Let's Get Cracking: Beyond Brioches and Benedicts

With dishes reminiscent of Mumbai's street food, Raju Omlet's offerings include items like Gravy Omlet and Boiled Tikka.

WHAT'S RULING IN THE CITY - CAGE-FREE, OMEGA-3, QUAIL, OR OSTRICH EGGS? count on this POWERHOUSE OF ENERGY to MEET YOUR FITNESS CHALLENGE.

While we've still not received clarity on the age-old 'which came first - egg or chicken' debate, Heston Blumenthal's 'Verjus in Egg' dessert with nearly a 100-steps for preparation hints that a poorly made egg can be a recipe for disaster. It's impossible for breakfast to be complete without a serving of perfectly poached whites. Eggs tie a meal together. They're great for many reasons: inexpensive, easy to prepare, solid source of protein - and above all, they're delicious. Ranked as the ultimate convenience food with the goodness of 18 vitamins and minerals, you can count on the humble egg to bail you out of a low energy situation any time of the day. Whether or not you have a golden egg - it's a good idea to rethink the egg choices - you can start by learning how to tell the difference between omega-3, free-range, cage-free and organic eggs.

Dining tables see numerous egg dishes the world over, which goes to speak of the versatility of the simple ingredient. Eggs can take on a number of forms. Like Turkey's Menemen, which is scrambled egg, tomatoes and chillies cooked in olive oil. Avgolemono, a Greek sauce made with eggs, lemon and warm broth is another promising wholesome dish. Tanzanian street food special Chipsi Mayai is omelette cooked in chilli sauce, kachumbari, peppers and crunchy French fries.

Ever wondered, why despite the numerous times we dig into an egg, the question 'how do you want your eggs?' still causes a stumble? It's simple. Our state of mind determines our choice of egg. Scrambled for busy days, hard-boiled before the gym, and a sunny side up to channel the Friday morning vibe. There are numerous ways to cook this protein-rich superfood, but is there a universal 'right' method to cook one?

A recent food storm in an eggshell: Will cloud-eggs (made of meringue and egg) replace the stature of the classic egg scramble?

Speaking of storms, Twitterati finally approves of Gordon Ramsey's egg concoction. His technique is a tad bit tricky. Ramsey adds cold eggs and butter to a saucepan for thirty seconds; then, he whisks the eggs to a custard-like consistency. He finishes with a pinch of salt, pepper, and a teaspoon of cold crème Fraiche. The Hell's Kitchen chef fails to impress Chrissy Teigen, though. In her book, Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat, the celebrity beats eight eggs with a quarter pound of butter for the perfect egg game.

Don't fret if you don't possess the patience to follow the expert recipes to a T (buying ingredients is a story in itself), the city chefs are doing just that.

Last word: Shop smart, eat better and 'eggspect' the 'uneggspected.'

SPOILT FOR CHOICE

How to identify a good egg?

The simplest way to tell if an egg is still good to eat - without cracking it open - is the float test. If the egg is fresh, it will sink to the bottom. This is because oxygen hasn't permeated inside yet. If it floats, you should toss it out. If you still want to make sure that it's definitely gone bad, you have two options: either look for cracks and a slimy coating (meaning bacteria is present) or crack it open (the rotten smell is reason enough). The best way to keep eggs good as long as possible is to store them in the coldest part of the fridge. Got too many good eggs and won't be eating them any time soon? Hard-boil them and store in a jar filled with beet brine.

And the other options include

Buy goose, ostrich, bantam, and emu eggs to experiment with at home. Often paired with asparagus, one goose egg is a great shared meal for two. Ostrich eggs are 20 times bigger than chicken eggs and take two hours to boil. Bantam eggs come from a smaller hen and have a blue shell. Rare treats include eggs from turkey, seagull, guinea fowl, pheasant, and turtle.

ON THE CITY MENUS

With dishes reminiscent of Mumbai's street food, Raju Omlet's offerings include items like Gravy Omlet and Boiled Tikka. You can't miss the quirky egg puns here! At Egg Dhaba, the egg replaces flour in the pizza. Varied options such as Shakshouka and Sriracha Hollandaise dominate the breakfast menu at Happy Egg. Try the Hummus Toasties at Tashas - it has the classic Arabic bread, topped with a poached egg, hummus, avocado, feta and a sprinkle of za'atar.

At Egg Shack, you can do eggs your way or choose from the restaurant's offerings such as the Bharat Eggs and the Spanish Arroz. Also, on the menu is Dynamite Quail. Try the Truffle May Quail at Downtown Toko. The eggs are tiny and can be blue, brown or white. They've found a niche in hors d'oeuvers and even pizza. Try Prime68 Steakhouse's Beef "Tarpaccio" - a quail egg, pickled mushrooms and celery dish.

Salt-cured fish eggs or caviar mainly come from the sturgeon and are rich in antioxidants. The long-favoured dish of the aristocracy, caviar is great with pancakes. Try the Gyu No Tarutaru To Nori Toast at Zuma Restaurant or the Kaviari Caviar at La Petite Maison. The uncured version is called roe, which is part of the Crispy Eel sushi at 3 Fils and LeTen's Popping Seafood Fried Rice.

A HEALTHY DOZEN

The ways in which birds are treated at poultry farms have become marketing buzzwords - omega-3 eggs mean that the hens are fed with a diet rich in this fatty acid and most probably stay confined in cages to control the diet; free-range eggs mean that the hens are raised in open barns and have access to the outdoors; organic eggs mean the hens are fed 100 per cent organic feed and fresh water, also food inspectors award regular certification to the farms; cage-free eggs mean that the hens are not confined, but may not have outdoor access; and nest-laid eggs mean that even within a cage, the hens have access to a nest. If you're curious about the eggs that you buy, drop by at any of these farms and learn more.

>Greenheart Organic Farm, Al Barsha, Dubai has a store and a catering service. Contact: 04 361 7010.

>Al Jazira Poultry Farm, Al Lisaili, Dubai provides free-range and omega-3 golden eggs. The farm provides comfortable Barasti huts and fans for the hens to sleep. Contact: 04 832 6654.

>Al Rawdah Farm, Al Marmoom, Dubai is part of the Emirates Rawabi Group and provides natural-feed with rest time to the hens. Contact: 04 832 6565.

>Emirates AquaTech, Abu Dhabi is the largest sturgeon-breeding farm in the world. The farm's premium caviar capacity stands at 35 tons per year. Contact: 02 693 9999.

Yolk around the clock

For brighter mornings

At Eggspectation, gobble

Bravocado - eggs on avocado, drizzled with spiced tomato sauce and Parmesan. At Tashas, Salmon Omelette with chives, cottage cheese and avo awaits. Order tacos filled with scrambled eggs, shredded hash browns, jack cheese, hollandaise and pico de gallo at Café Havana.

At lunch hour

Try Migas - scrambled eggs, beef chorizo, fried tortilla, and chilli peppers at Cocoa Room. Montauk Eggs served with Scottish smoked salmon at the Hamptons Café is another choice. Parker's offers a Benedict Croissant made with truffle infused mushrooms and hollandaise. Also, try the Shakshuka here.

For dinner

Egg Roast with Egg Aappam at Aappa Kadai is a must try. Pai Thai offers Kho Phad Talay - a mix of egg, onion, broccoli, tomato and seafood rice. "Egg is a favourite ingredient in Asian cooking - used to prepare marinades, binding agents, and for garnishing and pickling too," says Chef Bisu Barman, Magic Wok.

Here's how global cuisines play with the versatile ingredient

1-Austria

Eierkuchen

A pancake that generally contains beaten eggs, green onions, and breadcrumbs. You can also prepare a sweet version of it and serve with maple syrup.

2-India

Egg curry

The preparation varies as you traverse from north to south of the country. Must-eats include Goan egg vindaloo (vinegar) and Chettinad curry (coconut).

3-Tunisia

Shakshouka

A dish made with poached eggs in a sauce of tomato, chili peppers, onions, and cumin.

It is served with bread on the side and is a popular dinner choice.

4-Turkey

Menemen

It is a popular breakfast item, made of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, chillies, and onions. Serve it in a skillet for a traditional touch.

5-France

Ouefs en Cocotte

A traditional breakfast, oeufs en cocotte translates to 'eggs in a pot', and is also known as coddled eggs. It is baked in a flat-bottomed dish.

6-England

Scotch Eggs

The English like their eggs hard-boiled, baked or deep-fried with a breadcrumb coating, and wrapped in sausage meat. We like ours runny in the middle.

7-Greece

Avgolemono

An egg sauce made with the yolk and lemon juice. Serve this comfort food with bread, rice or pasta. It can also be used to thicken a variety of soups.

8- Philippines

Kwek Kwek

letters@khaleejtimes.com