The clay pot I make when the yuba bag is open and the tomatoes are ripe is this one – egg-crisped yuba clay pot, and this home cook’s version beats three eggs over the soaked yuba so each piece fries with its own golden coat. A home cook wrote it in twelve steps and closed with the promise in the title: the sauce will not survive the table. I made it as written, and it is the silky, saucy pot that is the family favorite it claims to be.

Fu zhu jian dan bao (腐竹煎蛋煲) is egg-crisped yuba clay pot – yuba soaked, coated in beaten egg, and fried golden, then simmered in a clay pot with tomato and oyster mushrooms until the sauce is rich.

What Is Egg-Crisped Yuba Clay Pot?

This is the yuba that eats like something else: three eggs are beaten and poured over the soaked yuba; the pieces fry in plenty of oil until both sides are gold. In the clay pot, scallion and garlic bloom, tomato cooks down to sand, oyster mushrooms join, and water just covers everything with salt before the golden yuba is laid in. Ten minutes under the lid over medium-low, a scatter of scallion, and the sauce is thick enough to beg for rice.

For the plain soy braise of the same yuba, my yuba and shiitake braise skips the egg and the clay pot.

Why This Recipe Works

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• Egg over the yuba. Each piece fries with its own coat.

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• Plenty of oil. The gold needs room.

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• Tomato to sand in the pot. The sauce base.

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• Water just to cover. Rich, not soupy.

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• Ten minutes sealed. The yuba drinks.

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Equipment Needed

• A clay pot (or heavy pot) with a lid
• A skillet for the yuba
• A bowl for the eggs

Ingredients

• Dried yuba, soaked
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 tomatoes, cut down
• A handful of oyster mushrooms (ping gu)
• A little scallion, garlic, salt, and oil

Ingredient Notes

Yuba: Soaked and egg-coated. My yuba and shiitake braise is the no-egg version. The eggs: The golden coat. Tomato: Cooked to sand for the sauce.

Prep & Mise en Place

Soak the yuba; beat the eggs; cut the tomato; wash the mushrooms.

Cooking Process

Step 1 – Beat three eggs

Beat three eggs.

Step 2 – Pour the eggs over the soaked yuba

Pour the eggs over the soaked yuba.

Step 3 – Use a good amount of oil and fry the yuba until golden

Use a good amount of oil and fry the yuba until golden on both sides.

Step 4 – In the clay pot, bloom the scallion and garlic

In the clay pot, bloom the scallion and garlic.

Step 5 – Add the tomato and cook until it turns to sauce

Add the tomato and cook until it turns to sauce.

Step 6 – Add the oyster mushrooms

Add the oyster mushrooms.

Step 7 – Add water to just cover the ingredients

Add water to just cover the ingredients.

Step 8 – Season with salt

Season with salt.

Step 9 – Lay in the fried yuba

Lay in the fried yuba.

Step 10 – Cover and simmer over medium-low 10 minutes

Cover and simmer over medium-low 10 minutes.

Step 11 – Scatter scallion segments at the end

Scatter scallion segments at the end.

Step 12 – Rich sauce – dangerously good; you try it too

Rich sauce – dangerously good; you try it too.

Common Mistakes When Making This Dish

1. Soggy, eggless yuba. Cause: no coat or thin oil. Fix: egg over the pieces and plenty of oil. 2. A watery pot. Cause: too much water. Fix: just to cover. 3. A raw tomato acid. Cause: tomato not cooked down. Fix: to sand before the water. 4. A burnt clay pot base. Cause: high heat. Fix: medium-low, sealed. 5. A bland pot. Cause: timid salt. Fix: season the tomato as it cooks.

Variations

Spicier: A little chili with the garlic. More mushroom: Add shiitake with the oyster. My yuba and shiitake braise is the mushroom-yuba pair without the egg.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why coat the yuba in egg? It fries to a golden coat that holds in the pot. Why a clay pot? The even, sealed simmer. Can I skip the tomato? The sauce needs it – or use more mushrooms and soy. How long does it take? About 35 minutes with the soak. Is it spicy? Not at all – and my silken tofu potage is the soup to follow, savory tofu and egg stir-fry the fast plate.

How to Serve

Serve from the clay pot with rice – with yuba and shiitake braise, tomato-braised tofu and egg, and home-style tofu for a saucy table, or with red braised tofu and braised tofu with bok choy for contrast.

Storage & Reheat

Refrigerate 2 days; reheat gently. Never leave out more than 2 hours. For the tomato-braised tofu version of the same pot, my tomato-braised tofu and egg needs no yuba.

Allergen Notice

This recipe contains egg and soy (yuba, soy). It is free of gluten, dairy, nuts, fish, and shellfish.

Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

About the Author & Recipe Development

I am Jason Guo, a Chinese chef who has cooked professionally for more than five years – including time as a head chef – and now runs my own small restaurant in China, where tofu appears on the menu almost every day. This xiachufang cook’s egg-crisped yuba clay pot is the family favorite of my own home, and the recipe’s egg-over-yuba move is exactly why the pieces hold. I tested it as written. I have not tested the chili version, so that is your experiment, not my claim.

Authoritative References

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service – Safe Temperature Chart for safe storage of cooked dishes.