So I recently started using a DSLR and white cardboard to take some project photos… and then this happened in the morning.
Yes, I somehow managed to make my homemade breakfast look like a marketing ad (totally adding this into the “skills” section of my resume). Well, I suppose I could use it to advertise my uber cute chicken cup like this:
… Or to promote the idea of eating breakfast like this:
Anyway, this all started last week when I stumbled upon this chicken cup in a random gift store. I was completely smitten (as usual). My initial purpose for it was simply eggs in a cup or a mini creamer jug, but nowadays it has also become one of my dad’s regular espresso cups, which is a bonus for me. I can’t even begin to describe how cute it is to watch my dad sipping coffee nonchalantly from a chicken cup while reading a newspaper in the morning.
Anyway, back to the recipe.
Soft boiled eggs are one of my favourite breakfasts of all time, and my perfect analogy of “less is more”. It’s often the simplest things that give me the most happiness in life.
There’s a reason why I specified these soft boiled eggs as “Malaysian” (or Singaporean). There is actually a technical difference between our version and the conventional (Western or Japanese) version. If you type “soft boiled egg” in a search engine, the majority of results will show egg soldiers with firm egg whites and runny egg yolks.
However, try looking up “Malaysian soft boiled egg” and you’ll notice that both egg whites and yolks are runny, like the ones in my chicken cup. That’s because we remove the eggs from heat just before the egg whites become firm, and then crack them into a bowl to eat – or maybe I should say “drink”. The texture is smooth and runny, and the eggs will literally slide down your throat.
These soft boiled eggs originated from our traditional kopitiam (“coffee shop”) culture in Malaysia and Singapore, in which the typical breakfast menu consists of runny soft boiled eggs, kaya (coconut jam) on toast, and coffee.
We even have a special device invented by Malaysians, for Malaysians just to boil the eggs in this style. If you have some free time to spare, do check out some beautiful pictures on this blog and learn how our ingenious egg boiler works.
Okay, back to the recipe. For real.
In the end, there’s really nothing fancy about this recipe since it’s just eggs being cooked to a certain degree. Ultimately it boils down to the timing (no pun intended).
“Malaysian Soft Boiled Eggs”
Ingredients
2 eggs per person. I don’t know if this applies to my fellow Malaysians, but I’ve always had this general belief (yes, it’s a belief) that one person gets 2 eggs each regardless whether we’re at home or a coffee shop.
Method
- Make sure your eggs are at room temperature if you’re taking them out of the fridge.
- Boil water in a pot.
- Once the water is boiled, carefully lower the eggs into the water and make sure they are submerged in the water.
- Close the lid over the pot and boil for 7-8 minutes, or slightly longer if you’re boiling more eggs (my usual quantity is 8).
- Remove eggs and let them cool for a minute.
- Crack eggs into a bowl and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and a dash of soy sauce.
Tips:
- If your eggs are too cold from the fridge, they may crack when submerged in boiling water.
- If you are cooking many eggs at once, you may have to let the eggs boil longer as the quantity of eggs will lower the temperature of the water.
- When you crack the eggs, remember to scrape the remaining egg white inside the eggshells.
- Try breaking the egg yolks and dipping your toast into the white/yolk mixture. That is some amazing stuff.
Get into the habit of kickstarting your days with a healthy and nutritious breakfast, and make sure your loved ones do too!
Have a wonderful day (and breakfast) ahead ♫꒰･‿･๑꒱
Whisk & Maps 