KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 5 — Expectations can be a terrible thing.
Spider-Man had learned that “with great power comes great responsibility” but perhaps it’s just as true that “with great expectations comes greater disappointment”? Before anyone accuses me of being pessimistic, let me share a story where disappointment could be the least of one’s worries...
Legend has it that a Thai mother was deeply disappointed with how her son-in-law treated her daughter after marriage. Each of his promises made during courtship were forgotten, one by one. Great expectations, all dashed.
To send him a severe message, the mother served him a dish of deep-fried eggs. The warning was clear: Buck up, or your precious family jewels are next in line for the hot wok!
The resulting dish was named khai loog keuy or son-in-law eggs. Khai is “egg” while loog keuy means “son-in-law” in Thai. Despite its macabre connotations, this dish is a firm favourite with many Thais, especially the young ones. And who could blame them?
Perfect halves of eggs: creamy heart framed by a firm wall of white, encrusted in a crispy, golden skin. Doused in a silken toffee-coloured sauce loaded with every taste in the Thai flavour spectrum — sweet, salty, sour and spicy — it’s absolutely delicious.
This is one dish that is simple enough to prepare in any kitchen. Ah, but sometimes the state of one’s pantry or the tastebuds of one’s guests can derail all attempts at authenticity.
Traditionally Thai palm sugar (nam taan puek) is used but sometimes all one has is gula Melaka or brown sugar. Cilantro, which is often used as a garnish, is a definite no-no for some folks who dislike its soap-like aftertaste.
Any endeavour seems designed to fail from the start when one doesn’t have the appropriate ingredients or recipe, right? Maybe not. As Bill Watterson, the reclusive creator of Calvin and Hobbes, once noted: life is a lot easier the lower we keep our expectations.
So the crafty cook marches on, making their poor man’s version of khai loog keuy. It will taste different — the missing cilantro that your better half dislikes, the substitution of gula Melaka for Thai palm sugar, and so on — but it will, hopefully, also taste rather good. Indeed, you might actually prefer this take on the venerable Thai classic; yet another happy accident in the kitchen.
Not only are you not disappointed, you discover you are utterly delighted!
The English poet Alexander Pope had it right when he said, “Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” With zero expectations, there can be no disappointment. (Peter Parker might have appreciated “With no power comes no responsibility”, no?)
“ZERO EXPECTATIONS” SON-IN-LAW EGGS
In adapting any classic recipe for the demands of a modern kitchen, some ingredients can be left out or replaced depending on availability or preference. Let authenticity be an ideal and the actual taste act as your real guide.
Very often, the chillies are fried separately and used as garnish. For those who prefer more of a kick, one way is to add the chillies when cooking the sauce. By straining the sauce afterwards, it still retains its caramel-smooth finish without the cooked bits of chillies.
When cooking for young children, the dried and fresh chillies may be omitted altogether. Another non-traditional topping I love is fried garlic flakes, something one sees more often atop Japanese fried rice.
Ingredients
6 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
Vegetable oil, for frying
4 shallots, peeled and sliced thinly
3 tablespoons gula Melaka
1 tablespoon nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
1 tablespoon tamarind juice
3 tablespoons water
3 whole dried red chillies
2 whole fresh red chillies
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)
Fried garlic flakes, for garnish (optional)
Method
Fill a wok with enough oil for deep frying, about 1½ to 2 inches high. Use a medium-high fire. Once the oil is hot enough, carefully drop the peeled hard-boiled eggs into the wok. Occassionally stir the oil so that the eggs brown evenly. When ready — about five minutes — use a slotted spoon to retrieve the eggs. Drain the deep-fried eggs of excess oil on a wire cooling rack or on paper towels.
Pour out most of the oil from the wok, reserving a little to stir-fry the sliced shallots. Use a medium fire, keeping a watchful eye to not burn the shallots. Remove once crispy and golden brown — about 5-6 minutes — and set aside on paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
Remove any remaining oil from the wok, leaving only a thin coat of oil. Using low heat this time, add the gula Melaka, nam pla, tamarind juice, water, dried and fresh red chillies. Keep stirring till the gula Melaka has dissolved and the sauce becomes the consistency of a syrup.
Once ready, remove the sauce from the wok. Using a metal sieve, strain the sauce to remove the chillies. Do this while the sauce is hot as it will further thicken as it cools.
Slice the deep-fried eggs into halves and place them yolk side facing up on a plate. Pour the sauce over the eggs and garnish with the fried shallots. You may further garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, fried garlic flakes or some of the strained fried chillies if desired. Serve immediately.
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