Wednesday 21 September 2022

More 𝙩𝙖𝙤 of half-boiled eggs

The eggs are not too well taken with the mobile. I've shadows
falling on them. But definitely, they are soft-boiled eggs.
I was having my half-boiled eggs (I shall refer to them as soft-boiled eggs in this story. Half-boiled wggs, soft-boiled eggs - they mean the same to me) for breakfast this morning when suddenly, I remembered that "Oh no!! I had forgotten to write about the Teoh Seng Lee method." Teoh Seng Lee is one of my facebook friends but I have long known him personally long before we connected on facebook. He runs an under-the-radar coffee joint called Harvey's Café at the Gleneagles Hospital in Pangkor Road, George Town and I can vouch that his caffé latte is brewed from some of the freshest coffee beans in Penang. I've enjoyed his coffee occasionally at the hospital but don't get me wrong: I went to the hospital for his coffee and not to consult any specialist! Teoh Seng Lee is also the honorary Consul for Russia and if anyone wishes to have their future studies there, he is the person to turn to.

But back to the topic of soft-boiled eggs. Several months ago, he said that he was very fastidious when it comes to making soft-boiled eggs. "Some of my friends have asked me about my soft-boiled eggs." he wrote on his facebook. "I like the whites to be soft and the yolks semi-cooked. You can tell that I’m fussy when it comes to food," he continued. Who doesn't like the whites and the yolks of their soft-boiled eggs to be perfect, let me ask you? You do, right? I certainly like them this way too and I've my own way of making them. 

However, let's concentrate on Teoh Seng Lee's method. He says that his soft-boiled eggs are made by placing two eggs into a small pot of room-temperature water. Important for the eggs to be completely submerged. Then he brings the temperature up to 83°C (another important point, this. 83°C. Almost boiling but not quite boiling) before turning off the fire and covering the pot for exactly 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, it’s ready to eat. 

The bottle on the right is the furikake, a mixture of sesame seeds,
seaweed and other ingredients. Normally sprinkled on rice but works
on soft-boiled eggs too. It should be available from the bigger
supermarkets. 
Furthermore, he uses large eggs, 60g each, directly from the refrigerator. No need to warm them up to room temperature first since the water is always brought up to exactly 83°C. For that, a digital thermometer is a must. No guessing the temperature. If Jumbo-sized 70g or 80g eggs are used, the time must be adjusted by adding 1½ or three minutes respectively on the timer. Best to buy a digital kitchen timer for this purpose. "When you love soft-boiled eggs," he says, "it’s worth the hassle." 

Finally for embellishments, he likes to spike his special soft-boiled eggs with freshly ground black pepper, truffle salt and Japanese furikake sprinkles.


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