Meatless Monday for Chinese New Year~ Son in Law Eggs

When the six foot teenager was younger, in preschool and in the first few years of “big school”, he loved to watch cooking shows.  It was highly amusing since, at that time, my idea of cooking was heating up Latina pasta in the microwave with jarred sauce!  Still, he loved those shows and it was a break from Pokemon and American Dragon The six foot teenager’s television preferences have now been replaced by Geordie Shore and Tosh.O (I think I would prefer American Dragon!)

Now the tables have turned and I am the cooking show tragic.  I was shocked to read yesterday that My Kitchen Rules is slamming Masterchef Professionals in the ratings as I have become a Masterchef tragic.  I also really love the Cake Boss’ Next Great Baker and the US version of Top Chef (I was hoping for season 3 of Top Chef Just Desserts but it looks like it was canned).  I watch Top Chef on iTunes while I’m on the treadmill and the only thing I don’t like about the show, particularly this season, is the number of BLEEPS they have to put in due to all the swearing.  It’s distracting!

This recipe is by previous Masterchef contestant Dani Venn who was so cute on the show that I was cheering for her the whole time.  When she made these Son in Law Eggs, I knew I wanted to make them but it has taken me ages to get to them. The story is really cute about the origin of the name with Dani telling readers,

“Some suggest a son in law once cooked them to impress his mother in law, a more scandalous speculation (and the one I like more) is that if a mother in law cooks this dish for her son in law it signifies his dubious behaviour is being watched carefully and if he doesn’t smarten up, his “egg shaped bits” might end up on the plate next!”

Dani mentions she made these in a quickfire challenge in 15 minutes which, after my experience, I have no idea how she did that as it seemed to take me 15 minutes just to peel the eggs! There are a number of “pressure points” in this recipe which I’ve included in the steps .  The end result tasted great but the photo is NOT what I had intended. I had it all set up and the light box toppled to the ground along with the measuring cup of dressing which spilled all over the floor, light box and linen.  The pressure points in the recipe coupled with the huge mess during the photos demonstrated to me why those Top Chef contestants swear so often

Meatless Monday ~ Son in Law Eggs (Serves 2)
Recipe from Dani Venn

6 large free range eggs
2 tsp tamarind puree
¼ cup water
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs palm sugar
1 tbs lime or lemon juice
½ tsp minced garlic
2 birds eye chillis, sliced
2 golden shallots, sliced thinly and deep fried
Corriander, to serve
Vegetable or peanut oil, for frying

Fill a medium sized pot with water and bring to the boil.

Using the sharp tip of a knife, poke a tiny hole in the bottom of each egg.

Boil eggs in water for about 4 – 5 minutes for soft boiled eggs, longer if you prefer harder yolks. (I like a runny egg and boiled mine for 4 minutes but would definitely boil longer next time as the whites were too runny for my liking)

Meanwhile to make the dressing, combine tamarind puree, water, soy sauce, palm sugar, lime* juice, garlic, chilli and sliced in a wok or small pot and cook over medium heat until syrupy, add more water or any of the other ingredients until a nice balance between sweet, sour and salty is achieved.   Remove from heat. (*I went to the grocery store twice and forgot limes both times so substituted lemon)

Remove eggs from boiling water and plunge into iced water to stop the cooking process.

Carefully peel the eggs.  Carefully is the word to remember here as they are soft and will break if you apply any type of pressure.

Heat vegetable oil to about 170 degrees in a medium sized frying pan so that you are able to shallow fry the eggs.  Add eggs, a few at a time, and fry until golden and blistered all over.

Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towel. (one of mine broke)

Using the same vegetable oil, add sliced golden shallots and deep fry until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on paper towel.  Pour dressing over eggs, garnish with extra chilli, coriander and fried shallots.   Serve immediately.

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