chives are essentially the same plant as green garlic chives, but their cultivation method results in a higher market price. They’re prized for their distinct flavor and are commonly featured in dishes like beef stir-fry noodles for their unique taste and appearance.

In this recipe, you can definitely use garlic chives if you don’t have yellow chives.

Ingredients:

• 300g Yellow chives, cleaned and cut into 5cm segments
• 6 eggs
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, add 1 teaspoon to the egg mixture and 1/4 teaspoon to the yellow chives stir fry.
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water)
• 4 tablespoons cooking oil (I use peanut oil),1 tablespoon for stir-frying the yellow chives, and 3 tablespoons for stir-frying the egg mixture.

Instructions:

Prepare the Yellow Chives:

• Rinse the yellow chives thoroughly. I usually soak them for 10 minutes, then trim them off and discard any wilted parts. Drain the water and cut the chives into approximately 5 cm segments.

Prepare the Egg Mixture:

• In a bowl, crack 6 eggs.
• Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper.
• Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch slurry (made from 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water). This is the key to making the stir-fried eggs tender and smooth. Use chopsticks to quickly stir and combine thoroughly, ensuring the eggs are well mixed.

Stir-Fry the Yellow Chives:

• Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil (I use peanut oil) in the pan over medium heat.
• Add the yellow chives and stir-fry evenly.
• Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and stir-fry until just cooked.
• Remove the chives from the pan and mix them into the egg mixture.

Cook the Egg Mixture:

• Heat 3 tablespoons of cooking oil in the pan over medium heat.
• Gently tilt the pan to distribute the oil evenly.
• Pour in the egg mixture with the chives. Do not stir at this point.
• Gently push the edges of the egg mixture with a spatula to let it set and cook through while keeping it tender and smooth.

Finish and Serve:

• Once the eggs are cooked through, the dish is ready to be served.
• If you are worried the eggs are not fully cooked, you can flip them and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
  

  Print Pin

  Yellow Chives and Eggs Stir Fry

  Ready in just 15 minutes, this easy and delicious dish combines the mild, slightly sweet flavor of yellow chives with tender, silky eggs.

  Course Side Dish

  Cuisine Chinese

  Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

  Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

  Servings 4

  Calories 256kcal

  Ingredients

  • 300 g Yellow chives cleaned and cut into 5cm segments
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt add 1 teaspoon to the egg mixture and 1/4 teaspoon to the yellow chives stir fry.
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch slurry 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
  • 4 tablespoons cooking oil I use peanut oil,1 tablespoon for stir-frying the yellow chives, and 3 tablespoons for stir-frying the egg mixture.

  Instructions

  Prepare the Yellow Chives:

  • Rinse the yellow chives thoroughly. I usually soak them for 10 minutes, then trim them off and discard any wilted parts. Drain the water and cut the chives into approximately 5 cm segments.

  Prepare the Egg Mixture:

  • In a bowl, crack 6 eggs.
  • Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon white pepper.
  • Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch slurry (made from 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water). This is the key to making the stir-fried eggs tender and smooth. Use chopsticks to quickly stir and combine thoroughly, ensuring the eggs are well mixed.

  Stir-Fry the Yellow Chives:

  • Heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil (I use peanut oil) in the pan over medium heat.
  • Add the yellow chives and stir-fry evenly.
  • Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and stir-fry until just cooked.
  • Remove the chives from the pan and mix them into the egg mixture.

  Cook the Egg Mixture:

  • Heat 3 tablespoons of cooking oil in the pan over medium heat.
  • Gently tilt the pan to distribute the oil evenly.
  • Pour in the egg mixture with the chives. Do not stir at this point.
  • Gently push the edges of the egg mixture with a spatula to let it set and cook through while keeping it tender and smooth.

  Finish and Serve:

  • Once the eggs are cooked through, the dish is ready to be served.
  • If you are worried the eggs are not fully cooked, you can flip them and cook for an additional 30 seconds.

  Nutrition

  Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 246mg | Sodium: 823mg | Potassium: 313mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3621IU | Vitamin C: 44mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 2mg