The secret to poached egg and toast is... spinach!

KUALA LUMPUR, May 3 – What makes a great breakfast for one on the weekend?

Granola or cereal with milk (be it from udder, grain, bean or seed)? Too boring. A full English fry-up? Too much work and likely to cause heartburn. A plate of char kway teow, full of wok hei? Perfect, but a bit tricky during the current Movement Control Order (MCO).

Sure, there’s nothing more millennial than smashed avocado on sourdough toast. All we need is what we have in the pantry: some fruit – yes, avocados are fruits apparently – and bread.

Many home cooks and bakers are baking their own sourdough bread

What’s more incredible is how baking your own sourdough bread is now akin to the new mindfulness practice. This may explain the uptick in the number of those of us at home taking this up as our latest hobby. (Or lockdown stress management technique? Same difference.)

I’d buy my sourdough loaf from the bakery though; I’m not that ambitious. Or stressed out. (Yet.)

And who could deny the erotic rush of seeing a perfectly poached egg cut open to reveal a spurt of molten gold, the colour a deep yolk orange that is peerless in nature. The citrus shade of a ripe mandarin does not excite in the same way, for instance.

(Does this partly explain why singletons throw oranges into moving water on Chap Goh Mei every year? That they are trying to duplicate the lusty lure of an egg yolk oozing out, lava-like, in rivulets from the smooth pouch of its albumen jacket?)

But as sexy as avocado toast and poached egg can be, they are incomplete though you might not realise this at first. They seem decent enough on their own. Wonderful bites.

What’s missing?

Leafy greens such as spinach and 'kangkung' retain much of their sweetness when sautéed

The secret to poached eggs on toast is... spinach. Sautéed with garlic and some delicious fat – olive oil, coconut oil, roast meat drippings – and you have an accompaniment that is divine.

A star on its own, sautéed leafy greens (it doesn’t have to be spinach, specifically) elevates eggs, avocado and toast. Brunch, you see, can be better and healthier.

Nothing quite like breakfast for one, especially on weekends. No need to get up early, no need to entertain, no need to dress up.

Allow the step by step process – of scooping out ripe avocado flesh, vividly green and creamy, from its half shell and crushing it on fresh buttered toast; creating a whirlpool of boiling water to cook a single perfect egg; and the senses-awakening hiss of just washed vegetables hitting hot oil – revive you.

Greens do make for a balanced meal, as our parents and grandparents have reminded us time and time again.

Growing up a Malaccan boy, my friends and I enjoyed our nasi lemak with stir-fried kangkung, which is more addictive than you’d think.

The Japanese have their breakfast with nori wrapped onigiri rice balls and wakame in their miso soup. Seaweed rules the day. Bento boxes always seem to have a tiny compartment for kinpira gobo – stir-fried julienned carrot and burdock root.

And now you have sautéed spinach to go with your one-two brunch punch of avocado toast and poached egg. Enjoy.

POACHED EGG & SMASHED AVOCADO ON TOAST WITH SAUTÉED SPINACH

I love spinach, especially baby spinach, which is less likely to be fibrous and sweeter to boot, but any leafy vegetable would work well here.

Kale, choy sum, watercress and every Malaccan’s favourite kangkung are all excellent. Sautéed with garlic, these greens shine.

Fresh eggs are best for poaching as their whites are firmer whites and hold their shape better

Fresh eggs are best for poaching as their whites are firmer and hold their shape better. A little vinegar in the water will further help ensure the poached egg keeps its shape and won’t really transfer any vinegary flavour to the egg.

Why not take the extra step and make it eggs Benedict, you ask? You don’t need the headache of whisking egg yolks, water and lemon juice together, stirring constantly, until everything is well combined and thickened into a silken sauce. (Not when you’re sauced yourself and your head feels thicker than it’s ever been before.)

I just say no to Hollandaise sauce. Poached eggs are fine as they are. Some nam pla (Thai fish sauce) will add a more pleasant savouriness; sriracha some tangy heat if so desired. No whisking required.

Ingredients for smashed avocado on toast

1 ripe avocado, peeled and de-stoned

Juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 slice sourdough bread

1 clove garlic

Butter (optional)

Ingredients for sautéed spinach

Coconut oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

300g baby spinach (or other leafy greens of choice)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Ingredients for poached egg

1 fresh kampung egg, large

1 tablespoon of clear-coloured vinegar

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

Scoop out the ripe avocado flesh into a bowl. Add the lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Using a fork, mash the mixture until coarse in consistency; think chunky peanut butter rather than smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Avocados are full of nutrients and don’t have to be a luxury

Toast the slice of sourdough bread. While still hot, rub the clove of garlic on one side of the toast, the way you would for bruschetta. You can also spread some butter on the garlic smeared toast if you like, to make it richer still.

Spread the smashed avocado on the toast and place on a plate.

Heat the coconut oil in a large pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the minced garlic. Sauté for about 1 minute until the aroma of garlic infuses the oil but the garlic hasn’t burnt. Now you can add the baby spinach.

Stir it with the spatula to allow the leaves to wilt quickly. This won’t take more than 3-5 minutes; don’t allow the spinach to become mush. Season to taste and plate the sautéed spinach next to the toast.

While the spinach is being sautéed, bring a pot of water to a boil on a separate stove. This way when you’re done with the spinach, the water ought to be just ready for poaching the egg.

Crack the egg into a small bowl to make sure you don’t have any broken pieces of shell in the egg. Add the vinegar to the water and begin stirring quickly to create a “whirlpool.” This prevents the egg from sinking to the bottom of the pot and helps it keep its shape better.

There’s nothing quite like a runny egg yolk – oozing out in rivulets, lava-like

Pour the egg into the middle of the pot of water. Poach the eggs for about 3 minutes so that the egg white firms up but its yolk remains runny. Remove the poached egg when ready with a slotted spoon. Dab dry with a paper towel and place atop the avocado toast. Serve immediately.

For more Weekend Kitchen stories and recipes, visit https://lifeforbeginners.com/weekend-kitchen/.