Steamed Egg with Hair Moss

Steamed Egg with Hair Moss

　　Hair moss, abundantly produced on the Qinghai Plateau, is one of the mountain delicacies. In feudal times, it was offered as a tribute to the royal family and had already been exported abroad during the Tang and Song dynasties. Nowadays, due to its phonetic similarity to the phrase “prosperity in a career” (fā cái), it is considered auspicious and also evokes a sense of nostalgia, making it especially popular in Hong Kong, Macau, and overseas markets, where it enjoys a high reputation. Mature hair moss is as black as lacquer, as fine as thread, and as soft as silk brocade. It does not rot or deteriorate and can be preserved and consumed for a long time. It is also an excellent dish for dietary therapy, often eaten to help treat or alleviate conditions such as high blood pressure, women’s ailments, diarrhea, and nosebleeds. In Xining, hair moss is commonly used as an ingredient for cold dishes at banquets. Cold-mixed hair moss, tender, crisp, and smooth, is considered a top-grade cold dish.

　　The steamed egg with hair moss, prepared by the people of Qinghai using hair moss as the main ingredient, is poetically called “Golden and Silver Black Silk Cake” and is a specialty dish of Xining. The method involves separating the egg yolks and whites, beating them evenly, and seasoning with powdered ingredients such as refined salt, ginger powder, and Sichuan peppercorn. The beaten egg whites are used as the base, topped with cleaned hair moss. First, it is steamed until the hair moss and egg whites coagulate and take shape. Then, the well-mixed egg yolks are poured on top and steamed until fully cooked. The steamed mixture is then cut into squares or diamonds in the bowl, inverted onto the center of a soup plate, and topped with lamb broth (beef or chicken broth can also be used). The broth contains ingredients such as wood ear mushrooms, daylily buds, bamboo shoots, and chopped coriander, and is finished with a few drops of sesame oil before serving. This dish features a snowy white top layer, a jet-black honeycomb-like middle layer, and a golden yellow bottom layer, with distinct colors and a unique structure. The egg layers are delicate and smooth, while the hair moss layers are crispy and delicious, offering a light yet richly aromatic flavor. Dishes like “Golden Thread Hair Moss” and “Goldfish Hair Moss” served at banquets for foreign guests in Qinghai hotels and restaurants are even more exquisitely shaped, delicious, and savory, with clear and tasty broths—these can truly be regarded as edible works of art.

　　Source: People's Government of Xining City