“This is apparently the dish that my mother used to win the heart of my father,” explains food writer MiMi Aye, author of new Burmese recipe collection, Mandalay.
“They were at medical school together in Mandalay, and she was the only one out of the lot of them who could cook. Whenever the students went on a group picnic, everyone insisted she made this egg salad. It’s simple and light, and gorgeous in a sandwich, or on toast (seriously).”
Egg and lettuce salad
Equipment
- Small bowl
- Large salad bowl
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 lettuce round or butterhead
- 6 eggs
- 1 tbsp crispy fried onions homemade or shop-bought, to garnish
For the dressing
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil or other neutral-testing oil
- 2 tbsp peanut butter smooth or crunchy
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1/2 lime juice
- 1/4 tsp MSG or 1/2t tbsp chicken or vegetable stock
Method
- Mix the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Separate the lettuce leaves, wash, drain thoroughly and tear each leaf in half. Place the torn leaves in a large salad bowl.
- Soft boil the eggs: Place room temperature eggs in a saucepan, cover in cold water and heat on high until the eggs start to boil and bubble furiously. Immediately turn the heat down to medium and continue to simmer for another seven minutes. Remove from heat and submerge in cold, running water to stop the eggs cooking. Cool, peel and quarter them.
- Drizzle the dressing all over the lettuce leaves and massage with your hands so the leaves become coated and slightly wilted. Add the cooled soft-boiled egg quarters and combine gently to avoid breaking them up.
- Scatter the crispy fried onions on top and serve with plain rice or in a sandwich.
Nutrition
Mandalay: Recipes And Tales From A Burmese Kitchen by MiMi Aye, photography by Cristian Barnett, is published by Bloomsbury.
Read how to make MiMi Aye’s golden pumpkin curry.
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