This is a recipe for steamed eggs. My mom makes it differently, but this is how Ishita and I like it. Total recipe time: 15 minutes, or while Ishita takes a shower. Below portions are for two hungry girls. Adjust accordingly.
Ingredients
- 4 Eggs
- Two cloves of garlic
- Rice
- Miso
- MSG
- Whole black peppercorns (you may sub ground pepper)
- Vegetable bullion
- Ginger
- Chinese black vinegar (since she likes it sour!)
- Cilantro (since ours was on the edge of wilting)
Instructions
1) Put the rice on while we do everything else. Forget it while you work, and allow the apartment to fill with smoke. Wait for Ishita to finish showering and yell at you. At this point, you will know the rice has finished. Set aside.
2) Mix the egg custard: four eggs, equal parts water to egg by volume, a pinch of salt, beat vigorously with chopsticks. Here, my mom usually adds chopped octopus or shrimp. When cooking for Leighann, I add soft or medium soft tofu for protein. For this recipe, I slice garlic thickly since I am lazy to mince and lay them on top. These all steam beautifully with the egg.
3) Steam egg: Double boiler of your own invention is encouraged at this stage. I do this by placing the entire bowl of egg directly in a large pot filled only about an inch with water and cover tightly to encourage the heat to stay in. Utilize artistic license here. Do not allow the water to boil with violence, and lower the heat when necessary to maintain gentle steam.
4) Create broth. We freestyle this one in our house, but the basics are:
- 3 cups water
- tablespoon bullion paste
- pinch of MSG powder
- tablespoon miso
- grated ginger (or chunky coins if lazy)
- five or six whole black peppercorns (which you can sub for something else spicy like ground pepper, dried peppers, fresh peppers, a diced Thai birdseye would go nice here)
- cilantro, especially if it is wilting
- scallions if you have it
- and a phatty glug of Chinese black vinegar. I opted for about 5 tablespoons because Ishita likes things sour and adds lemon juice to her diet coke
- Anything going bad in the fridge right now can be added to this soup: spinach, daikon, bok choy
5) Simmer the broth separately until egg finishes. It will look like mud and that is okay.
6) Poke everything to check when done. The eggs for a twosome portion will take ~15 minutes on a gentle steam, and should set firm, like a chubby baby’s cheek.
7) Make her plate, since she made yours for lunch. Assemble rice at bottom, large shards of jiggling egg atop, then broth directly in the same bowl to create a delicious island. If you can have the food ready by the time she finishes washing, she will be very grateful and you can eat a woman’s gratitude for dessert, it is so sweet.