Poached Eggs and Tofu

Posted on November 7, 2019 by Our Growing Paynes

I mentioned in my last post of my Tofu Burrito I was struggling with a dish so I had put it aside. It called for hot spring eggs, which are made by covering with boiling water. The recipe is from Harumi’s Japanese Cooking and said it’s very easy to make. Not so! I tried it different ways and all I ended up with was the yoke. I gave up as making poach eggs is faster and I knew what I was getting. So this is my Poached Eggs with Tofu, loosely based on the Hot Spring Eggs.

I love the subtle flavours of this dish and the ingredients are relatively easy to find. With a bit of prep you’ll have an easy lunch to enjoy.

Technique for Poached Eggs and Tofu

About an hour or so before the dish is made a stock has to be made and the tofu needs to be wrapped in paper towel/kitchen roll. Slice two rectangles of tofu per serving and wrap it. Set aside. This helps remove excess water for when you pan fry the tofu. In a cup add equal parts bonito flakes and kelp and cover with boiling water.

Set this aside and let steep for about an hour.

When it’s time to make the dish bring water and a 1/4 cup (2oz) of white vinegar to a boil. Poach the eggs for 3 minutes.

Mix the ingredients for the sauce in a small serving bowl.

Meanwhile, heat up the sesame oil in a skillet. Fry the tofu until both sides are golden and crispy.

Drain the tofu of excess oil and place the eggs over the tofu. Drizzle some sauce over the eggs and top with fresh scallions/green onion.

I enjoyed this with smoked mackerel. I’m glad I switched to the poached eggs as I love the flavours of the dish so it was nice to finally get it together!

Poached Eggs and Tofu

Asian flavours with pan fried tofu.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Keyword Poached Eggs and Tofu

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Author Our Growing Paynes

Ingredients

2 slices tofu (per serving)
2 eggs (per serving)
2 tbsp sesame oil
equal parts bonito flakes and kelp
2 tsp mirin
1 tsp amino acids or soy sauce
1 tsp minced ginger
2 tbsp stock made with bonito flakes and kelp
1/4 cup sliced scallion/green onion

Instructions

Boil water and cover the bonito flakes and kelp in a cup. Steep for at least an hour.
Slice the tofu and wrap with paper towels/kitchen roll to remove excess water. Set aside.
Boil water with 1/4 cup/2oz of white vinegar. Poach the eggs for 3 minutes.
Mix the stock from steeping the bonito flakes and kelp with the aminio acid, mirin and minced ginger. Stir well.
Heat the sesame oil in a skillet and pan fry the tofu until golden and crispy. Drain the excess oil from the tofu.
Place the poached eggs over the tofu. Drizzle the sauce over the eggs and top with the scallion/green onions.

Eggs Benedict with Avocado

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Our Growing Paynes

There was a break in the humidity this weekend which allowed us to take advantage of weather to do a lot of little chores in the garden. I am a bit worried about the potatoes as the leaves are looking a worse for wear. After some research I realised that we aren’t given enough nutrients for them. Hopefully I can get that sorted this week.

Still no sign of the parsnips. I mean none sprouted. I find it really strange so I’m wondering if the packet of seeds was any good. Keeping fingers crossed we chased off the rabbits again this year. We were dealing with squirrels and the rabbits snuck in. One was bold. I ran towards it making all sorts of noise and it just looked at me. Guess I need to work on my technique.

After several hours of puttering about I was in the mood for a hearty lunch. I had an avocado and some homemade ciabatta bread so it was a small leap to eggs benedict. Makes sense, right?

As delicious as this meal is there is some of juggling with the prep to get it all done at the same time. I made a half recipe from the Fanny Farmer’s Cookbook as a 1/2 cup was enough. Set up the ciabatta to be toasted and buttered, then set up the eggs to be poached.

If you are new to hollandaise sauce definitely use a double boiler. When I started I didn’t have one and so learned in a small saucepan.

In the pan over very low heat whisk two small egg yolks.

These need to be whisked but not so much you scramble them. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice and slowly add 1/8lb of melted butter while stirring.

Slowly add a tablespoon of hot water, dash of cayenne pepper, and salt to taste. Stir for a minute or so until thickened.

Layer the bread, avocado, poached eggs, and the sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

This is such a treat when the egg is cut into and the yolk blends with the hollandaise sauce.

After a hard morning working in the garden this was a great reward.

Oh go on Paris, influence me….

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Our Growing Paynes

Sometimes I think the main reason I love going to Europe is the food. Don’t get me wrong, I love the history, the art, the beauty. Oh and the wine. Can’t forget the wine! But I could just eat my way through Europe. Good thing we walk everywhere. 🙂

A couple of years ago we took our kids to Paris for a couple of days. It was such a joy as they really are open to new experiences. They loved going to the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, walking in the parks, etc. And nary a complaint traipsing everywhere in 98F/36C weather. Thought I was going to melt!

We all had a blast with the food. They discovered duck, I mean how many kids do you know at ages 7 and 10 request seared duck? I love it. One of the best dishes I had was a steamed artichoke topped with smoked salmon, poached egg, and a mustard sauce. Let me tell you that smoked salmon was the best I’d ever had. As you know from a previous post I decided to recreate it and it went very pear shaped. It took weeks to reclaim that pot! If you run out of water steaming an artichoke it is not pleasant.

Walking home from Pilates class today I was looking for inspiration as how I could make that wonderful dish mine. There it was in my garden, lovely green tomatoes. I thought perfect, I’ll do fried green tomatoes instead of the artichoke. This is a very easy dish to put together. It took me about 15 minutes or so. And after working out it is a very light lunch. And I behaved myself and didn’t pour myself a glass of white wine which would be perfect for this. 🙂

As this is a dish for one I sliced two small green tomatoes.

Next I seasoned them with salt and pepper then coated them in egg and panko bread crumbs. Normally I do a beer batter for these but this is just a quick lunch.

For the mustard sauce I used a couple spoonfuls of stone mustard. The latest one I’ve tried was a local one with garlic. Very nice. I mixed in a bit of olive oil and a few splashes of white balsamic vinegar.

In a small frying pan I get the olive oil nice and hot and pan fry the tomatoes. You want to soften them as raw green tomatoes will make you sick. As the Unorthodox Epicure pointed out in one of his posts recently. The things you learn!

While these are cooking you want to prep the poached egg. While it is poaching layer the tomatoes and smoked salmon and place the egg on top. Drizzle with the mustard.

The runny yolk really brings all the components together for a delicious lunch.

Paris has been good to me. 😉

Poached Eggs on Toast

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Our Growing Paynes

I love eggs and usually have them for breakfast but I don’t have poached eggs often. Not sure why as I love them. But this past weekend I have a craving for them. They aren’t difficult to make but you need to watch your timing. I learned my technique from my dad who has made some fabulous breakfasts over the years for us.

Start with a medium pan and pour 1/4 cup of white vinegar into the water. Bring to a boil.

While it is coming to a boil place the eggs in separate cups. You want to keep the eggs apart so one can go on each piece of toast.

Once the water is boiling it’s time to put the eggs into the water. You don’t want to plop them in! You need to roll the eggs in gently. Because of the timing of cooking you don’t want to poach a bunch of eggs at the same time otherwise you’ll have some overdone and some underdone.

I prefer my yolks runny so I cooked them for 2 minutes and 45 seconds. My dad prefers the golden colour but not runny so he cooks his for 4 minutes. Once done remove and place on the buttered toast.

I used this bread. Salt and pepper to taste.

A quick but delicious breakfast!

Our Growing Paynes

A journey about cooking, traveling, gardening, and crafting.

Tag Archives: poached eggs

Poached Eggs and Tofu

Technique for Poached Eggs and Tofu

Poached Eggs and Tofu

Ingredients

Instructions

Eggs Benedict with Avocado

Oh go on Paris, influence me….

Poached Eggs on Toast