 Baked eggs are things that sound fancy, when in fact, they are absolutely not and it is hard to screw them up. If you're somebody who enjoy half-boiled eggs, you'll definitely enjoy these herby baked eggs, which allow you to also dunk and soak toast in them, with the added bonus of buttery taste and the fresh herby addition to the entire dish.
You can use either an air fryer or an oven for the job, and fresh herbs are definitely recommended, although dried are not so bad either. This recipe makes 2 small ramekins/baking dishes of baked eggs. What You Need: 6 eggs 2 tbsp butter 8 tbsp of fresh milk Herbs - all or anything between chopped coriander, parsley, rosemary and/or thyme 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tbsp grated parmesan Salt, pepper What You Do: 1. Heat the oven at 200-220 degrees (very hot!) 2. In 2 small ramekins or baking dishes, place the milk and butter equally in each (each ramekin: 1 tbsp butter, 4 tbsp milk) 3. Place the ramekins in the oven or air fryer, heat until the butter melts and the milk bubbles. 4. Take the ramekins out, crack 3 eggs in each ramekin, top with a sprinkle of salt, chopped garlic, chopped herbs, black pepper and parmesan. 5. Place the ramekin back into the oven, for about 8 mins, or until the eggs whites are a set but the yolks still runny. 6. Eat with some crusty toasts to dunk into.  Imagine this: A thick, crusty, toasted piece of warm bread. On top of it, a dollop of creamy, buttery, silky scrambled eggs. Almost runny but not really, buttery curdles of eggs piled and topped with cracked black pepper.
There is an art to making the perfectly creamy scrambled eggs. My feelings are hurt when I go to a cafe and am served dry, overcooked scrambled eggs. It's easy to make at home, although for perfect results, you'll need the correct tools. The first, a small, non-stick pot. If it's too big, the heat will be too much and it will cook the eggs almost too immediately. If it's not non-stick, you'll lose a lot of the eggs stuck on the pot. Secondly, the heat trick. You need a low fire, and be prepared to remove the pot occasionally from the direct heat so that you don't cook the eggs too quickly. It's a relaxing act of slowly stirring the eggs until you get it slightly cooked, and removing it onto the toast while it is still runny - because yes, eggs will continue to cook even as they're sitting on that toast. What You Need: 2 eggs 4-5 dice-sized cubes of butter 1 tbsp fresh milk Salt Pepper 1 thick slice of sturdy bread, toasted to your liking What You Do: 1. In a bowl, whisk the eggs until the white and yolk are well mixed together. Add the butter cubes, salt and fresh milk. 2. Heat a small pot until it gets very, very hot. Once it does, pour in the eggs, and very quickly remove the pot from direct heat. Using a spatula, stir the eggs consistently, using the residual heat of the pot to slowly cook and curdle the eggs. 3. In a case where the pot seems to have cooled down too much and there is no more heat but the eggs are still too undercooked, place the pot over heat for a few seconds, while continuing to stir the eggs. 4. The eggs are done when they are still runny and slightly curdly. REMEMBER that the eggs will still continue to cook even on that toast. 5. Dollop the eggs onto your toast. Sprinkle over some cracked black pepper (freshly cracked black pepper makes all the difference, people). 6. Enjoy hot, with a cup of morning tea.  These days it’s always raining and life has been feeling a bit like a sob chickflick. Very few things give me comfort, and one of those that do is, well – comfort food. One of my favourite comfort food staples is always a large bowl of pasta, or more specifically the creamy kind. Unfortunately a classic spaghetti carbonara isn’t really waist-friendly. I find that using the classic cheese and yolk alone means you use a LOT of cheese and yolk, and just because I’m having a hard time does NOT mean I want to wake up the next day looking like Bridget Jones post-breakup with Mr Darcy. This recipe certainly isn’t the classic carbonara recipe – it substitutes some of the yolk and cheese with dollops of yoghurt; a much healthier option! It also introduces bright green asparagus into the pasta, and paired with a simple chopped salad (chopped lettuce, chopped tomatoes, splash of balsamic vinegar, pepper, olive oil) you’re easily getting your 3 out of 5 daily veg requirement. This recipe makes 2 servings. What You Need: For the sauce: 1 whole egg 2 egg yolks 3 tbsp. natural yoghurt 1 heaped tbsp. grated Parmesan (grating means cheese disperses better, so you use less) Juice of ¼ lemon For the pasta: Spaghetti or Fettucine 3 strips of bacon of your choice, thinly sliced 1 clove garlic, sliced 1 handful asparagus, snapped and cut into 2-inch lengths Pinch of cracked black pepper What You Do:
    On my last trip to Thailand, a friend suggested that we take a cooking class. I was dreading this because the last thing I wanted to do while traveling was cook, but because she was really excited about it we decided to follow suit (you can read about it at www.bootsoverbooks.com/show-up). That class turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip! It was fun and beautifully located at a village around Chiang Mai, and I’m so glad I learned to make so many Thai street food (and left with a recipe book too). My personal favourite has always been Pad Thai. There’s just something really delicious about a steaming plate of stir fried spicy flat noodles, with lots of tofu, egg, shrimp, veg and a generous helping of crunchy peanuts and chili flakes. Through the class I also discovered that it took literally five minutes to make in the wok – I mean, if that’s not a promise for an awesome quick midweek dinner, I don’t know what is. Be sure to get the flat Pad Thai noodles (not egg noodles, not glass noodles, not soba noodles) which you can easily get at any grocery store. This recipe makes one serving. What You Need: 1 shallot, sliced 1 firm regular tofu, cubed 5 medium sized shrimps, cleaned and peeled 60 gm/1 pack flat rice Pad Thai noodles (see picture), soaked in hot water for 1 minute 1 handful beansprouts/chives/both 1 tbsp. fish sauce 1.5 tbsp. tamarind juice 1 tsp brown sugar 1 tbsp. chili flakes (see picture), or depending how hot you want it to be 1 tbsp. ground peanuts, plus extra for serving 2 tbsp. water What You Do:
**Note: If you're interested in joining this class on your next trip to Chiang Mai, do contact them at http://www.cookingathome-chiangmai.com/ They will cater to your dietary needs such as halal, vegetarian, or any of the fancy shmancy mat salleh diet you may have (gluten free, vegan, paleo etc etc)  The type of flat noodles and Thai Chili flakes you can get at the local grocery store.  The cooking class.
 Gotta love a spicy, savoury breakfast! Huevos Rancheros (‘ranch style eggs’) is a common Mexican breakfast, which is basically cooked spicy salsa, topped with refried canned beans and a runny egg. In other words, a pack full of vegetable goodness and good proteins to start your day! It takes about 15 minutes to make, and it is one my favourites for brunch on a holiday.
The original recipe uses jalapenos or some other rustic Mexican peppers, so here's a version that is more Malaysia-friendly. This recipe serves 2. Here’s what you need: 1 red onion 1 clove garlic 2 handful chopped tomatoes 1 handful chopped coriander (optional) 1 level teaspoon cumin ½ tablespoon chili flakes/paprika/chili powder/cayenne (or whatever spicy chili paste you can find) 2 handful canned beans (Black beans, Berlotti, or any type that will mash easily) 2 eggs Here’s what you do:
*If you don’t have any mild chili paste, what you can do is chop some red chili or green chili to substitute.  I do like plain old regular scrambled eggs. But sometimes a Malay girl just needs a bit of a kick out of the usual American breakfast. I present to you a spicier, more flavourful version of Mexican Scrambled Eggs, recipe from the Nigella Express cookbook. Delicious for breakfast and ensures you get your vege hit for the day. Also great if you intend to finish some leftover tortilla wraps.
This portion serves two, and takes 5 minutes. Here’s what you need: 1 tortilla wrap 4 fresh eggs ½ a red onion, chopped 1 red chili, or 1 small green chili depending on how spicy you want it 1 ripe tomato, cut into 1 cm chunks Here’s what you do: 1. Heat 2 tbspn oil in a small pan. Roll up the tortilla wraps into a cigarette shape, and cut small pieces of it using scissors into the pan. What you’re doing is frying the small pieces to get some crunchy texture in the eggs. 2. When the tortilla bits are golden, remove from pan. 3. Add chopped onions into the pan. 4. Add the chili. 5. When the onion starts sweating, add the tomatoes. 6. Stir around until the tomatoes are soft and a bit watery. 7. Crack the eggs in a bowl, add salt. Mix. 8. Add the crunchy bits of tortilla back into the pan, then pour in the eggs. 9. After 20 second, turn the fire off. Keep stirring. I like my scrambled eggs a bit runny. 10. Serve immediately with a nice glass of juice. |
