Eggs have been getting a lot of bad press especially from the so-called health advocates. They claim the yolk is high in cholesterol so the better way to eat eggs is to stick to egg whites. I say what’s an egg without the yolk? If you’re just looking for a binder, then fine. But if you want to experience the flavor and texture of eggs, you have to eat them whole.
What the anti-eggs campaigns rarely mention is that as early as 2001, there has already been a study that the egg phospholipid, or lecithin, naturally negates absorption of cholesterol. The finding was the result of a study in Kansas State University by researchers Sung I. Koo, Yonghzhi Jiang and Sang K. Noh published in “Egg phosphatidylcholine decreases the lymphatic absorption of cholesterol in rats” which appeared in the Journal of Nutrition.
Eggs are rich in protein. If you don’t have abnormally high cholesterol levels, a family history of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes or allergy, the study says it is okay to eat one to two eggs per day. If we have to do the math, we’ll realize that eggs are actually an inexpensive source of protein since the protein content is higher than those found in meat, milk or fish.
At home, we eat eggs on a regular basis. They go into cakes, cookies, pancakes and waffles. We make omelets and custards. And one of our favorite snacks is fried eggs, sunny side up, with bread. And, I tell you, my love for the runny egg yolk has become legendary in our household that my family stops to watch me eat it. How? I eat the egg white first carefully trimming around the yolk. I scoop the yolk with a spoon, lift the spoon to my mouth, bite off a tiny portion along the edge and sip the runny yolk “? slowly, savoring the creamy texture and rich flavor. Then, I pop the rest into my mouth.
We enjoy omelet too. When time constraints prevent me from spending hours in the kitchen, a quick omelet is always a life saver. And I’m not talking about the signature torta from two or three generations ago with ground pork and potatoes. There are so many ways of making an omelet and some are nothing short of gourmet stuff. Try this omelet for 2 to 4 persons.
Shrimp and Chive Omelet
Ingredients
Instructions
- Slit the back of each shrimp and scrape off the black vein (its digestive system) that runs along its length. Cut each shrimp into two or three pieces. Place in a bowl, add the oyster sauce, sprinkle with salt, pepper and little sugar. Mix well.
- Cut the Chinese chives into one-inch lengths (the flowers are edible so don’t cut them off). Peel the carrot and onion (or shallots) and roughly chop. Finely mince the garlic. Lightly beat the eggs with some salt and pepper.
- Heat the cooking oil in a frying pan. Saute the carrot, onion and garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the shrimps and chives. Cook, stirring, just until the shrimps turn pink. Transfer the mixture to a plate and keep hot.
- Into the pan, pour in the beaten eggs. Cook over medium heat until the bottom starts to set. Top one side of the omelet with the shrimp mixture. When the eggs are sufficiently cooked (the top should still be a little wet), fold the empty half over the half topped with the shrimp filling. Slide onto a plate and serve at once.
- Here’s a tip if you don’t have a non-stick cookware. To prevent the eggs from sticking to the bottom of the pan, heat it before pouring in the cooking oil. To test if the pan is hot enough, sprinkle some water in. If the drops dance wildly around then evaporate quickly, the pan is hot enough and you can pour in the oil.
Hi ms. connie,
I’m a new fan of your website, whenever i have free time ,i always check your new recipe and go to the archive for more. All your recipes are easy to follow. I haven’t tried them yet though. cause of busy schedule. will try this recipe one this mornings. pls help me what is the subtitute for Chinese chives, i haven’t seen it here in Kenya.
Onion or garlic leaves are okay. :)
We love eggs and my kids love them half boiled or custard, my husband loves them omelette style and l love them scrambled…Some of my main staples are century eggs mixed with salted eggs and chicken eggs to make an egg custard as ulam.
Last weekend, I served french crepes with ham, eggs and manchego cheese. A simple French breakfast. Or how about a spinach salad with a hard boiled egg which still has a moist yolk.
I love eggs too. My favorite combination is a Vietnamese dish which is simply a very thin slice of grilled beef (marinated in Vietnamese sauce), side of achara(exactly like ours), steamed rice and fried egg & I prefer it to be sunny side up. Srpinkle of green onions. I take my Vietnamese sauce (fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and chili sauce) and liberaly douse the eggs & beef with it. Sometimes this dish is also served with grilled prawns.
Or sometims for breakfast I would serve a garlic buttered toasted french or italian bread, with it’s middle part removed. Break an egg into that hole, sprinkle with salt & pepper and cook until done but the yolk is left runny. Serve. I think it’s called eggs in a basket.
More difficult to make but I love it — Eggs benedict. Too fattening though.
I could continue but the list is too lengthy.
ang sarap naman neto!
pictures pa lang, natatakam nako!
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I love eggs too!! Its always my breakfast kahit yung iba kong housemates pinagbabawalan ako dahil sa mataas daw sa kolesterol ang itlog. Di ko pa nare-research e, pero sabi daw nila nakaka-“butlig” daw ang itlog? Pero ala akong butlig kaya don’t believe lah.
Allergens. Too much eggs too often can cause an allergy. I had it when I was in the 4th grade and couldn’t eat chicken nor eggs for a year.
egg is never absent in our kitchen..it’s our fave. so easy to have ulam anytime. nowadays, our breakfast menu is consists of 2 boiled eggs, 2 slices of bacon, and a glass of grapefruit juice. havin’ said that, eggs are used widely if you are in a diet, i mean if you want to lose weight. thanks for posting this.
your avid fan from malaysia: waswi28
p.s jeanette: are you from MY or SG? hehehe..
Hi Connie,
Pareho kayo nung husband ko, favorite nya eggs, esp. sunny side up lalu na yung malasado yung pula. There was also a time, when he was still single kasi 10 sila sa family, hinahati yung itlog pag breakfast kaya nung magkatrabaho sya, everyday itlog ang kinakain nya almost 3 times a day parang nasabik sya kasi may pangbili na sya. Nauyam sya kaya almost 1 year di sya nakakain ng itlog. He can’t stand even the smell of it.
Di ko ipagpapalit ang foodblog mo,it’s nice to read na addict na ko.
hi shoppingera, i know you!! tita cel?!!, yes si Jeanette nga from SG (dating housemate mo sa MY). Avid fan ka din pala ni Ms. Connie here. Akalain mo, dito pa tayo nag-tagpo :)
Mabuhay ang itlog :-)
Yan number 1 snack/breakfast ko nung nag-south beach diet ako.
I love making omelets, kaya lang di fan ang mag-ama ko. Oks na sa kanila ang sunny-side up. PERO nung nakaholiday kami tuwang-tuwa sila sa hotel-made-before-your-eyes omelets! Hmp.
Ay asar, gusto nila may drama pa sa pagluluto. Inapi ka? hehehe
Oo nga! I was so eager to do omelets when we came back, nakuuu ayaw. Nag-layout pa ko nang mga “sprinkles” chopped onions, mushroom, cheese. Anyhu, kung captive diner ang 5-yr old ko so di ko na lang tinatanong ngayon, basta ayan kainin mo hehe
Hi Connie,
I tried this last night for my husband’s baon for today. I used chopped celery instead of chives and put some evap milk on the egg mixture. I’m pretty sure hubby would be impressed. He hates shelling shrimp while eating when he’s not home. Wala naman akong maisip na luto na bagay sa shelled shrimp except panggisa. I never thought of using shrimp in torta. Thanks to your creativity. Now he can enjoy shrimp during lunch at work with his favorite egg pa. I limit his egg intake dahil borderline ang cholesterol niya.
You really inspire me to be more adventurous with my homecooking. Ang joke mga around the house kapag I served something new is “dinownload mo from sassy lawyer?”. Mas my recall kasi ang sassy lawyer. Sana I get to meet you someday.
& I thought only my son eats his egg that way, hindi pala siya original, si ms connie pala!
LOL Nice to find a kindred spirit. :)
well,talking about eggs..My son and husband really loves poach eggs..But i only eat the egg white as it is proven to be very rich in cholesterol..I think it will help if we all have it twice a week or thrice a week maximum.
I Love omelets and this recipe rocks. Tried it, its so easy to do and the taste is amazing too.
Good job on this one Atty. Connie.
More Power!