Happy National Egg Day! How do you like your eggs? Do you always have to have them prepared a certain way? Or, are you flexible? For me, it depends on what I’m eating them with. If I’m having them with hash browns or breakfast potatoes, they must be scrambled. If I’m at a Thai restaurant, ordering a Thai basil dish, then I get it with the traditional fried egg. If I’m having only eggs for breakfast, then I like them to be very soft-boiled.
I decided to write a three-part series showcasing all the different ways to prepare eggs, so that no matter how you prefer your eggs, you can have them your way!
Let’s start with the fried egg. I grew up eating this fried egg with Thai chicken basil and pork basil dishes. This egg is usually served as an accompaniment to the flavorful protein dish over rice. To eat it, the Thais cut through the yolk portion and use the liquidy-yolk as a light sauce over the rice. The result is a rich and creamy yet mildly flavored rice. What’s left of the egg, after the yolk is drained, is consumed along with the rest of the dish. The fried egg white adds a depth of flavor that can only be brought by deep-fried-goodness. Thai comfort food, for sure.
The very soft boiled egg (I’m not sure that’s the correct term) is something Thai parents commonly feed their children for breakfast before they head off to school. Due to the egg’s high choline content, which is essential for brain health, parents use this breakfast to improve and maintain their children’s learning, memory, and alertness before the long school day ahead. Egg prepared this way must be accompanied with a few splashes of Maggi soy sauce. It’s just not the same without it.
The last egg for Part 1 is the soft-boiled egg. This is usually a dinner side dish in a traditional Thai household, among other items. It is eaten similarly to the fried egg in that you break open the yolk and use the yolk as a light sauce, but just not as heavy as a fried egg, for the last meal of the day. I honestly didn’t even know this was part of the Thai dinner spread until my uncle, who lives in Thailand, sent me a video of my grandmother eating dinner and one of the side dishes on her table was this egg. It looked so delicious, I had to ask my mother how to make it. So, here you go, from a traditional Thai chef to your kitchen!
Just for fun, check out the video that introduced me to the soft-boiled egg below!
Come back at the end of the week for Part 2 of the series, where I’ll share how to make egg pudding, scrambled eggs, and hard-boiled eggs.
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Fried Eggs
Ingredients
- Canola Oil
- Fresh eggs
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium heat*. Test if the skillet is hot enough by adding a few drops of water. If the droplets sizzle, the skillet is ready.
- Add enough oil into the skillet to reach at least 1/2" (half-an-inch) up the skillet and allow the oil to heat.
- Crack an egg into a small bowl** (each egg will need it's own bowl)
- Test if the oil is ready by using a small spoon to add a drop of egg white into the skillet. If the egg white sizzles, floats, and turns a golden brown color, the oil is hot enough. If the drop sinks, allow the oil to heat further and test again.
- Slowly pour the egg into the oil, using the bowl to guide the egg.
- Let the egg set for a few seconds, until the edges become golden brown.
- Carefully spoon the hot oil over the whites of the egg until no longer translucent.
- With a spatula, gently loosen the bottom of the egg from the skillet.
- Spoon some oil over the yolk of the egg until a white film forms.
- Remove the egg onto a serving dish.
Notes
**To catch any shell and remove prior to adding the egg to the skillet
Very Soft-Boiled Egg
Ingredients
- Boiling water
- Fresh eggs
- Ice-water bath
Instructions
- Place whole egg(s) into a small sauce pan with a lid.
- Add enough water into the pan to cover the egg(s).
- Pour the water into another sauce pan, omitting the eggs, and bring to a boil.
- Off the heat and pour the boiled water over the egg(s).
- Cover and let sit for 11 minutes.
- Remove the egg(s) and shock in an ice-water bath to stop the cooking process.
- Crack the egg(s) into a small serving bowl or mug*.
- Serve with a few splashes of Maggi soy sauce to taste.
Notes
Soft-Boiled Egg
Ingredients
- Boiling water
- Fresh eggs
- Ice-water bath
Instructions
- Add whole egg(s) into a small pot.
- Add enough water to cover the egg(s).
- Remove the egg(s) and set aside.
- Heat the water to a boil.
- Replace the egg(s) and continue boiling for 7 minutes.
- Remove the egg(s) and shock in an ice-water bath to stop the cooking process.
- Gently peel the egg(s) and place in a small serving dish.
- Serve with a side of Maggi soy sauce
Soft boiled eggs on fleek.