How to steam eggs

I have discovered steamed eggs. It only took about two dozen flops for me to figure out how to do what everyone says is so easy. David Thompson, in his extraordinarily beautiful book, Thai Food, says simply, Steam the eggs for 10 minutes.

But...from cold, or from when the water is already boiling? And what about different size eggs? (I made miso-inflected egg salad from the overcooked, different-sized flops.)

The miso idea came from Nancy Singleton Hachisu's talk at Brooklyn Kitchen some months ago. And then I gilded the yolky lily by adding a vinaigrette before serving. Everyone who came to dinner for those first eggs hummed about them. I served them as a snack, but they may have overshadowed the rest of the meal. Well, maybe not the condensed milk icecream with espresso poured on top.

So.

Miso eggs:

8 Large eggs
1.5 cups pale (yellow) miso

Steam the eggs for 8 minutes: Place them in a single layer in the steamer basket when you see steam squeezing out from under the lid. (Jumbo eggs will need 10 minutes. Medium eggs 7. I just saved you 24 eggs.)

Dunk in cold water and peel.

Coat each egg in a thick layer of pale miso. This is a very sticky process and sometimes it's easier just to pack the eggs in a bowl or container with a lot of miso, making sure there is always miso between one egg and the next, front back and sides.

Leave in the fridge, covered, for up to 24 hours, but they good even after 3 hours.

To serve, bring the miso eggs to room temperature over about half an hour, and scrape off most of the miso (you can reuse this - within a day or two - in a soup or sauce or stew). If you are in a rush you can rinse the miso off.

Slice the eggs in half - a bread knife works best - and serve them with a drizzle of vinaigrette made from:

1 Tbsp makrut* or ordinary lime juice
1 makrut leaf (if you have one), torn up
1 Tbsp fish sauce
2 tsps soy sauce
2 tsp brown or palm sugar
1 tsp 100% sesame oil

Stir very well to dissolve the sugar (add the oil after you've done this). Taste, and adjust to your liking.

* Makrut is ordinarily known as kaffr lime. This is a very offensive word in South Africa. Makrut is the best name. Its juice and the leaf's perfume are intensely aromatic. But it is very hard to find.

Sprinkle the eggs with chopped scallions. Yummy appetizer (or main course, served with what you like, and I like sushi rice)...

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