The Perfect Medium-Boiled Egg #recipe by Mia P. Manansala @MPMtheWriter

I know what you’re thinking: boiled eggs, Mia? Really? Does that necessitate an entire blog post? And I can say, wholeheartedly, YES. This is more of a method than a recipe, but it’s been a total game-changer for me.

Let’s be real: not all of us have the time or energy to cook a full, multi-course/multi-dish meal, especially not every day. It's hard enough during normal times, but particularly when you're someone easily overwhelmed (like me), have been on multiple tight deadlines (also me), or have just launched your latest book (me again!), I appreciate something fast and easy.

One of my quickest hacks to still having tasty but relatively healthy food is to toss an egg on top—only got the energy to make toast or microwave leftover rice? Scramble or fry an egg or two and throw it on top with some condiments. Instant ramen? Poach an egg in the broth. Noodles of any kind? My favorite go-to: the medium-boiled egg.

Cold soba noodles topped with fish cakes, shiitake mushrooms, tenkasu (fried bits of tempura batter), roasted garlic achaar, tomato achaar, a generous splash of mentsuyu noodle base, and a medium-boiled egg

Medium-boiled eggs do not get enough love. They’re the perfect marriage of a firm, fully cooked white and a slightly jammy, creamy yolk. If you adore the eggs served on top of ramen, you’ll love this easy recipe.

Medium-Boiled Egg Recipe

Ingredients:

Eggs, as many as you want

A pan wide enough to hold the eggs in a single layer

Water, enough to cover the eggs

Directions:

1. Place the eggs in a pan and cover with water.
2. Put the pan on the stove and turn it to high (you do NOT heat the water beforehand!)
3. Set your timer for 11 minutes.
4. After 11 minutes, remove the pan from the heat and drain immediately.
5. Rinse the eggs several times in cold water until the eggs are no longer hot.
6. Eggs can be used immediately, but they’re better if you let them sit in cold water until fully cool.
7. Enjoy!

Place eggs in a single layer in pot wide enough to hold them all, cover with water, turn the heat to high, and cook for eleven minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool to the touch. Enjoy!

NOTE: If you prefer the yolk to be completely runny (but the whites still set), reduce cooking time to 10 minutes. However, they’ll be much harder to peel.

What are your favorite hacks for an easy but satisfying meal? Let me know in the comments!

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Homicide and Halo-Halo

Death at a beauty pageant turns Tita Rosie’s Kitchen upside down in the latest entry of this witty and humorous cozy mystery series by Mia P. Manansala. Things are heating up for Lila Macapagal. Not in her love life, which she insists on keeping nonexistent despite the attention of two very eligible bachelors. Or her professional life, since she can’t bring herself to open her new café after the unpleasantness that occurred a few months ago at her aunt’s Filipino restaurant, Tita Rosie’s Kitchen. No, things are heating up quite literally, since summer, her least favorite season, has just started. To add to her feelings of sticky unease, Lila’s little town of Shady Palms has resurrected the Miss Teen Shady Palms Beauty Pageant, which she won many years ago—a fact that serves as a wedge between Lila and her cousin slash rival, Bernadette. But when the head judge of the pageant is murdered and Bernadette becomes the main suspect, the two must put aside their differences and solve the case—because it looks like one of them might be next.

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