The Momofuku Slow-Poached Egg with Miso Butter

Dear Michelle,

Jeff got me the Momofuku cookbook for Christmas. Or, rather, Jeff got us the Momofuku cookbook for Christmas; he knew what would happen if he got me that book. We've been to one of the three in the family of restaurants only once, and it was transcendent experience, made even better by the company of good friends and my first taste of nigori sake. It was enough to convince me that I wanted to own that cookbook when I heard it was coming out.

So far, we have made pork belly ssam twice, sour cream ice cream once, and the scallion ginger sauce several times; all very very good, and all things we will make again. And, of course, there is the slow-poached egg. As you read on, at some point you will wonder, "Is it really worth taking the time to do this?" Stay with me. It is.

For anyone who likes eggs, and by that I mean likes eggs enough that you like the white set just so and the yolk just runny enough, you know how difficult achieving this consistently can be. I've been making sunny-side up eggs for years, and I still mess them up sometimes, and EVERY time I do this I feel like my breakfast has been ruined. Almost worse than a set yolk is a not-quite-cooked-enough white. So, what if I told you that, for about an hour's worth of on-again off-again attention, you could have perfect eggs for a whole week?

These eggs are so perfect because they are cooked in what is essentially a sous-vide method. True, there is no vacuum packing, and no wondering if it is really ok to cook your food in plastic, but the principle is there; submerge something self-contained in hot, circulating water set to a particular temperature that perfectly cooks what is inside, and what you end up with will be neither over-, nor under-cooked. For a little color and flavor, you then sear quickly and serve.

The result is an egg that has a creamy yolk and a white that is just on the right side of done, gelled on the line between opaque and translucent. The mouth-feel of the egg is luscious, and is hands down the best prepared egg I have ever had.

Of course, it doesn't hurt to lightly fry the egg in pork fat, and slide it down onto a piece of good bread smeared with miso butter (miso is fermented soybean paste, available in asian markets, and probably most grocery stores). Miso butter, like this, seems to be an invention of Chang's, and a very good one. It's a salty-umami flavor sucker punch that hits right on the back of your tongue, like really good bacon does. And, like bacon, it is perfect with an egg.


I haven't even gotten to the best part about this egg ( I know, give it a rest, right?), which is that you can make a bunch, chill them, and put them in the fridge for later use. Breakfast? Easier and quicker than frying a raw egg! Lunch? Soba noodles with some sort of vegetable, mixed with miso butter and an egg on top! Variations? pile steamed greens on your toast, or, like I did this morning, wrap two of these little guys in some salami (yeah, that's right, salami. But not the kind you're thinking, unless you are lucky enough to get it from the same butcher I do. I could devote a whole post to this stuff. Or, if I was inclined to do such things, write a poem), and nestle the whole mess down onto miso-buttered toast. Heaven! (Mom, if you're reading this, I promise I had an orange afterwards)

Before I start the how-to, let me recommend again the Momofuku cookbook. If the above wasn't enough to convince you, please trust me that it's worth the $40. That's not even enough to pay for dinner at one of Chang's restaurants. The recipes are very accessible, and range from complicated to easy. I feel like I could someday make the pig's head torchons, but for now I'll stick with the pork buns. Plus the writing is good, and the photos well done. Jeff notes that this is not a cookbook for the beginning cook; I'm not sure I agree, but that's only conditional on the enthusiasm of said cook. I do know that you will be seeing a lot on here that is directly from/ inspired by this cookbook.


Slow-Poached Egg from Momofuku by David Chang and Peter Meehan, pg 52

Notes: I've used a smaller pot for these, but this last time used my Le Creuset dutch oven. Go bigger. The more water, the less volatile the temperature, the less you need to hover and can do more interesting things. Have cold water handy, and if you just have a smaller pot, ice cubes. Use a candy thermometer. They are more accurate than meat thermometers, not too expensive, and more useful than you'd think. Especially if you make these eggs as often as I do. Get REALLY good eggs; what you end up with will reflect what you start out with. The best eggs, by far, are home or small-farm raised eggs. If the yolk is yellow instead of orange, you need to find better eggs. You discard a part of the white that doesn't firm; this is about 1/4-1/3 of it. Therefore, you might want two eggs where before you'd eat one.


Fit 1 large pot with steamer basket or just something to keep the eggs suspended in water. Fill enough to cover eggs plus some (but not full; you want room to add cold water later for temp. control), and set on stove. Secure candy thermometer so that tip is suspended in water; you will leave it here. Heat over medium low to 140-145 degrees F. Add eggs. When temperature comes back to 140-145F, start timer for 40-45 minutes. I usually do 45, because I like them a little more done. Check water regularly; keeping it in this temperature range is key. If the temp is creeping up to 145, add a little cold water/ice to bring it back down. Keep the heat as low as possible, and add cold water in small increments. With the large pot, I checked about every 10 minutes, but start off with 5 till you can gauge how quickly the temperature changes. When timer goes off, chill in ice bath. Refrigerate or use.


While eggs are cooking, make miso butter. I like about half butter to half miso; Chang uses 1/2 c miso with 5T butter. I find that to be a little too salty for my taste, especially considering the amount that I use. However, in 1-1 quantity, the miso butter will become hard when refrigerated. Play around with it and see what suits you. Different brands will also taste different. This was my first foray into cooking with miso, so I regret that I cannot specify a preferred brand.


To make: mix softened butter with white miso until creamy. Make extra. Spread on toast, to be ready for the egg. (See 2nd photo in main body of writing for finished miso butter)

Heat a frying pan till hot, then add a small amount of fat of your choice. While pan heats, crack egg into a bowl, and discard thin white (I crack the eggs into my hand and the loose white falls away).



When fat shimmers, add egg(s). Fry till just colored on each side; you are adding flavor and just barely firming the egg, not trying to cook it through. Eat immediately. Do the same if egg comes out of the fridge; give it a touch longer to warm through. Chang uses the eggs, not fried, in soup as well, and recommends warming them under very hot tap water for a minute.