Steamed savoury eggs with glass noodles

To me


If I have to name a favourite ingredient, it would definitely be eggs. I like it cooked in all forms: fried, scrambled, hard-boiled, soft-boiled, poached, steamed...and even raw (I am salivating at the thought of dunking hotpot food in a bowl of raw eggs and seasoning)! I remember when I was very young, my granny gave me an egg just laid by the hens we kept at home (those were the days when we lived in a house with a big backyard, an even bigger front garden, fruit trees and a dog). I remember peeling a piece of tiny shell away and sucked the egg raw. I forgot the taste of it but I still remember the egg was warm...

This is my idea of a dream lunch: the silky smooth steamed eggs vs the slightly crunchy glass noodles vs the crispy fried dried prawns vs the fresh-tasting spring onion... A plate of complexity and depth; yet so simple and good...

Serve 1

Ingredients:

1. 2 eggs (preferably free range; organic even better; for pure indulgence, try Clarence Court eggs)
2. About 200ml chicken stock
3. 1 tablespoon chopped spring onion
4. 2 tablespoons of chopped dried prawns
5. 1 tablespoon oil
6. 30g of glass noodles
7. 1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

Method:

• In a measuring jug, break the two eggs in. Use a fork or better, a pair of chopsticks to mix the whites and yolks. Stir until the egg is mixed thoroughly; but try to be light-handed as we don't want too many air bubbles.
• Check the reading at the measuring jug to see how much eggs are there. Pour twice the amount of chicken stock into the jug (the chicken stock should not be hot, otherwise it will cook the eggs). Usually, two medium sized eggs are about 100ml, so use 200ml of chicken stock. Again use chopsticks to mix well.
• Pour the egg mixture, through a sieve (to remove the bubbles), to a thin shallow bowl/dish. Cover the bowl/dish with clingfilm. Put in a steamer to steam for 8 minutes. It may take longer to set, depending on the thickness of the bowl/dish you are using. Check every minute or so, and turn off the steamer when the sides are cooked and the centre is still a little wobbly.
• In the meantime, soak the glass noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain.
• In a small pan, use a tablespoon of oil to fry the chopped dried prawns until crispy and fragrant.
• Take out the cooked custard egg carefully, remove the clingfilm and add the glass noodles and sprinkle spring onions on top. Then, pour the oil and the crunchy dried prawns on top. Add soy sauce. Serve immediately.

Note: if you are after a traditional steamed savoury egg, just omit the glass noodles and dried prawns. Cook the eggs as above. Sprinkle the spring onions on top. Heat the tablespoon of oil until very hot, then pour the oil over the eggs and spring onions. Add the soy sauce.