Monday, October 8, 2012

How to Cook the Perfect Soft Boiled Egg

Last month, when I posted my recipe for spaghetti with soft boiled egg and ebikko, I received several requests to do a step-by-step photo instruction on how to cook the perfect soft boiled egg.

"If there is one thing I love more than poached eggs for breakfast, it's soft boiled eggs.."


For most Asians, eating a soft boiled egg at the coffee shop (kopitiam) with their parents or waking up to homecooked soft boiled egg is something they have experienced before. My mum used to make us soft boiled egg (which the Chinese also refer to as half boiled egg) for breakfast and we loved it. I have to say she makes the BEST (perfect) soft boiled eggs ever! And this is the one that I would be sharing with you all ;) (Note: I've received feedback from readers who have tried this and loved it cos it works everytime).

The perfect yolk 

Perfect soft boiled eggs + soldiers = BEST breakfast :)


It's all about the timing and the amount of water used (hence the heat that the egg receives). The saucepan that I used is a standard size, which most households should have. No wizardry here, just follow the following steps and you will be rewarded.

Once you have mastered the perfect soft boiled egg, the ways you can serve it are endless. For breakfast, I like mine simple, with a dash of light soy sauce and pepper. For lunch, I like to top it on pasta (as seen here) and the egg acts as a sauce to coat the pasta. Or I like to add it to the soba tsuyu dipping sauce for a more velvety sauce to dip my cold soba noodles in.



How to cook the perfect soft boiled egg (step-by-step photo instructions):

You will need:
2 good quality eggs, direct from the fridge
450ml water
18cm saucepan
1 dishcloth
Timer

To serve
Light soy sauce and pepper (the Chinese style)
Salt and pepper, and maybe truffle oil (the Western style)
With soba dipping sauce (the Japanese style)

1. Remove 2 eggs from fridge and put aside. Measure 450ml of water and place into a 18cm saucepan and bring to the boil.




2. Once water is boiling, turn off the heat and place eggs into the water. You can use a spoon to lower the eggs gently into the water, one at a time. Place the lid on.




3. Using a cloth/dishtowel (which has been folded several times like in photo), tilt the pan slightly (ie place the cloth under the saucepan so it tilts slightly) so that the egg is submerged 75% in the water.




4. Start your stopwatch or set the timer for 12 minutes. Leave eggs to sit in water for 12 minutes, then remove and serve with condiments of your liking. Perfect eggs everytime!



5. If making 1 egg only, use 300ml of water and also cook for 12 minutes.







Full set of photos can be viewed on my Facebook page here.

61 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Hehe thanks! It's so easy, you could make it and enjoy it too!

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  2. My god! More runny eggs pleaseeeeeee =)

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    Replies
    1. How about tis?...Give me liberty or give me runny eggssssssss! :P

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  3. Beautiful!! I love to have it with toast bread and a cuppa coffee! ;-)

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    1. Me too! It's the best start to the day and even better when my mum makes it for me.. hehe ;)

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  4. I like the white a little bit hard already...but the yolk still runny. That's the perfect half-boiled/cooked egg for me.

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    1. Hehe that's my definition of a boiled egg with runny yolk. I like it like that too!

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  5. i take half-boiled eggs for granted, cos they seem so deceptively easy to prepare, but this is a reminder that it does take skill and experience! the yolks in your photos really look beautiful :D

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    Replies
    1. Hehe it's not easy if you don't know how. At one time, I used to get it wrong, but now I can have it perfect every single time!

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  6. as much as i love egg but i cant see anymore egg related meal for this week!! Yday had too much egg at DISH and this morning mum made soft boiled organic egg that i couldn't resist!! now I pledge no more egg for at least this week! hahaha..

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    1. Haha! Other than noodles, I think egg is one other item I could have everyday!

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    2. true but cholesterol will shoot up easily!!

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    3. true but cholesterol will shoot up easily!!

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    4. 1 a day is OK mah. Eating in moderation ;)

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  7. What an egg-cellent post! I notice how your bread stacks up like how they do it at Dish..haha!

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    1. Ah, is that how DISH stack it? Didnt notice.. actually my Hubby likes to stack his fries and toast like this.. he calls it Jenga fries/toast.

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    2. Ya that's how they stacked our eggplant fritters. Aiyo does he go to McDonald's and start stacking up the fries? :D

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    3. Haha McD's fries so thin how to stack? LOL!

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    4. how come when i'm at dish they never stack like this..

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    5. Maybe cos u had the tapas brunch kua. Different ways of serving.

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  8. My mum used to make this in the morning & made me to egg when I was in primary school but I really didn't know how to appreciate it until I grew up!

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    1. I loved this since I was young... went to uni didn't know how to make it properly, then mum shared with me her tips :)

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  9. thanks for this post!! I love runny eggs!

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    Replies
    1. No probs, sorry it's a bit late since I was busy last week. Hope u enjoy making and eating it!

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  10. Beautiful post! I love runny eggs too! :D

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Ann! Just something simple which I'm sure many love.

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  11. I love soft boiled eggs... Too good breakfast

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    Replies
    1. Hehe looks like we have many lovers of soft boiled eggs here :)

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  12. Now this is what we call perfection!! Very impressive Yen! I just used to guess work my time for soft boiling. Now I KNOW for sure it takes 12 minutes. Thanx dear for sharing these tips.

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    1. I used to wing it too, so sometimes it turned out great and sometimes not. Glad I can have good ones every time now! No worries, am pleased to share this with all :)

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  13. cooked this today and it turned out perfect! great recipe :)

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    1. Thanks for trying it, am happy it turned out perfect for you :)

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  14. Yes, I remember my mom making soft boiled eggs for breakfast :) Yours turned out perfect!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Biren! Grateful my mum taught me how to make the perfect ones :)

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  15. What an awesome tutorial! I LOVE soft boiled eggs, it's one of my favorite breakfasts :)

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    Replies
    1. You're welcome, hope you will give this a go.

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  16. Hi Baby Sumo, thanks for sharing. I love soft boiled eggs too cos it's anti aging food.

    Have a nice week ahead, regards.

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    Replies
    1. Hehe oh it's anti aging also? Good, then I will eat it everyday so I can look young for a very very long time :P

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  17. I had this for breakfast + kaya toast! It was a perfect combo!

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  18. I used to have soft boiled eggs + milo for my breakfast everyday during the uni time! But now very seldom eat that, ate too much before. LOL

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  19. I like your criss cross toast strips for dipping.

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  20. I always make my half boiled egg with the special equipment :P

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  21. I love the poached version you've made last time so as this ! :D Looks easy to make .... With that bread toast so as milky coffee , it's a perfect breakfast everyone will enjoy ! :D

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    1. Thanks Anne. My kids love this very much, but I try to limit how much they eat. As for mummy, must eat more since Amelia since it's anti-aging also. :P

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  22. Dear Baby Sumo,

    Lovely soft boiled eggs. Just out of curiosity, can you get free-range eggs in supermarkets in Malaysia? I seem to remember just seeing ungraded eggs all piled up high at the Imbi wet market.

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    Replies
    1. Not sure. But my parents used to buy "kampung" eggs for us when we were younger.

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  23. thanks for sharing weh! But i still, won't make my own.. I'll just go to the mamak and shout : ANEH, HALF BOILED EGG 'REN DE' (it means 2 in tamil) ... HAHAHAHA! or maybe MIL can cook for me?;P

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    Replies
    1. Haha go out mamak need time lah! Haha better to make yourself. Or yeah come over I make for u :P

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  24. Ive been asking everyone to teach me how to do this. Voila! Here I find you!

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    Replies
    1. Alright, you know where to come when you need to find recipes next time! :P Btw hope u get to try this out ;)

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  25. My grandfather used to make it using this same method... Miss these eggs, should do it myself sometime...

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  26. Was looking all over for a recipe for this, so glad I found yours! It was delish! husband and I loved it and will be making it again (and again..) Thank you so much!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Sophie, thanks for your feedback. Am so glad you tried this and liked it! :)

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  27. i seem to be getting this wrong though...not sure if its because its winter in new zealand so the boiling water cools down to quickly. it is a quarter cooked egg haha. i can't figure out otherwise! i love this very much it's easy to have this in the kopitiam in malaysia

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  28. I have never ever had these but I LOVE poached eggs so I had to try. I have tested about 2 other recipes but the result just didnt seem right. This recipe was PERFECT! Thank you so much for bringing this fabulous dish to the Northern hemisphere :-)))

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