Tamago Kake Gohan (卵かけご飯)

Growing up my mother used to tell me stories on how she grew up with raw eggs cracked over hot rice with just a dash of good soy sauce and a meal like that was awesome. Of course, the eggs were collected from grandma's chicken coops, still warm and freshness unparalleled by any eggs you get of third party vendors. The yolks were almost crimson and so aromatic, sometimes just a pinch of salt and white pepper would do the job.

Those were the stories, I never had Tamago Kake Gohan (卵かけご飯) and didn't know it's also close to a Japanese institution till I had it at a quaint little casual eatery at Boat Quay. Theirs were simply served with some braised chicken bits, torn nori and sliced scallions. I polished off the entire bowl, feeling surprisingly contented over something so simple. What can I say, I'm Asian - all I need is rice and eggs.

Since then I've stocked my pantry with Japanese rice, furikake, nori sheets and shichimi togarashi. TKG is perfect for quick and clean weeknight meals. I'd grill teriyaki drenched fish or chicken in the oven while steaming the rice. If you're feeling fancy throw in some roasted mushrooms or leeks. Instead of soy, all that caramelized goodness from roasting the protein goes on top of the rice. Unless you're adverse to runny eggs (most eggs we get today are pasteurized, so salmonella poisoning would be unlikely), I strongly recommend that you try this at least once.

Once your rice is cooked and rested (but still piping hot), make a well in the center and crack a room temperature egg over it. Quickly garnish and always, always stir with a chopstick, like so. And no, despite what this article says, you don't need a special TKG soy sauce to go with it, just good soy.