Night-Blooming Jasmine Stir-Fried Eggs (Ye Xiang Hua Chao Dan)

Why people make this dish

Night-blooming jasmine (ye xiang hua) is one of those wonderful plants that bridges the world of cooking and gentle wellness. Its soft green flowers, tinged with pale yellow, fill the kitchen with a delicate, sweet fragrance the moment they hit the wok. The classic Cantonese applications are simple: a quick stir-fry with eggs, or a clear soup with fuzzy gourd and pork. The dish takes barely five minutes to cook.

Who it suits / who should be cautious

• Particularly good for people who spend long hours at a computer or reading
• Suits those with mild eye strain, redness of the eyes, or heat-related eye discomfort
• The flower is pungent and warm, so people with severe yin-deficient heat constitution should not overindulge
• Suitable for the whole family as an everyday side dish

Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)

• Night-blooming jasmine (ye xiang hua / Telosma cordata): Flavour is described as pungent and sweet with a warm nature; traditionally used to disperse wind, regulate qi, clear liver heat, and brighten the eyes; the most classic application in Cantonese cooking is this simple egg stir-fry, or a clear soup with fuzzy gourd or winter melon
• Eggs: Nourish the blood and yin; combine beautifully with the fragrant flowers to create a complete and satisfying dish

Ingredients (2 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Notes
Night-blooming jasmine flowers	1 box (~100–150 g)	Choose buds that are still closed or just opening
Eggs	2
Salt	To taste
Cooking oil	3 tablespoons

Method

1. Soak the flowers in lightly salted water for a few minutes to clean them. If the flowers are fully open, soak for at least 30 minutes to dislodge any small insects that may be hiding inside. Drain and pat dry.
2. Crack the eggs into a bowl, add a pinch of salt, and beat until smooth.
3. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat.
4. Add the flowers and the beaten egg together.
5. Stir-fry briskly until the eggs are just set — do not overcook. Remove from heat immediately.
6. Serve as a side dish with rice.

Bro Niu’s tips

When buying night-blooming jasmine, look for buds that are still closed or mostly closed, with large, plump florets — these have the best fragrance and texture. Fully open flowers are also fine but must be soaked for at least half an hour in lightly salted water to make sure no small insects are hiding inside. The flowers are available at Chinese or Asian grocery stores, often imported from Southeast Asia, and can also be found online. The key to this dish is restraint in the cooking — the moment the eggs are just set, take the wok off the heat. That preserves the delicate flavour and fragrance of the flowers.

Community questions answered (selected)

• Q (Josephine): I have a cold constitution combined with damp-heat, and I get colds easily. But too much ginger gives me sore throat. What soup is suitable? Bro Niu: People with a cold constitution don’t actually need to rely heavily on ginger. You can use astragalus root (bei qi / huang qi), goji berries, and red dates in a meat broth — this supports immunity and reduces colds without causing heat.

• Q (AA): My son is nearly 8 and still wets the bed — 1 to 2 times a night. What soup can help? Bro Niu: A child still bedwetting at 8 should see a government urology specialist as soon as possible — the earlier the better, or it can affect his development and social life. Ask your family doctor for a referral. Food therapy is only a supplement: ginkgo nuts 10 pieces (cores removed), euryale seeds (qian shi) 38 g, rubus (fu pen zi) and Cherokee rose fruit (jin ying zi) each 11 g, and southern dates 6 pieces in lean pork broth — 8 bowls cooked to 4 bowls, divided over 2 days, twice a week.

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Published August 15, 2019 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 3 min read.