"Ze Ayisyen"
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This is the way my grandmother makes eggs and I've always enjoyed it. I'll also include some other tidbits I've learned from her as you go through the various steps. I have included a video below that shows me making these eggs with the addition of hotdogs.
Ingredients:
6 eggs
3 - 5 tbps Oil Your choice of fillings include but are not limited to: -Onions, thinly sliced or diced -Bell peppers, thinly sliced or diced (color of your choice) -Tomatoes, diced -Scallions, diced -Garlic clove, minched -Hotdogs, cut up (or any other choice of breakfast meat) 1/4 - 1/2 tsp Goya Adobo 1/8 tsp Paprika (optional) 1 Habenro pepper (optional) Salt to taste (optional) Fresh Ground Black Pepper (optional) |
Directions:
1. Prepare all your ingredients and fillings for your eggs. From all your vegetables/herbs to meats (if you decide to use it), have them all diced up and ready to go. If you decide to use a hot pepper (which of course I recommend), thinly slice it and discard the seeds. You may keep some seeds for that extra kick of heat if you so desire. Be sure to wear gloves or wash your hands with soap and water after handling hot peppers.
2. Crack the eggs into a bowl. Remove the chalaza (yes, I googled it) from the yolk. My grandmother refers to this as the "germ" (say that in a Haitian accent). It's the whitish thing that usually hangs around the yolk. Most Haitians I know are very adamant about removing that white thing from their eggs.
3. Add all the spices of your choice to the eggs (be sure not to over do it). The main one I always add first is the Goya Adobo. If you haven't realized it yet, this is definitly my go-to default spice for almost everything. Aside from the optional spices listed in the ingredient section, other things you may consider are seasoned salt or that traditional Maggie bouillon cube (in this case you would definitly NOT use the entire cube!). With a whisk or fork, beat the eggs until it becomes a uniform consistency. I've also noticed that my grandmother tends to squeeze a little bit of lime juice to whisk into the eggs. She tells me that it gets rid of that "eggy" smell. If we don't happen to have any hot peppers on hand, an additional spice my grandmother adds is cayenne pepper to make up for it.
4. In a pan on medium-high to high heat, add in the oil. When it comes up to temperature, add in all of your prepared vegetables/herbs and meats minus the garlic, scallions and hot peper (I like to add these in a couple minutes later to avoid them from burning/over-cooking). Saute the vegetables/herbs/meats for about 3-5 minutes, stirring occassionaly.
Be sure to add in the garlic and pepper roughly 2 minutes in.
5. Pour in the beaten eggs. It should sizzle on contact. The eggs may spread the veggies toward the sides so use your utensil to re-spread them evenly.
As the bottom begins to form from the heat, use your utensil to gently glide some of the eggs from the edges toward the center. That will allow some of the raw eggs to fill into the gaps and cook.
6. At this point when the eggs seem more than half way cooked through, reduce the heat to low and cover it with a lid. This will allow the residual heat to cook through the top and giving the eggs a nice fluffy texture. Alternatively, you can flip the eggs over as well if you want it completely hard-cooked. My grandmother does indeed flip it as they like that crisp golden color all around. I will have to admit that I don't tend to flip it at times. That's just my own personal take on it. But traditionally, you will flip it so that both sides will get that nice golden brown color.
Once the eggs are completely cooked through, it is ready to be served! Try it with a side of Haitian bread or with boiled plantains. It won't disappoint!
Check out the video below:
Posted June 16, 2018
What do you like to add in your eggs? What do you like to pair your Haitian eggs with?
Let me know and comment below!
Let me know and comment below!