In Thailand, the frying of eggs is a sight to behold. Cooked in so much oil that they might be more accurately called “deep-fried eggs”, Thailand’s fried eggs are somehow creamy rather than overly greasy. And of course, they’re served piping hot. Eggs are a source of protein and an ingredient in side dishes and snacks in just about every country. But they’re used in especially ingenious and delicious dishes in ASEAN. How far can you take this simple ingredient, perhaps the most familiar in the world? ASEAN countries have the answer.
Adobo, the signature steamed dish of the Philippines, comes in many varieties, including pork adobo and chicken adobo. Of course, there’s an egg adobo too. It’s made by boiling soy sauce and apple cider vinegar in a 1-to-1 ratio, adding boiled eggs, and letting them sit in the mixture overnight before eating. As expected, the dish is savory and sour. The soy sauce and vinegar, which gently penetrate into the egg, soften the texture and maximize the umami, pairing perfectly with a bowl of rice that you’ll eat up before you know it. It makes you wonder how they thought of adding vinegar to the boiling process – and once you taste it, it also makes you feel sorry for other foods that aren’t given a similarly delicious treatment.
Raan Jay Fai in Thailand is the world’s most expensive omelet restaurant. Surprisingly, the omelets there cost more than KRW 50,000. While the restaurant lacks air conditioning and the service can be brusque, this doesn’t deter tourists, who come from around the world and wait in line for at least three hours to eat this expensive omelet. Featuring huge, juicy chunks of fresh crab meat fried with eggs, there’s no wonder the dish is so delicious. The restaurant hung onto the notion of selling crab omelets for 40 years in the same spot, and now diners from around the world come to praise them. Though in theory, the dish itself might be cooked anywhere at all, this level of delight can’t be found anywhere else. That’s why no matter how long the wait and how pricy the food, customers are ready and willing. The restaurant also received one Michelin star.
When you’re in Viet Nam, the egg coffee called “ca phe trung” is a must-try. “What’s an egg coffee?” you might ask, or even, “Why would you put a raw egg in coffee?” But Korean readers, at least, shouldn’t be alarmed by the fresh yolk that goes into egg coffee. After all, Korean ssanghwacha is similarly served with egg yolks. Ca phe trung is something like ssanghwacha but with coffee. To make it, all you do is add a mixture of condensed milk and egg yolk to a cup of bitter Vietnamese coffee. The thick egg foam might be off-putting at first, but take a second sip and it opens your eyes and brightens the surroundings. I would describe it as liquid tiramisu, a dessert that similarly incorporates coffee and egg yolks;while tiramisu might be the softest cake in the world, this Vietnamese egg coffee is even softer, like a tiramisu you can drink. It’s sure to be an experience you remember for the rest of your life.
Poached eggs, toast, and kaya jam complete the national breakfasts in Singapore and Malaysia. Kaya jam contains eggs, coconut milk, and pandan leaves. In these countries, the light-green jam is spread on a slice of toast and soy sauce is drip on the eggs. The sweet bread is then dipped into the poached egg and accompanied by sweet coffee or tea. The dish was created by the Chinese who worked in the kitchens of British ships during the colonial era. Sometimes, the most common foods bring out the deepest nostalgia. To me, toast served with plenty of kaya jam and poached eggs is just such a dish.
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