The Cantonese Fried Egg My Dad's Made 100,000 Times

Step 1: Heat oil & crack egg into bowl

Heat up your wok or pan on high heat. It depends on your equipment, but it should take a standard wok or pan about one minute to heat up, just shy of smoking hot. (If you see smoke, it's too hot! Let it cool down a smidge.)

Once the wok is hot, turn the heat down to medium and add cooking oil (2 tbsp). Give it a quick swirl to coat the wok.

2 tbsp of cooking oil will be enough to fry about 3 eggs. Later, add more as needed while you cook more eggs, but 2 tbsp is the minimum to perfect those crispy edges.

Crack one egg ( 3) into a bowl. This will give you the opportunity to fish out any pieces of shell, and also helps you make sure you're not about to cook a bad egg.

If you'd like to fry your eggs round and unfolded, continue onto steps 2-3. If you'd like to fry folded eggs, or purse eggs, follow steps 4-6.

Step 2: Add egg to wok

For round eggs, pour the egg from the bowl into the wok.

Let the egg continue cooking undisturbed so that the whites can fry and solidify. It'll take 45-60 seconds for the whites to turn opaque. That's when it should be no longer sticking to your wok or pan. If you slide the tip of your spatula under the egg, it should slide around easily.

If you'd like to season it now with a sprinkle of salt (1 sprinkle), go ahead and do that now. Otherwise, you can season it after it's finished.

Flip egg

Use your spatula to get underneath the egg. When you're getting ready to flip, you want the spatula to be supporting most of the weight of the egg; otherwise, the egg will slide right off before you can flip it. If it needs more support than the single spatula can provide, you can use a pair of chopsticks to keep the egg from sliding around. Pull the spatula+egg to the side so that you have a good spot in your wok to aim for... then flip the egg!

Step 3: Put egg on side of wok & start next egg

After flipping the egg, turn the heat down to low and keep cooking for another 40-50 seconds for a runny yolk. Cook it for longer if you prefer the yolk more well-done.

Again, your equipment may differ, so rather than relying on our 40-50 second guideline, it's best to take note of how your egg looks and feels to decide whether it's done or not.

A runny yolk will look plump. If you poke at it gently, it'll give way, and then spring back.

A cooked, solid yolk will look more flat. If you poke at it gently, it will give you a lot of resistance.

If you don't mind a really solid, very cooked yolk, you can speed up the cooking time by intentionally piercing the yolk and letting it cook via direct contact with the wok.

Assuming you're continuing to cook eggs (there will never be enough fried eggs!), you can slide the currently cooking egg up the side of the wok to finish cooking slowly.

Turn the heat back up to medium, and with the oil remaining in the wok, start cooking the next egg. If there's not enough oil to fry that egg, add as much as you need. Repeat the waiting, nudging, and flipping steps with your next egg, but don't forget to remove the egg that's waiting on the side of the wok whenever it's ready to your liking.

Once you've fried all the eggs that will make you content, turn off the heat and enjoy. Remember to season with salt if you didn't do so earlier.

Step 4: Add egg into wok & salt

For folded eggs, you'll similarly pour the egg into the wok. Do your best to pour so that the yolk is in the center of the whites, so that it'll be easier to fold.

Let the egg continue cooking undisturbed so that the whites can fry and solidify. It'll take 45-60 seconds for the whites to turn opaque. That's when it should be no longer sticking to your wok or pan. If you slide the tip of your spatula under the egg, it should slide around easily.

If you'd like to season it now with a sprinkle of salt (1 sprinkle), go ahead and do that now. Otherwise, you can season it after it's finished.

Step 5: Fold egg

Slide your spatula halfway underneath the egg. To keep the egg from sliding away when you push it, you may want to use a pair of chopsticks to support it. Lift slightly up and over to fold the egg over its other half, creating a semicircle shape.

You may want to gently hold the shape down for a few seconds until it agrees with your plan. The egg whites need to stick together, and sometimes that requires some encouragement.

Turn the heat down to low and cook for 40-50 seconds.

Flip egg

To help crisp up the first side a bit more, flip it back over and cook for another 20-30 seconds.

Again, to evaluate doneness, it's better to rely on visual and tactile clues instead of strict timing. Bouncy plump yolks are runny, and not-so-bouncy flat yolks are solid.

Step 6: Put egg on side of wok & start next egg

Assuming you're continuing to cook eggs (there will never be enough fried eggs!), you can slide the currently cooking egg up the side of the wok to finish cooking slowly.

Turn the heat back up to medium, and with the oil remaining in the wok, start cooking the next egg. If there's not enough oil to fry that egg, add as much as you need. Repeat the waiting, nudging, and folding steps with your next egg, but don't forget to remove the egg that's waiting on the side of the wok whenever it's ready to your liking.

Once you've fried all the eggs that will make you content, turn off the heat and enjoy. Remember to season with salt if you didn't do so earlier.