Egg is life. Literally. It holds within the confines of its shell a life, that of a chick or what would be a chick. With heat, it is transformed. If from its mother hen, into a small bird. If from a fire, into a life-sustaining meal albeit for humans. I would wager that egg is the literal “circle of life.”
[READ: Food origins: Why salted egg is red while bagoong and buro are pink]
Egg in cooking is also transformative. In baking, for example, it holds together most ingredients. A dish topped with an egg—fried, boiled, poached, what have you—is made instantly better (at least in my opinion). Eggs (among other animal byproducts) draw the line between what’s vegetarian and vegan.
By itself, egg could provide nutrition and sustenance, not to mention pleasure with its gustatory delights. The yolk and the white, with enough manipulation and proper techniques, can be as textured and flavorful as any other protein. Don’t believe us? Here’s your proof.
Silky Chinese steamed eggs (with a side of math)
Recreate a Chinese dining staple with just eggs, water (cold and hot. There’s a reason, we promise), salt, and steam—and a little math. This egg dish is your oyster. Top it with anything or eat it as is.
Also, for a fraction of the time it takes to make this fancy version, you can make egg custard in your microwave. Looks are negligible enough when you are hungry, we think.
Restaurant-grade tamagoyaki. Special pan and spatula optional
If you have the time and the patience, we urge you to try mastering the art of making tamagoyaki. Like most Japanese dishes, it takes some precision to layer and carefully roll a tamagoyaki. All you got to lose is an egg or two.
Another Japanese egg recipe you should try: onsen tamago without heading out to a hot spring.
Technically not eggs-clusive, but do try this 5-ingredient omelet
This breakfast staple in Spanish cooking is not that hard to make. That is if you don’t mind waiting and if you are brave enough to flip mid-fry. Other than that, it only requires five ingredients that you probably already have.
One TikTok-famous egg coming right up!
TikTok recipes are criminally underrated. They may be trendy or in some cases downright “gentrified” but oftentimes, they make life easier for home cooks. Take for example this pesto egg recipe. It’s basically sunny side up but with all the herby freshness of pesto.
What if sinigang, but egg?
Egg in Filipino cooking can be a substitute for most meats, as in adobong itlog or even bistek na itlog. But that’s pretty much how far we are able to push it, until sinigang na itlog. No, it’s not a stew. It’s soft-boiled egg marinated in sour tamarind broth served over crispy rice.