Pots and Pans
Friday, October 5, 2012
IN SO many ways, eggs (and I mean chicken eggs) have always been a part of our dietary regimen. Well, unless one is allergic to it. This is one of the cheapest food around to buy and the easiest to prepare. Not to forget, one of the most nutritious, too.
All over the world have their own ways of preparing eggs, but bottom line is we basically prepare it almost the same way in most of our dishes. It might be called in different names, but it is still an egg after all!
Boiled egg, fried egg (sunny-side up or scrambled), poached egg are the most common method in cooking eggs and also the fastest. When I was growing up, we were always served soft boiled eggs and it has been years since I had one. Didn’t realize that till now! It was said to be more “nutritious” prepared that way according to the “olds.” With a little dash of salt, it was incredibly yummy!
Hardboiled eggs memories include my land and sea trips during summer and Christmas season. It was always the “baon” and if not, they are bought on board or on the streets. And they last for days, maybe two-three days if stored well.
Fried eggs. What can I say? We have it in the morning for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner and even in-betweens. And with catsup, it was perfectly satisfying. Although having some dried fish or fried fish along with some fried rice would be more exciting. Not that I won’t take hotdogs, pork and beans, bacon, ham, chorizo, longganiza with it! It would be absolutely delightful!
Poached eggs is better in a sense that no oil is used, only water. And cheaper, too. Everyone should try it.
Scrambled egg, as it is, is already a dish by itself. But adding other ingredients can give it a higher kick like onions, tomatoes, green onions, sardines, ham, cheese, hotdog, left over meats or vegetables, shrimps and the like. Many times I would personally use a little soy sauce instead of salt to add not only taste but also color.
Steamed egg (usually scrambled) is prepared with a little salt and pepper and it actually more of a Chinese influenced dish. Chopped chives or green onions are usually incorporated into the egg mixture. Ground meat can also be included.
We have many dishes also using eggs as a primary ingredient like Tortang Talong, Ampalaya with egg and humba or adobo with hardboiled egg. We also top palabok, pancit and some noodle dishes with sliced hardboiled eggs for added flair. What about “koter”?
Other Chinese-influenced foods include fried rice, egg drop soup, corn soup, hot and sour soup, egg fooyong, lomi, vegetable lumpia, and many more.
American and other influences includes variations of the green vegetable salads, deviled egg, crepes, egg sandwich, meat loaf, holiday eggnog, custard pie, quiche, eggs benedict, mayonnaise, frittata, and so many more.
As for desserts, egg always plays a major part in almost all delicious desserts. Crepes and souffle, either savory or sweet, crème puff, meringue pies, cakes, brownies, breads, egg pies, cream pies, icings, puddings, etc.
We also have our very own versions of egg desserts like yema, leche flan, enzaymada, rolls, custard cake, sans rival, sylvannas, bibingka, cassava bibingka, torta, pastel, and so much more.
So the next time you think about eggs, think of it highly because in more than one ways, it has given us a lot of gustatory pleasure and nutrition at its best!
(Website: www.potsnpans1976.weebly.com, email: potsnpans1976@yahoo.com)
Published in the Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro newspaper on October 05, 2012.
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