Judy'S Egg Foo Yong

Directions

1. 1
   Drain the canned veggies REALLY well; I remove the lids and then press, with the lids, down into the cans, in the sink to get as much liquid out as possible; slice the sliced water chestnuts into thin strips (sounds silly but this is how I do it); chop up the mushrooms into 1/4-inch pieces.
2. 2
   Combine the bean sprouts, mushrooms, water chestnuts, green onions and whatever meat you've chosen in a mixing bowl; make a well in the center and crack the eggs in there, then break up and 'scramble' the eggs; then just mix the whole dang thing like heck, you should have a nice, eggy mixture where the eggs and other ingredients are about equal in proportion; too much egg and your patties will run, too little egg and the patties won't hold together.
3. 3
   Heat about a 1/4 cup of oil until hot but not smoking in a good, solid, frying pan; working in batches, add the egg mixture in about 1/4 cup amounts with a large spoon, patting them into circles and 'scooping' the runny side egg mixture into the patties as you work; mix the egg mixture before adding to the pan as the solid ingredients tend to fall to the bottom of your mixing bowl.
4. 4
   check the bottoms of the patties and turn them over and cook until they become a nice, golden brown; put them on a serving platter to keep warm in the oven, they keep warm very well for quite a while without losing quality.
5. 5
   Repeat the above step with remaining egg mixture, adding extra oil as needed to the frying pan; the magic formula here is a good, hot, frying pan with enough oil to 'seal' the egg mixture so it doesn't run too much.
6. 6
   Sauce:
7. 7
   Combine water, chicken bouillon cube and soy sauce in a pot and bring to a boil; combine cornstarch and water and then stir that mixture into the boiling broth/soy sauce mixture until thickened (I suggest doubling this, we always consume the sauce).
8. 8
   Serve the patties over steamed rice, with the sauce.
9. 9
   Freezing tips:
10. 10
    This stuff freezes really well; wrap patties in enough foil to fit a baking sheet then stick the package in a plastic freezer bag and when you're ready to use them, just unwrap the package, reusing the foil, place on a baking sheet and heat at about 350°F for about 15-20 minutes; make your rice and sauce while the patties are reheating and you have dinner in 30 minutes!