One of the nice things about knowing the boyfriend for so long is that I generally have a good idea of what makes him happy. And fortunately for me, one of these things is a simple Thai-style fried egg.
I learned to make eggs the Thai way years ago, at a time when I couldn't stand the taste or smell of eggs. Back then, I thought the only way eggs should ever be eaten was in a cake or some other sugary confection that could effectively mask their taste. But, because I knew the boyfriend liked them so much, I put my distaste aside and willingly learned from him how to make Thai-style fried eggs.
From what I can gather (because I haven't really cooked eggs any other way) the main differences between Thai-style fried eggs and classic American eggs are the amount of time you spend whipping them, the heat of the pan you cook them in, and the amount of oil you use to fry them.
You start by beating the eggs with a little fish sauce until they are super frothy. Then you heat an ungodly amount of oil (on the order of a ¼ cup or more) in a wok until it's so hot it's smoking. You test to see if it's hot enough by dropping a little egg in and watching it sizzle and splatter all over, then throw the rest of the eggs in and cook them until they're just golden brown on the outside, but still nice and fluffy inside. I also generally cook some shallots, peppers, and pork beforehand and throw these in as the egg is cooking.
The goal is to produce eggs that are incredibly fluffy and light on the inside and nice and crispy around the edges. I guess if compared to American eggs, these Thai-style eggs would embody the fluffiness of scrambled eggs and the crispiness of fried eggs.
I've made eggs like this for years without ever knowing what they actually tasted like, just going off the boyfriend's comments about how they turned out. But I have to tell you that recently my egg aversion has started to fade. I'm not sure what exactly changed. I think it's a combination of the wonderful texture of these eggs, the fact that they've got other things in them, and that you get to eat them with a big spoonful of jasmine rice.
In any case, I'm happy to report that I've worked my way up from tasting tiny bites off the boyfriend's plate to actually enjoying my very own plate. And I have to say, it's nice to finally be able to appreciate one of the foods that makes the boyfriend so happy.
Invisible Gary
Loved this didn’t have shallots used red onions reminded me of Asia my girlfriend gagged and didn’t eat it must be the fish sauce and it’s pungent flavor. I’m Asian tho and used to it
jim
sorry to say but this was honestly the most disgusting thing I have ever cooked 🙁
Johnny
Great I just tried and it is very good. Remembering my trip to Thailand. I add some paprika and little bit of mushrooms to the recipe. Thank you and good luck for the rest
Carla
another way to make them fluffier is to make a slurry with a teaspoon (or less, depending on the number of eggs used) of cornstarch and the fish sauce and at it to the egg while frothing it up. its nice. i like your website! 🙂
Rachel
Thanks, Carla! I'll have to try that soon!
nelc_ruiz@yahoo.com
Thank you for all the recipes..I will be waiting for more.
Tracy @ Daily Deal Blog
Quick and delicious recipe! It was my husband favorite breakfast and it's perfect with toast.
Rachel
Thanks all for the sweet comments!
CJ
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog. Still gotta try the coconut squash recipe, gotta get my Kabocha squash before I can't find it anymore! if not, I guess I'll have to settle for acorn squash :(....
May
Hi Rachel, I LOVE your blog! It's so amazing to see a foriegner who really love Thai food and actualy cook them! 🙂
Reading your pages make me miss home so much. I am a Thai lady who live far away from home with my little family. My husband also loves Thai food too and he can eat very spicy. I will show him your page tonight when he gets home he will love it I'm sure.
Viet
thanks for your post Rachel! It should go with plain fish sauce with sliced chillies as I remembered.
Sarah
sooo good, one of my fave Thai meals - especially on top of grapow. I also love this with sirachi sauce.