I don’t know if you’re a runny yolk person–it can be a divisive topic–but, I’ve been working on my fried egg game and it’s going pretty well! To me, if I’m going to eat a sunny-side-up egg I want the edges to be really crispy, and the yolk to be a little cooked in the middle and a little runny on top. I’ll tell you about the way I’ve been making a fried egg below. Frank Prisinzano (@frankprisinzano) was an awesome quarantine Instagram follow. His account provides me with a lot of inspiration through his use of “methods,” including one for a crispy eggs. Would highly recommend tossing him a follow if you haven’t already! I also need something like toast, or in this case rice, to mix with the yolk. It’s great to have leftover rice in the fridge to just heat in a pan or the microwave for a quick lunch.
“Blistering” your vegetables is an awesome way to quickly prepare them, and is a fun way to mix it up if you’re used to eating your veggies a different way. Getting your vegetables a little charred lends a kind of smoky flavor, while keeping them fresh and crisp on the inside. I love doing this with broccoli, cabbage, and string beans because they can take the heat. A fried egg and blistered greens is a convenient pairing because they are cooked in similar ways- fast and in a hot pan. Let something like soy sauce, store-bought chili crisp, or hot sauce do the work of adding more flavor for you and you’re good to go!
Blistered Greens
Chop your vegetables into bite-size pieces. Heat a pan over medium high heat. Allow the pan to heat up for a few minutes. Add around a teaspoon of oil (when doing this I keep the pan pretty dry.) You might see the oil a smoke a bit– that’s good. Add the veg to the pan and don’t toss them around, allowing them to get crispy and charred. After one side has some good color, flip them around a continue cooking for around 3 minutes. They should still be bright green and crisp, but not raw. Season with a sprinkle of salt.
Fried Egg
Heat a frying pan (non-stick if you have one) over medium-high heat. If you’re using the pan from your egg you already have a head start! Allow the pan to heat up for a few minutes. Once the pan is hot, add enough olive oil to generously coat the pan (if you’re frying and want something crispy, don’t shy away from the oil.) Carefully crack the egg into the pan. If your pan is hot enough, the whites will bubble up immediately. Be careful here because the oil might splatter a bit! Leave the egg untouched until you see the edges start to brown and crisp and the whites go from translucent to opaque white. Turn off the heat a little before it’s fully done cooking because it will continue cooking off-heat. Sprinkle with salt.
Rice
Cook the rice you have according to package instructions or the way you like best. I make the jasmine rice I had here in my Instant Pot <3. However you cook your rice, a huge key is rinsing the rice. It’s takes some extra time but that’s how I get it fluffy and not sticky. Put the rice in your pot and fill it with a few inches of water, swish the rice around with your fingers. The water will be cloudy because the starch is coming off of the rice. Rinse the rice in a few changes of water until the water is pretty clear. In an InstantPot, I cook on high pressure for 5 minutes, then let it sit for 10 minutes, then release the pressure.