The Incredible Chicken Egg
– a journal entry by Chef Nam
Eggs are so amazingly useful, from binders to thickeners, side dishes to main dishes, they are just so incredibly useful that I always have them on hand and have for pretty much all of my life in the kitchen.
It’s this flexibility while remaining incredibly nutritious and inexpensive that puts them at the top of my list. There are uncounted dishes which either incorporate or showcase eggs, and they are pretty much found in nearly all cultures as a source of food.
There are many dishes which cannot be made without them, and at the same time, they can easily be a meal without anything else, except maybe some salt or soy sauce, in the most basic preparation.
Speaking of preparations, the idea that they can be cooked in a few minutes, fried, baked, poached, boiled or be incorporated to make some of the difficult and delicious sauces like Bernaise, airy meringues, or custard. Eggs can have a starring role in a meal, like in omelettes and tamagoyaki, or be the essential player, like the magic ingredient that gives souffles their fluff.
There is no flavour or nutritional difference between brown eggs or white eggs: this is simply a reflection of the colour and breed of the chicken that laid the eggs.
The two main components of the egg are:
The albumen, also known as the white, which is clear with a yellowish tint. Once cooked, it becomes white and opaque. The albumen is largely made up of water, protein, and minerals.
The yolk, which is usually round, bright yellow or orange. The yolk is the egg’s greatest source of vitamins and minerals. Yolks may vary in colour – as, with the shell, this is a reflection of the feed the chicken ate and not an indicator of freshness or nutritional makeup.
They’re pretty low in calories. Eggs aren’t really as bad as people once thought they were!
Chicken egg, in my opinion, the most versatile food on the planet.
Bánh Mì Hòa Mã
One of my favourite egg breakfast in Saigon is Bánh Mì Hòa Mã located along the busy 53 Cao Thắng, Phường 3, Quận 3, Sài Gòn.
Sitting at tables and small plastic stools along a smaller perpendicular side street, where the atmosphere is lively, exciting and electrifying.
Banh mi op la, which is the set of sunny side up eggs, fried chả cá, chả lụa, pan-fried spam and caramelized onions on a sizzling hot iron plate. Served with freshly baked banh mi and delicious homemade pickles apart.
Probably one of the best places to enjoy your banh mi op la in Vietnam. After powering through a hearty breakfast with a strong and flavorful cà phê sữa đá, I was wide awake and ready to start the day to explore the alleys of the old Sài Gòn further. Thinking about the city’s rapid modernization with glass-faced skyscrapers sprouting from the concrete. But underneath are the layers of a sophisticated, elegant, yet forsaken culture. I just can’t get enough…..
