#EggDay: Egg-based recipes below P100

MANILA, Philippines — There are a number of reasons why people love eggs – it’s easy to cook, versatile, and one of the cheapest and convenient protein sources. 

Filipinos have especially stocked up on this pantry staple amid the height of lockdowns due to COVID-19 pandemic. 

Based on the consumption survey conducted in 2015 by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (FNRI-DOST), chicken eggs ranked seventh on the “Top 30 Commonly Consumed Food Items” in the Philippines, proving that it is an indispensable ingredient in a household. While eggs are often seen as an accompaniment to our breakfast “silog” meals, it has many other uses – from making quick meals, a thickener and binding agent, to adding flavor. 

Eggs are packed with nutrients that children need for healthy growth and development. They contain vitamins and minerals and all nine essential amino acids that the human body cannot produce on its own, making an egg an ingredient that can be easily added to other food to enhance its nutritional value. It’s no wonder that it is a favorite of Filipinos as it’s not only nutritious but an inexpensive source of nutrients and easy to prepare especially for busy parents.

But just because eggs are an obvious choice in making healthy and delicious egg-cellent meals, it doesn’t mean that you should be limited with the usual boiled, fried, or poached. Skip the same-old ways of cooking eggs and try introducing more variety into your child’s diet. Ajinomoto Philippines Corporation has prepared a “7-Day Egg Challenge” for you that will help you learn new ways to cook eggs for your kids. You’d be surprise that even picky eaters would love the way we added other ingredients like veggies to enrich the color, texture and nutrients of the dishes. Best of all, all are under a hundred pesos for a family-size meal.

Cute Boiled Eggs

Ingredients
3 pieces (150 grams) Eggs, boiled
2 cups (500 ml) Water
3 Tablespoons (45 grams) Carrots, sliced
1 Tablespoon (15 grams) Whole Black Peppercorns
1 pack (11 grams) Aji-no-moto Umami Seasoning

Procedure

1. In one small casserole, boil eggs for 8-10 minutes. Drain, cool, shell, and set aside.
2. Make a slit and shape. Using a sharp knife or scissors, make a slit on the upper portion of the boiled egg. Cut the carrots and create a crown for each egg. Cut the remaining carrots into small pieces and form a beak as well. Sprinkle Aji-no-moto on the eggs and carrots. Set aside.
3. Place the boiled egg on a platter, assemble by inserting the crown-shaped carrot into the slit, followed by whole black peppercorns as the eyes, and carrots as the beak. Repeat the same process for the other boiled eggs.
4. Serve and enjoy.

Cheesy Tamago

Ingredients
2 Tbsps (30ml) Cooking Oil
6 pcs (360g) Egg, beaten
2 sheets (1g) Nori Sheets
5 slices (75g) Cheese Slices
1 pack (4g) Aji Savor Rice Topping Mix (Chicken)

Procedure

1. In a pan, heat oil in low fire. Add a small amount of beaten eggs. Tilt the pan until the pan is covered with the egg mixture. Allow egg mixture to firm up.
2. Add Nori sheet, cheese slices, and Aji Savor (Chicken) on top of the egg.
3. Start to fold one end of the egg and gradually roll egg until the edge.Take it off the heat.
4. Slice Tamago into serving pieces. Transfer to a plate. Serve and enjoy.

Egg and Sausage Roll

Ingredients
1 cup (240ml) Water
4 pcs (140g) Sausage
4 pcs (60g) Cheese Slices
1 Tbsp (15ml) Cooking Oil
4 pcs (240g) Egg, beaten
1 pack (11g) Umami Seasoning

Procedure

1. In a pan, boil water. Add sausage and boil until sausage are fully cooked. Drain and set aside.
2. On a countertop, wrap boiled sausage with cheese slices. Set aside.
3. In a pan, heat oil. Scoop egg on the pan and tilt the pan until the pan is covered with egg. Season with Umami Seasoning then allow eggs to firm up.
4. Line up each sausage wrapped with cheese on top of egg. Roll egg sheet as second layer to wrap around the sausage wrapped with cheese.
5. Slice Sausage roll in half and transfer to a plate. Serve and enjoy.

You can serve this recipe with your preferred dipping sauce. (Ketchup, Mayonnaise, Mustard)

Tamago Rolls

Ingredients
3 pcs (141 grams) Eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) Soy sauce
1 Tablespoon (15 grams) Sugar, white
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) Salt, rock
1.4 teaspoon (0.5 grams) Pepper, powder
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) Palm oil
1 piece (2 grams) Nori Seaweed
1/2 pack (5.5 grams) Umami Seasoning

Procedure

1. PrepareTamagoyaki by mixing eggs with soy sauce, sugar and Umami Seasoning. Fry egg mixture, tilting the pan occasionally in order to make a big omellete. Gently roll the egg to form a log, add some egg mixture, and repeat the process until you achieve the desired size of the rolled omellete. Transfer to a plate, cool and slice.
2. Cut the other parts out of nori seaweed with scissors.
3. Assemble tamagoyaki and cut out nori sheets to form a minion.
4. Assemble on a platter and serve.

In cooking Tamagoyaki, it is essential to maintain a low fire to ensure that you can roll the eggs smoothly without breaking and for an even egg color.

Egg Muffin Bouquet

Ingredients
6 pcs (360 g) Egg, beaten
1/4 cup (65 g) Red Bell Pepper, minced
1/4 cup (65 g) Green Bell Pepper, minced
1/4 cup (65 g) Shiitake Mushroom, minced
2 Tbsps (35 g) Tomato, minced
1 pack (11 g)  Umami Seasoning

Procedure

1. In a bowl, add beaten eggs, red and green bell peppers, mushroom, tomato, and seasoning. Mix well until incorporated.
2. Using a soup ladle, scoop egg mixture into a muffin pan.
3. Place filled muffin pan in an oven at 170 degrees celsius and bake for 25 minutes.
4. Scrape the sides of the muffin and scoop it out of the muffin pan. Transfer to a plate. Serve and enjoy.

Use non-stick muffin pan in making this recipe. If you have a regular muffin pan (stainless), brush oil into the muffin pans before scooping egg mixture.

Pizza Omelette

Ingredients
4 pcs (240g) Egg, beaten
1 Tbsp (15g) Red Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp (15g) Green Bell Pepper, chopped
2 Tbsps (30g) Shiitake Mushroom, chopped
1/2 pack (9g) AJI-SHIO® Pepper Seasoning Mix 
1 Tbsp (15ml) Cooking Oil,
1/2 cup (120g) Tomato Sauce, cooked
1/4 cup (60g) Cheese, grated
2 Tbsps (30g) Ham, chopped
1 Tbsp (15g) Red Bell Pepper, sliced
1 Tbsp (15g) Green Bell Pepper, sliced

Procedure

1. In a bowl, mix egg, red and green bell pepper, mushroom, and AJI- SHIO® (Pepper). Mix well until incorporated.
2. In a pan heat oil. Add all of the egg mixture. Cover the pan and allow to cook for 10-15 minutes or until it is fully firm.
3. When the egg is firm enough, transfer it to a tray. Pour tomato sauce and spread across the omelette. Add grated cheese, ham, and red and green bell pepper.
4. Using an oven or a toaster, bake pizza omelette for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
5. Transfer to a plate. Serve and enjoy.

Make sure to cook the omelette in low fire to avoid burning the bottom part of the omelette and leaving you with a undercooked and jiggly omelette.

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