Ingredients

4 eggs
6 1/2-ounce can minced clams
1 1/2 cups water, boiled and cooled to lukewarm
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1 green onion, very thinly sliced (optional)

Directions

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs well with a fork. Drain the clams, reserving the liquid in a measuring cup. Add enough of the cooled water to the clam liquid to make 1 3/4 cups. Add liquids, clams and salt to the eggs and stir until blended. Pour into a heatproof dish.

Set a rack in a saucepan big enough to hold the dish and add water to a depth of 1 1/2 to 2 inches. You may also use a steamer; if you do, fill the lower tier half-full with water. Bring water to a boil. Set the dish on the rack or on the upper tier of the steamer. Lower the heat to a simmer and steam for 25 minutes. The eggs are done when they don't jiggle in the middle when the dish is tapped or an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Pour the oyster sauce on the eggs and spread evenly over the surface with the bottom of a spoon. (A Chinese soup spoon works perfectly for this.) If desired, sprinkle with chopped green onion. Serve hot over cooked rice, spooning the eggs out of the dish with a serving spoon. Makes 4 to 6 servings as part of a Chinese meal. Recipe from "Every Grain of Rice: A Taste of Our Chinese Childhood in America" (Potter) by Ellen Blonder and Annabel Low.