The egg lover’s way to eat a boiled egg: barely cooked, but warm and comforting. Soft-boiled eggs are great stirred into a bowl of reheated leftover grains or a soup or broth.

Correctly cooked, fried eggs are nearly as delicate as poached eggs, with tender whites and a barely cooked yolk. Low heat is the easiest way to achieve this, but with practice you can use higher heat and get the same results. Butter is the most luxurious medium for cooking eggs, and often the most delicious. But it’s hardly the only choice: Olive oil lends a delicious flavor (especially with a few sage leaves and a grating of Parmesan), and sesame oil is interesting, especially if you’re frying an egg to put on top of Jook. Good-quality vegetable oil is also acceptable. If you use the smaller amount of fat here, take more care to prevent the eggs from sticking to the pan, or use a nonstick pan.

This is an awesome recipe (I vividly remember the first time someone made it for me), but it’s also a concept that can quickly turn almost any sauce into a meal. Similar to poaching eggs in sauce, this requires even less effort; the individual ingredients can be prepped ahead of time. And it’s a great alternative for people who don’t like poached eggs.
To bulk this up, add 2 to 3 cups chopped mixed vegetables like carrots, green beans, potatoes, zucchini, cauliflower, and/or eggplant, along with 1/2 cup water, to the sauce. Simmer until the vegetables are almost done, then add the hard-boiled eggs. Serve with White Rice or Stuck-Pot Rice with Potato Crust.