Eggs! Never has there been a food item so complex, where different ways of cooking produces such dramatically different results. Eggs are the comfort food of so many people, enjoyed by so many cultures the world over. To whittle this list down to just seven was painful, but we managed to do it without arguing (too much). Here are our top magnificent seven egg recipes!

In soup: Egg drop soup
Country: Hong Kong (Rating: 2)

Egg drop soup is a delicate thing. Everything hinges on the quality of the stock, and the egg is slowly swirled in to create feathery threads - smooth enough to swallow, just enough texture to give a little bite.



Ingredients:

2 cups chicken stock
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 green onion, minced
Pinch white pepper
Salt to taste
Few drops of sesame oil

Method:

Bring chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan.
Add white pepper, salt and sesame oil and cook for another minute.
Slowly pour in egg in a very steady stream. Stir the eggs in one direction gently until they form threads.
Turn off the heat. Sprinkle green onions on top before serving.

Custard: Chawan Mushi
Country: Japan (Rating: 3)

If you’re anything like us, chawan mushi is always on your table at a Japanese restaurant. This version is super simple to make. The plus is that you can put in even more “filling” into your custard to make it nice and chunky.



Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups bonito stock
1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tsp mirin (komezu, or rice vinegar, will also do)
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 crabstick, sliced
2 shitake mushrooms, sliced
1 green onion, finely sliced

Method:

Heat the bonito stock just shy of boiling, and season with soy sauce, mirin/komezu, and salt.
Cook for another minute then turn off heat and let cool to room temperature.
Lightly beat the eggs then add the cooled stock in, stirring lightly as you go.

Prepare your steamer. A bamboo steamer above a boiling pot of water will do the trick.
Divide crabstick, mushrooms and green onion into 2 chawan mushi cups and ladle the egg & stock mixture into the cups.
Make sure to tamp down the filling a little as they will float to the top. Cover the cups with the lids or foil.

Steam the custard over high heat for about 5 minutes, then turn the heat down to medium low and steam for a further 15 minutes.
Serve it hot or cold depending on how you like it.

Poached: Shakshuka
Country: Tunisia (Rating: 3)

No dish more photogenic and tasty has passed through our kitchen. The yolk of the poached eggs should still be runny, mixing in with the just-enough-spice tomato sauce. Both plain or flavoured feta will do. Make sure your bread is extra-crusty!



Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil
3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp paprika
1 14-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
Salt to taste
3-5 eggs
1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Handful parsley, chopped

Method:

Heat oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Stir fry onions and jalapenos until soft and golden brown.
Add in garlic, cumin and paprika and cook until the garlic is soft.
While onions are cooking, crush tomatoes (and their liquid) in a bowl with your hands.
Add this to the skillet with about ¼ cup water. Reduce the heat to medium and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Salt to taste at this point.
Crack eggs in even distribution across the surface of the sauce.
Cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until the yolks are set but still runny.
Turn off the heat, sprinkle feta and parsley on top, and serve.

"Savoury or sweet, it's all good..."

Hard-boiled: Egg Bukhara
Country: Pakistan/ India (Rating: 4)

Nothing’s quite as comforting a sight (and taste!) as a big pot of bukhara on the stove. Done well, the rice grains should cling to each other with spice but still separate and not mushy. Try out this chicken & egg bukhara for a lazy weekend in.



Ingredients:

2 potatoes
5 eggs
½ small tin ghee
1” piece ginger, pounded
5 shallots, pounded
5 cloves garlic, pounded
½ tbsp fennel seeds, ground
1 tbsp cumin, ground
2 tbsp coriander, ground
4 cloves
3 cardamom pods
1.5” piece cinnamon
2 tomatoes, sliced into rings
½ large onion, sliced into rings
½ chicken, cut into small pieces and fried until cooked
½ tin evaporated milk
2 tins long-grained rice (measured with the milk tin)
2 tins water (measured with the milk tin)
Small bunch mint leaves
Salt to taste
4 almonds, sliced and toasted
5 shallots, finely sliced and fried

Method:

Boil eggs and potatoes together in a large pot until the eggs are hard boiled, about 10 minutes.
In a large pot, heat ghee until it melts, then stir-fry the ginger, shallots, garlic, fennel seeds, cumin, coriander, cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon, tomatoes and large onion together.
Cook this until the large onions are soft. Stir in cooked chicken pieces, making sure that it is coated evenly with the other ingredients.
Add evaporated milk, water and mint leaves. Salt to taste - remember to undersalt a little so you can fix it later.
Once mixture bubbles, stir in the rice and potatoes. Turn heat to medium low, cover the pot and cook until the rice has absorbed all the liquid.
While this is cooking, peel the shells off the hard-boiled eggs and slice them into quarters.
To serve, ladle bukhara onto a plate and top with eggs, toasted almonds and fried shallots.

Fried: French toast fingers
Country: America (Rating: 1)

After bacon, the smell of french toast on the stove is the smell of childhood mornings. Get this right and they’ll be just slightly crispy on the outside but still soft in the middle. Cutting them into fingers gives them more edge (literally!) for you crust-lovers.



Ingredients:

1 egg
¼ cup milk
2 slices of white bread
Assorted nuts, chopped (we like almonds, walnuts and pecans)
Cinnamon sugar

Method:

Beat together the egg and milk. Slice white bread slices further into fingers about 1-2” wide.
Dip bread into egg & milk mixture, then crust them with chopped assorted nuts.
Fry in a non-stick pan until golden brown. Dust with cinnamon sugar.

Souffle: Orange & lemongrass souffle
Country: France (Rating: 5)

If you’re intimidated by making souffles, don’t be! You could be pleasantly surprised by the results - or crazily excited like we were when this actually turned out pretty well. Be careful not to serve them too early or to jerk the ramekins or the souffles could collapse.



Fruit mixture:
115ml orange juice
1 stalk lemongrass, chopped (white part only)
25g caster sugar
1 tsp corn flour
1 tsp water

Egg white mixture:
3 egg whites, room temperature
Pinch of salt
25g sugar

15g butter, softened
20g caster sugar
Icing sugar, for dusting

Method:

Blend lemongrass and orange juice. Strain this mixture and add a little bit of the strained lemongrass back to the mix for a bit of texture.
Pour into a saucepan with sugar and boil until the sugar is dissolved.
Mix corn flour with water into a paste. Reduce the heat on the fruit mixture to a low flame, then whisk the corn flour paste in.
Stir until fruit mixture thickens, but do not bring it back to a boil again. Remove from heat and let cool.

Brush the base and sides of the ramekin with butter.
Chill in the fridge until the butter sets, then brush another layer of butter on and chill again.
Beat the egg whites with salt until foamy. Add in the sugar and continue beating until it forms soft peaks.

Preheat the oven to 180C. In a large bowl, lightly whisk the fruit mixture until smooth.
Add about ½ cup of egg white mixture to the fruit mixture and mix well.
Gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. Sprinkle caster sugar into the ramekins, coating the base and the sides.
Using a small spatula, spread the souffle mixture into the ramekins.
Make sure there are no air bubbles trapped in the mix.
Bake for 12-14 minutes until risen and golden. (Watching this process is extremely fascinating).
Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.

In a drink: Egg flip
Country: England (Rating: 2)

On those cold, windy nights that occasionally plague us tropical climed folks, hot drinks such as these warm us right down to our toes. Grab a blanket, a significant other, a horror movie, and sip some egg flip. Add a little brandy or rum for a little zing, if you’re so inclined. Have fun making frothy mustaches!



Ingredients:

4 eggs, separated
4 tsp superfine sugar
2 cups milk
Whole nutmeg

Method:

Heat the milk, but do not boil. While this is happening, beat the sugar and egg yolks together, but do not cream.
Add the milk to the egg yolk mixture slowly to avoid sugary scrambled eggs.
Keep stirring until it is all incorporated. Whisk the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks.
Fold it into the milk & egg mixture. Ladle the mix into glasses or mugs, and grate some nutmeg over the top.

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