Shoyu Tamago (Soy Sauce Eggs)

As a college student, I think about ways to save money frequently. There's not much that I spend money on, but the two areas where I can really save are textbooks and food. I've already figured out that I should look for international editions of textbooks on eBay. I did it for just two terms so far, but it has saved me tons of money since I ended up paying only a third of the original price!

When it comes to food, I'm a nerd. See, I plan my meals ahead. Is that weird? No one else I know that is my age does this so I feel like the odd one out, but it really helps me save. Everything gets eaten and so nothing is wasted. I do have extra cans of tuna, black beans, tomato sauce, etc around the house for those emergency days when I just don't have anything in mind, but the majority of my meals are planned. This is how I went to Paris this summer. And it will also be how I plan on traveling again this year.

I'm sharing quite an economical recipe today. Eggs are a good source of protein and seriously cheap. Even if you got the organic kind, one egg costs around a quarter. And there are so many ways to eat an egg. Poached eggs can go in sandwiches. Scrambled eggs can accompany a baked potato or stir-fry. Hard-boiled eggs can be chopped for salads. I'm even okay with hard-boiled eggs sprinkled with salt as a snack. But adding flavor, such as soy sauce as the following recipe does, can help mix it up.

Shoyu Tamago (Soy Sauce Eggs)
From Rasa Malaysia

- 4 hard-boiled eggs
- 5 tbsp soy sauce

1. Pour the soy sauce into a pan that is approximately 10 inches in diameter. Heat the soy sauce of medium-high heat. When the soy sauce starts foaming up, reduce the heat to medium heat and carefully add the eggs. Roll the eggs around in the soy sauce to coat them, and continue rolling them around the pan until the eggs are a dark mohagony color and the soy sauce has been reduced to a thick sludge.
2. Remove the eggs, letting any extra soy sauce drain off, and place on a plate to cool.
3. When the eggs have cooled completely, pack them into lunches or enjoy one as a snack. Just don’t leave them near my daughter, or else you’ll never get to have a bite!

By the time I had done Step 2, I was so hungry and ready to dive into my plate of food that I didn't wait until the eggs cooled to cut into them. Hence, the ugly mess that are the eggs in the picture, but you can see that the soy sauce has changed the eggs into a dark brown color. I should also work on my technique. I was cooking two other things while doing this, so I left the eggs in one spot for a bit which left a weird mark, so you should really keep rolling them around to get a nice even color.