There are many simple recipes out there, but it's hard to beat those featuring eggs. You can have limited food options at home except a dozen eggs and that is enough.
The simplicity of Taiwanese cooking is highlighted in a Taiwanese mum's egg recipes. She will have everything from eggy weekday dishes to midnight snacks.
As a child, I enjoyed a blissful fried egg that was doused in soy sauce and served on a bed of steamed white rice. If my mum was feeling fancy, she garnished it with fried shallots or spring onions, but this dish still worked well without the frills.
You'll find different versions of this dish on Taiwanese social media, but here's the standard version: Just fry four to five eggs in oil and flip them. Keep them in the pan and drizzle them in soy sauce and hoisin sauce or a scoop of peanut butter, then add a quarter of a glass of water. Mix the condiments to form a sauce then reduce it down to a sticky, jammy paste. And that's it. Dinner is served with a bed of green vegetables and a bowl of steamed rice.
Another great egg dish is tomatoes and eggs. Scrambled eggs and fresh tomatoes come together for a fulfilling meal when served with rice, noodles or even scallion pancakes - this dish is very "stuffable" in fresh Chinese flatbread too.
Mrs Jang's fried eggs by Kylie Kwong. Source: Kylie Kwong: Heart and Soul
This recipe can be heightened with prawns (check your freezer) but that would be stealing the spotlight from our humble eggs, right?
Adding to your repertoire is a that is found in Asia including Japan, Korea and Taiwan. To make it, beat two to four eggs in a bowl, add water or stock and steam the mixture in a saucepan. This makes a smooth custard flan that's like a self-sauce pudding because when you scoop it into the steamed egg, you not only have a luscious flan but a warm soup at the bottom. Take it to another level with prawns, dried shrimp or simply a drizzle of soy sauce and a sprinkle of spring onions. Serve with rice.
My mum is a huge fan of eggs when other protein isn't readily available, and she particularly likes them in soup. There are several types of egg soup, starting with an egg-drop soup, which is exactly as it reads. To make it, boil water, add Chinese soup mix or miso and drop in a beaten egg. In the time it takes you to boil the water, you have a delicious soup to accompany your meal.
Chinese-style steamed eggs. Source: Kitti Gould
A more elaborate egg soup doesn't mean more labour, but in my mum's eyes, it means more nutrients for her daughter who sometimes forgets the rules of TCM (traditional Chinese medicine). In a pan, add a tablespoon of sesame oil. When hot, add two beaten eggs and stir them like you would scrambled eggs. Add three glasses of water and bring to a boil before adding a Chinese soup mix or miso to finish.
As I ponder exceptional eggs, I wonder what life would be without them - it would definitely be spent hungry and not be as egg-citing (sorry not sorry).
