2022 January, beginning of a new life in Europe! (Can’t believe it but yay!)

You make your last diary entry of the day after receiving that superb job call. You feel warm, fulfilled, and thank the universe for being so kind.

While you get all excited to pack and move, you can’t help but ponder who would fulfil the demands of your breadbasket once you shift to a foreign land. You can’t pacify those hunger pangs with ramen noodles, pizza, burger or the quintessential café foods every day! But then, how would you coax the sloth in you to get up from your couch, walk to the kitchen and learn something… duh!

Well, if you know the bare minimum task of frying eggs, then you can surely master fried eggs and rice.

Emanuel Ekström/Unsplash | If there’s any dish less complicated on this earth, it’s undoubtedly a plate of egg rice!

Egg rice is like coffee; everyone has their own preference

If there’s any dish less complicated on this earth, it’s undoubtedly a plate of egg rice! No wonder it’s an indispensable part of a number of cuisines around the world, but of course, with certain twists. The only difference being, egg rice takes on different names in different parts of the world. Just some eggs, rice, your preferred oil and toppings - and you’re good to go!

The Japanese call it “Tamago Kake Gohan'' which roughly translates to “egg over rice”. In this version, you crack the egg raw into a bowl of hot rice and then fluff it with chopsticks to yield an amazingly creamy delight. Indonesians heartily call it “Nasi Telur Ceplok '' which can be translated to “fried egg served over rice”. This variation involves the use of a molasses-based sweet and thick soy sauce known as kecap manis. The Puerto Rican variant is “Arroz A Caballo'' or “rice on horseback,” in South Korea, it’s called “Gyeran Bap '', which simply translates to “egg rice,” and in Hong Kong, it has a hellish rich name - Billionaire Fried Rice with Egg Whites and Shredded Conpoy! Named literally after a billionaire, this legendary fried rice recipe was first prepared in the 1980s in Hong Kong. 

Well, these are just some of the places that we could mention; if we had to include the nook and cranny of all the places where egg rice has extended its branches, rest assured, this post would never end!

And now for something fun - how about we learn the recipe of one of the variants we just read about! Gyeran Bap anyone?

Gyeran Bap

Also known as Ganjang gyeran bap (Ganjang translates to Soy Sauce), this dish is so easy to prepare that people have it in breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or for that in-between work pause. It just needs a handful of ingredients and a little bit of magic from your hands.

Here’s how you can whip it up:

Simply cook 1 ½ cups of rice as per package instructions. Then stir them with 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter until well combined. Now add whatever toppings you like (you could use shrimps, bacon, surimi) along with some green veggies, about ½ tablespoon of toasted sesame oil, and ½ tablespoon of salted soy or oyster sauce.

Next, beat 1 or 2 eggs in a bowl. Then in a pan set over medium heat, add a little bit of oil and fry your egg sunny side up. Thereafter place it on the buttered rice, and voila, your scrumptious meal is ready!

Shutterstock | Making any variation of eggs and rice is super easy, and you can do it in no time, that too, with your choice of toppings

Wrapping it up

You must be wondering who said cooking isn’t easy! So, why wait till you move out? Try your hands at this oh-so-easy gastronomic delight and flabbergast your parents this weekend!