Love Eggs??? Here goes the series

People by their eating style are generally, rather I would say mainly are categorised in 2 categories Vegetarian and non vegetarian . But we are a few fellow brothers and sisters who are so much in love with that round, white, Shell like yet soft inside oval ball that we made another group which is just in between the two big categories. We call ourselves as Eggitarians and we proudly call us so, because we proudly deny eating after murdering (no offence to my fellow non veg friends, it's just in lighter vain) and yet we enjoy the very yummy animal produced food.

Keeping Jokes apart, Eggs (Chicken Eggs) are a rich source of protien and they supply all essential amino acids for humans. Also, they are rich in Vitamins, Minerals, Choline, Iron, Calcium, Phosphorus and Potassium to name a few.

Egg has 2 parts to it Yolk and Albumin. Yolk is the yellow liquid part this is in the center of egg and Albumin is the white liquid surrounding the yellow part. These parts have totally different qualities to offer. Egg Yolk provides us with calories and Vitamin A, D and E. A large Egg Yolk has around 60 calories which is two third of recommended intake. Egg Yolk also contains Choline which is an important nutrient in Brain Development. People who have Cholesterol issues generally avoid the Yolk of the eggs though studies are still on to evaluate body's absorption of Cholesterol from the egg yolk.

Egg is used extensively in baking because it helps to bind, aerate, leaven, emulsify, thicken, aid in setting, glaze the baked dish which cannot be done by any replacement. Though we have eggless versions but personally I feel Egg can do these the best. Egg also doesnt have a strong flavour and hence when used in dishes doesnt give any odd flavour.

A lot on Eggs and its nutritional values, now lets come on the various simple egg delicacies that we can enjoy in our daily lives. I am presenting these recipes in a simple manner and leaving proportions to you to fit them to dish as per your palette. Later I'll be writing the recipe for each in a different post and link to this. In case of any confusion, please feel free to write in comments.

Egg is one food that makes us feel full by hardly investing any time and energy in preparing it.

Half boiled Egg

This kind of Egg recipe makes the albumin cooked and the yolk soft and gluey. Personally I find it very yummy and its very high in nutritional value too.

My experience for a perfect half boiled egg says if we immerse egg in hot boiling water for 4 minutes and then take it out of water and peel we get the perfect Half boiled Egg. the best way to have it is by putting it in a Egg Cup or you can also use shot glass. Start from top by slowly peeling the top to create a spoon size hole and then scoop and enjoy the yummy healthy delicacy.

Full Boiled Egg

A perfect full boiled egg has both Yolk and Albumin cooked. If we keep the egg in hot boiling water for 7-8 minutes , we get a perfect hot boiled egg. Equally good and yummy. These two varieties help us avoid the unnecessary oil for cooking and provide us with a great food.

Another Simple and Yummy Variety with few Variations

SUNNY SIDE UP or Single Fry

Break the egg in a bowl. Do it softly to avoid breaking the yellow part. Now add some oil or butter to pan. As soon as it heats slowly pour the egg from the bowl to the pan. Sooner the white part starts to solidify and gain white color and yellow is still uncooked. Sprinkle some salt and Pepper and other seasonings which you like. Take it on plate and Enjoy.

Double Fry or Fried Egg

Following the same procedure as above when the one side gets cooked, flip the egg and ensure that it gets cooked the reverse side too. You can keep the yolk soft and gluey inside or fully cooked by controlling the time on the pan.

By using designed Pans or metallic cookie cutters we can get nice shapes of Fried eggs. A common way is to use a bread, cut a design like round or heart or anything you like in between. Now place the bread on pan and put the broken egg inside it. It'll get cooked with bread and come in a nice design

Simply take some eggs. Break them in a bowl, add chopped veggies like onion, bell peppers, mushroom etc depending on your taste or you can leave just eggs only. Add some seasonings, Salt, pepper. Now beat this mixture till it attains some fluff. Pour some oil or butter in a pan and the moment it heats add this mixture. Flip the side in a minute or two. To make it more yummy. Grate some cheese on top and keep on pan till cheese melts on omelette. Simple and yummy dish. Enjoy it with some ketchup and Bread

Its an Italian Variety of Omelette. Personally I feel if you have more number of people to eat then Frittata is a better option than Omelette. Its an Italian version of Omelette and its an open face Omelette. The cooking here happens mainly in a Oven to set the top layer.

Here again we take some veggies like Onion, Mushroom, Spinach, tomato etc. I generally saute them first and keep aside. I separate the egg white and yellow and beat separately. Add some milk or cream to yellow while beating to avoid dryness post baking. I beat white till its fluffy. Now grease a Oven dish and start to layer the ingredients like Onion then Spinash then Mushroom and pour the egg mixture. Put it in a Preheated Oven and Bake it for around 10 Min on 250 degree C. Now add veggies that cook fast or veggies u want to decorate on top like tomato slices or cherry Tomato and bake for another 5 Min. Now put some grated cheese on top and bake for another 5 Min or till its totally set.

This can be now served with breads, ketchup. Frittata unlike Omelette is served in Slices (like Pizza Slices)

If cooking for less or yourself, like I do. I take a ramekin or a small baking dish to bake Frittata. This is great when you are baking for kids, one can try different shape muffin cups too.

Quiche is another variety which is again similar to Frittata and Omelette. Its a French version and it has a crust too. Its like a pie with custard mixture inside. We do the same procedure like Frittata but before pouring ingredients into the baking dish we line it with Pastry. Take Pastry dough and roll it using rolling pin and dry flour. Now line it on baking dish neatly pressing it on sides and cutting from edges. Cover with a foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and now we can start lining the veggies and egg. Continue the procedure like Frittata and here we have another yummy version of egg to enjoy our day.

This too can be done in muffin dish for lesser quantity.

Strata is another variety and is the American Version of Omelette or Frittata. Here the egg mixture is poured on layer of breads in the baking dish. You can use veggies to decorate and add nutrition to your dish like we did in Frittata. First we butter some slices of bread layer them in a baking mould with veggies and cheese. Add the egg mixture and follow the frittata procedure of baking.

Enjoy another yummy version of your Eggs

Strata name is derived from the layer of earths crust. Cool isnt it

This a boiled variety of egg. Fully boil the egg and slice them into half vertically. Now scoop the yolk out of the egg in a bowl. Mix yolk with some cream, mayonnaise, mustard, seasonings etc and make a paste kind of mixture. Now using a spoon, put the mixture back into the yolk cavity of egg. decorate with a parsley leaf or seasonings in style.

Egg Florentine

This is a British recipe in which we poach the egg instead of frying or boiling with shell. Take some Spinach and saute it. Add some seasoning to it. Now take a bun or 2 muffins or just a bread. Bake or toast them slightly, spread some butter on them and place the spinach on it. Keep some water for boiling. Add some vinegar to it. Now break the egg in a bowl and slide it into boiling water (simmer the flame when sliding egg to it). Wait for 3 minutes and slowly remove the egg and place it on the spinach. Season it with Salt and pepper.

Egg Benedict

In Egg Benedict the whole process remains the same, except for spinach we use smoked Ham. So it is the non veg version of the veg dish ;)

Both these dishes are topped with Hollandaise Sauce which is prepared by mixing egg yolk, melted butter, lemon juice, Salt and white or cayenne pepper. Its smooth creamy and yellowish in colour.

The fun in eating Egg Benedict or Florentine is the flow of Yolk while eating this yummy dish.

Egg Sandwich can be made in many versions. You can place fried Eggs or boiled eggs between bread but I'll put here my personal favorite. Take a boiled egg and break it with fork in a bigger bowl. Add a spoon of each cream and mayonnaise. Add some seasonings like Salt, Pepper, Oregano and some mustard sauce. Mix the whole mixture well. Now toast two breads slightly on a pan with butter on it. Spread the mixture on the bread and place the Salad leaf on it. Now place the other bread on top of it and press slighty so that the whole thing gets bonded together.

Now enjoy this yummy sandwich on the go.

Whisk eggs till they are very fluffy. Better idea would be to beat egg white and yellow separately. Now add some milk to keep the cooked scrambled egg little moist. Heat a pan add some butter to it and pour the mixture. Using a soft spoon keep mixing till its cooked. Make sure it doesn't get overcooked or browned, because scrambled eggs are best when they are soft and moist. In the end add some grated cheese to get a great flavour.

Enjoy with a toasted bread and butter

Its a common Indian Egg dish which is much similar to scrambled egg. We use Onion and tomato in it. So to make Egg Bhurjji, heat some oil or butter in a wok.Add chopped onions and let it cook till they are soft. Now add same quantity of tomato and mix it. Cover for a while. Keep checking in between to avoid dryness and till they are soft. In another bowl whisk eggs and little milk together. Now add Egg mixture to onion and tomato mixture with some Salt, pepper and other seasonings. Keep stirring till they are cooked. You can top it with some cheese and chopped coriander leaf at the end to get a yummy flavour. We here enjoy it with indian bread called roti.

Hope you enjoyed reading these recipes. You can plan them for healthy breakfast for your family. I have another Hub that talks about other breakfast options, do visit it for healthier breakfast options than being hungry or in a fix on what to cook.