When I tell people that I am going to culinary school, I often get questioned about what it is like. It seems that the the life of a culinary student is foreign to many unlike the life of a regular college student. Of course, for some students the college experience is relatively the same, just with a more specific curriculum. In any case, something I invariably hear in these conversations is the statement, "I wish I could cook." Of course, this always strikes me as a bit silly. Because cooks don't have some magical power or innate skill. As it has been said in one of my favorite films, Ratatouille, "anyone can cook."
I am not saying that anyone can become a great chef, but it is certainly the case that anyone can cook. To simplify it, cooking just takes whatever you have in the fridge and pantry, and some time. Cooking is undeniably a labor of love. If you are having a great time while you are cooking, then it is a worthwhile endeavor. It is also far less likely that you or your guest is to enjoy the food if you were miserable while you were preparing the meal. So when you get frustrated because something hasn't come out exactly as you envisioned it would, relax and have a beer, or some tea perhaps.
Although I am not a huge fan of following recipes, reading them or trying them once or twice is a great way of understanding how dishes come together. From there you can let your learned instinct and creativity shine. I want to share some recipes that I have created that I truly enjoy; hopefully you enjoy them as well. I think the best way to become a better cook is to be willing to try anything, and of course eating a lot. So try this!
Onsen Tamago is Japanese for "hot spring egg." It is an egg that is lowered into the steaming hot spring water which in the place of origin was about 65 degrees Celsius. This temperature is when the proteins in the egg begin to coagulate After 20 to 30 minutes, the egg inside has been slow poached in its own shell. When you crack it open, you have an egg with its whites just set and as delightfully silky as silky tofu. The yolk is just warm and beautifully runny. f you ever find yourself in the famed hot spring towns of Japan, do yourself a favor and have an onsen tamago. The delicately set egg white, runny yolk, and subtle flavors will make you glad you did. A touch of soy sauce, and some rice and the egg will sing. So next time your going for a soak in a hot spring, you might want to consider taking an egg with you.
Hèrve This is a french chemist who specifies in molecular gastronomy who is credited for "discovering" this beautiful egg preparation, even though it had been done for hundreds of years in Japan. He calls it a 65 degree egg. These eggs are now served in many restaurants, but instead of being cooked in a hot spring, they are cooked in a temperature controlled bath usually used to sous vide foods. Of course a traditional onsen tamago has a subtle minerality that you just cannot recreate in the kitchen. The minerals in the hot spring water seep into the delicately supple egg through the semi-permeable shell. Nonetheless, this is my favorite way to eat eggs, so I had to find a way to do it myself at home.
This technique is easier than it sounds and well worth the effort.
For the Garnish, I happened to have some leftover chicken confit and chicken skin in the fridge, so I used them, but they can be omitted or replaced with some seasonal vegetable. Although what I love about having the chicken skin is the intense saltiness as well as giving it that crispy texture. The bacon adds an unctuous meatiness and smokiness that add depth to the dish, but a little goes a long way. The acidity of the lime and the quickly pickled scallions cuts through the richness of the yolk, bacon, and chicken skin. This dish is a mouthful of umami that would be great as an appetizer or lunch if it is served with some rice.
Dashi is Japanese for broth, but in the west this refers to a mild kelp, bonito broth. For those who are unfamiliar with Japanese cuisine, a simple alternative to making your own is to buy the instant granules which, when added to hot water, creates a very nice broth full of umami and a sweet aroma.
Ingredients:
4 Eggs
Broth:
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1 Pint of Dashi
1 lime
2 Tsp Ginger Juice
Garnish:
2 Scallions
3 Shitake Mushrooms
2 Strips of Bacon (optional)
Leftover Chicken confit (optional)
Crispy Chicken Skin (optional)
Shichimi
Rice Wine Vinegar
Directions
- Boil a pot of water and take your eggs out of the fridge to come to room temperature. Once it has come to a boil, turn of the heat and let it sit until it has cooled to round 180 degrees F. Place your eggs in an insulated container. I used my rice cooker, but you could certainly use something like a thermos. Pour your water over the eggs, dropping the temperature down to around 160-170 degrees, and set a timer for 20 minutes.
- Grate a knob of fresh ginger with a fine grater or a microplane and squeeze to get the required amount of ginger juice.
- To make the broth, simmer, the soy sauce, dashi, ginger juice for a minute.
- Add the shitake mushrooms cut in quarters and simmer 2 more minutes. Remove the mushrooms and set aside.
- Squeeze the lime juice into the dashi and take off the heat.
- Meanwhile, crisp your bacon in a pan and the chicken skin in the oven. Set aside.
- Cut your scallions on the bias and toss in a bit of rice wine vinegar and cayenne or shichimi (Japanese seven pepper spice powder) to get a quick pickle on them.
- When the eggs are done, take them out, rinse them in cold water and leave them out while you reheat all of your garnishes.
- Saute your chicken confit and shitake as well as any other vegetables you may be adding as a replacement.
- Break your beautifully set eggs into a bowl. Pour a half cup of the broth along the side of the bowl so as to not disturb the egg. Garnish with your mushrooms, meats, quick pickled scallions and a crack of fresh black pepper.
Enjoy!
This dish is sure to impress, and it is so versatile. You can garnish it with whatever you would like. Remember that recipes are only a guideline, so use your palate and season to your tastes. Just make sure you try this.
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