Savory Egg Custard With Clams And Shrimp

Servings: 4
Ingredients:

1/2 c  Juice from canned clams
1 1/4 c  Low-sodium chicken broth
1 ts Oil
1 ts Rice wine
1 ts Light soy sauce
1/4 ts Sugar
pn White pepper
4    Eggs
1/2 c  Canned whole baby clams
3 tb Chopped Chinese garlic
-chives, or green onions
6 md Shrimp, shelled, deveined
1 ts Oyster sauce

This steamed egg dish exemplifies the simplicity of Chinese home
cooking it takes about 5 minutes to prepare. The Chinese use a heat-
proof porcelain shallow bowl 7 inches wide by 3 inches deep with
sloping sides to steam this egg dish. A 1 quart ceramic souffle dish
or a Pyrex bowl works just as well. To ensure a smooth, silky
texture, avoid high heat when steaming.

Combine the clam juice, chicken broth, oil, wine, soy sauce, sugar and
pepper in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; cool
completely.

Lightly beat the eggs in bowl. Slowly stir the cooled broth mixture
into the eggs until thoroughly mixed. Avoid over-beating.

Scatter the clams and 2 tablespoons of the chives in the bottom of a
1quart heat-proof bowl. Strain the egg mixture through a fine mesh
sieve over the clams.

Bring the water in a steamer to a boil over high heat. Place the
bowl on a rack above the boiling water. Cover, reduce heat to a
gentle boil, and steam for 2 minutes, or until the eggs begin to set.

Carefully remove cover from steamer, and scatter the shrimp on top of
the custard. Cover and steam for 5 minutes longer, The custard is
done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Carefully remove bowl from the steamer. Drizzle with oyster sauce and
garnish with remaining chives. Spoon over rice. Serve hot.

Serves 4 to 6.

PER SERVING: 90 calories, 10 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat (1
g saturated), 160 mg cholesterol, 186 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.

From an article by Joyce Jue, San Francisco Chronicle, 11/11/92.

Posted by Stephen Ceideberg; February 22 1993.