Easy Recipe for Poached Eggs

Easy Poached Eggs Recipe


Fresh eggs will be easier to poach (they'll hold together better) than older eggs. Vinegar is optional, it will help the eggs hold together, but if you don't like the taste, omit.

INGREDIENTS

• Fresh eggs

• 1 to 2 teaspoons vinegar (rice vinegar works well) (optional)

Equipment needed

• Shallow saucepan with cover

• Slotted spoon

METHOD

1 First bring water in a saucepan to almost boiling. If the water is already boiling, lower the heat until it is no longer boiling. At this point, you can add one or two teaspoons of vinegar to the water, if you want. The vinegar will help the egg whites to congeal more easily. We use seasoned rice vinegar

2 Working with the eggs one by one, crack an egg into a small cup, then place the cup near the surface of the hot water and gently drop the egg into the water. With a spoon, nudge the eggwhites closer to their yolks. This will help the egg whites hold together.

3 Turn off the heat. Cover. Let sit for 4 minutes, until the egg whites are cooked.



4 Lift eggs out of pan with a slotted spoon.


One trick to make the eggs stay somewhat contained is to take a ring from a mason jar and place it in the pan. Drop the egg over the mason jar ring and let it settle in the ring, then turn off the heat and cover.
Alternatively, the truly easiest way to make poached eggs is with an egg poacher.

Pinatisang Manok(Chicken with Fermented Fish Sauce)

Perfect with a huge bowl of steamed rice, the Thai fish sauce makes this chicken superbly savory.

You may do this with a dry version or soup version. I did the dry version.


Serves 5 Prep Time 5 minutes Cooking Time 20 minutes

1 small white onion, brunoise (julienned then diced further)
1/4 cup sliced ginger
6 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
1 kilo chicken thighs
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup pork lard
cilantro leaves for garnish

1 Combine the onion, ginger, garlic, fish sauce, chicken thighs, peppercorns, and bay leaves in a bowl.
2 In a heavy frying pan, heat the pork oil over high heat. Sauté the chicken thigh, 4 minutes per side.
3 Add the marinade and reduce completely over medium heat.
4 Serve warm and garnish with cilantro leaves.

Cajun-spiced salmon with couscous & minted yogurt

* Ingredients
* 100g chargrilled capsicum or chargrilled peppers in oil
* 500g skinless salmon fillets, cut into 4cm pieces
* 3 tsp Cajun spice mix
* 375ml (1 1/2 cups) chicken stock
* 290g (1 1/2 cups) couscous
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
* 130g (1/2 cup) Greek-style natural yoghurt
* 2 tbs water
* 2 bunches broccolini, ends trimmed
* Lemon wedges, to serve
* Fresh coriander sprigs, to serve


1. Drain the capsicum, reserving 2 tablespoons of oil. Coarsely chop. Combine the salmon, 1 tablespoon of reserved oil and 2 teaspoons of spice mix in a bowl. Place the stock and remaining spice mix in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil. Add the couscous. Cover and set aside for 3 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Add the chopped capsicum and remaining reserved oil. Season with salt and pepper. Use a fork to separate the grains.

2.Meanwhile, combine the mint, chopped coriander, yogurt and water in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a large non-stick frying pan on medium-high heat. Add the salmon. Cook for 3-4 minutes each side or until golden and almost cooked through.

3.Cook the broccolini in a saucepan of boiling water for 2 minutes or until bright green and tender crisp. Drain. Divide the couscous mixture and broccolini among serving dishes. Top with the salmon and yoghurt mixture. Serve with lemon wedges and coriander sprigs.

Chicken Couscous

Ingredients list for chicken couscous recipe

One whole chicken

Smen or ghee

Onions

Coriander cilantro

Spices and water

How to make the chicken couscous recipe

Mix salt pepper turmeric ginger mace nutmeg cinnamon cardamon pods


To make smen get unsalted butter, warm it to room temperature, wash it with cold water to drain off excess milk, add one teaspoon of salt to every cup of butter, store in clean glass containers and let set in a dark cool place, not the fridge, for at last 2 months or more.

Chop the onion and cilantro

Mix the spices together with the coriander and pour over the chicken to marinade for three hours or overnight.

You need a steamer or cousocousier, or use a sieve over a saucepan with a lid on top of the sieve. You might need to put a cloth over the holes if they are too big for the couscous grain.

Mix water with 2 tbs of salt and pour over the raw couscous. Let it soak in for half an hour then fluff it up with your hands.

Slice two onions, add cinnamon, sugar and orange blossom water. Add raisons and cook until tender, around 25 minutes.

Fluff up the cooled couscous using smen and hands, then steam it again, 2 or 3 times until done.

To serve, place the couscous on a dish, make a hole in the middle and place the chicken and onions in the middle.

Hainanese Chiken Rice

While your chicken is cooking, it helps to prepare the ingredients for your chili sauce and rice. Both of these are usually assembled after the chicken is done because they require the chicken broth, but you can get started washing and soaking the rice, chopping the garlic and ginger before then. In this recipe, all of the poaching broth is reserved — some is used in the rice, a small amount is used in the chili sauce, and the remainder is saved to be heated and served as a simple soup to accompany the chicken.

1 whole chicken (3.5 lbs, 1.8kg), preferably organic
kosher salt
4” section of fresh ginger, in 1/4” slices
2 stalks green onions, cut into 1″ sections (both the green and white parts)
1 teaspoon sesame oil

FOR THE RICE
2 tablespoon chicken fat or 2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1” section of ginger, finely minced
2 cups long-grain uncooked rice, washed and soaked in cool water for 10 min or longer
2 cups reserved chicken poaching broth
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt

FOR THE CHILI SAUCE
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoon reserved chicken poaching broth
2 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoon sriracha chili sauce
4 cloves garlic
1” ginger
a generous pinch of salt, to taste

FOR THE TABLE
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
Few sprigs cilantro
1 cucumber, thinly sliced or cut into bite-sized chunks
1. To clean the chicken, with a small handful of kosher salt, rub the chicken all over, getting rid of any loose skin and dirt. Wash and pat very dry inside and outside. Season generously with salt inside and outside.  Stuff the chicken with the ginger slices and the green onion. Place the chicken in a large stockpot and fill with cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then immediately turn the heat to low to keep a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes more (less if you’re using a smaller chicken). Check if the chicken is cooked already  by sticking a chopstick into the flesh under the leg and see if the juices run clear or insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh not touching bone. It should read 170F.

2. When the chicken is cooked through, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner. Immediately transfer the chicken into a bath of ice water to cool. Don’t forget to reserve the poaching broth for your rice, your sauce, and the accompanying soup. The quick cooling will stop the cooking process, keeping the meat soft and tender, and giving the skin a lovely firm texture.

3. To cook the rice: Drain the rice. In a wok or sauce pan (use a medium sauce pan if you plan on cooking the rice on the stove top), heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the ginger and the garlic and fry until your kitchen smells like heaven. Be careful not to burn the aromatics! Add in your drained rice and stir to coat, cook for 2 minutes. Add the sesame oil, mix well.To make the rice on the stove: In the same sauce pan, add 2 cups of your reserved poaching broth, add salt and bring to a boil. Immediately turn the heat down to low, cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit (with lid still on) for 5-10 minutes more.To cook rice in a rice cooker: Pour aromatics and rice (after frying) into your rice cooker, add 2 1/2 cups of your reserved poaching broth and salt. Follow the instructions for your model (usually this will just mean “turn it on!”)

4. While your rice is cooking, remove the chicken from the ice bath and rub the outside of the chicken with the sesame oil. Carve the chicken for serving.

5. To make the chili sauce: Blend your chili sauce ingredients in a blender until smooth and bright red.

6. To make the soup: You should have six or seven cups of the reserved poaching broth left over to serve as soup. Just before serving, heat up the soup, taste and season with salt as necessary.
Serve the chicken rice with chili sauce, dark soy sauce, cucumber slices, and a bowl of hot broth garnished with cilantro or scallions.

Steamed Pork Spareribs in Black Bean Sauce(Tausi)

Steamed Spareribs in Black Bean Sauce


serves 4 as part of multicourse meal

1-1/2 lbs pork sparerib (rib tips)

2 tablespoons black bean sauce

1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine (or dry sherry)

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon grated ginger (on microplane grater)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon cooking oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon sugar



Cut the spareribs crosswise into 1″ – 2″ sections. Combine the rest of the ingredients. Transfer spareribs and sauce into a shallow, heatproof pan that will fit inside your wok (a pie plate or 9” cake pan works great.) Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.



Set steaming rack inside of wok and fill with water almost up to height of rack. Turn heat to high and when water is boiling, turn heat to medium-high. Set pan with spareribs on top of a steaming rack in wok. Steam on med-high heat for 18-20 minutes until ribs are no longer pink. Make sure that when you are steaming that you don’t run out of water in the wok. Replenish with additional water, if needed.

Asian Delights - Noodle Recipes

CANTONESE PORK LO MEIN


1/2 pound Chinese wheat OR egg noodles (OR substitute vermicelli or thin spaghetti)



1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine OR dry sherry



1 tablespoon light soy sauce



1 teaspoon cornstarch



8 ounces shredded lean pork (about 1 cup) (use thin boneless chops, partially frozen, for easier shredding)



1 tablespoon dried shrimp (can omit and add a little more soy sauce to taste)



4 tablespoons canola oil



2 garlic cloves, crushed with the side of a knife and peeled



5 green onions, bulbs split and cut into 1-inch lengths



3 tablespoons oyster sauce



3 tablespoons canned chicken broth



1 teaspoon sesame oil



1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper, or more to taste



In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles until a little softer than al dente. This should take no more than 2 minutes if the noodles are the pre-cooked variety. Drain, rinse in cold water, drain again thoroughly, and set aside.



In a small bowl, whisk together 1 teaspoon wine, soy sauce and cornstarch. Add pork and mix thoroughly. Put dried shrimp in a small dish and pour remaining 2 teaspoons wine over them. Set aside to soften.



In a wok or stir-fry pan, heat 3 tablespoons canola oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir until oil is hot and garlic sizzles. Add noodles and cook, stirring occasionally, until noodles begin to lightly brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove and discard garlic, if desired. Transfer noodles to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.



Pour remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil into same pan. Add well-stirred pork mixture and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes or until there is no pink left in meat. Add shrimp mixture and green onions and cook, stirring, until green onions turn a darker green and wilt. Return noodles to pan. Add oyster sauce and broth and cook, stirring, until sauce is evenly absorbed into noodles. Add sesame oil and pepper and toss well. Transfer to a plate and serve immediately. Makes 3 to 4 servings.