Dirt road eggs

Passport & Plate - Eggs and Garlic Fried Rice

Ingredients
2 Eggs
Oil (for frying)
Rice (for 1 person)
2-3 Garlic cloves (sliced)
Salt and Pepper to taste

 

How to prepare this recipe
Boil the rice (or use a rice cooker as they would in the phillipines)
In a hot pan, heat the oil and cook the eggs over easy.
Meanwhile, deep fry the sliced garlic.
When the rice it cooked, fry it in a wok for colour and a little crispness.
Serve the eggs on top of a mound of golden rice with the garlic sprinkled on top.

 

The story behind this recipe
When I was 18, I went with my best friend to visit a family member of hers who was a catholic missionary in the Phillipines. She ran a small orphanage and also did a lot of work connecting with people of power in the capital city and local village of Isabella on the north of the island - which was very remote. They had no running water, but 3 karaoke machines. The little shop that we ran out the front of the orphanage sold bottles of gin for around £0.50 which is locals would spend their days wages on, drink it and enjoy the karaoke machines till the early hours... The repeat.

On a long trip one day, we stopped at a shack at the side of the road, 5
Orphans in tow, to use the facilities and refuel. I was vegetarian at the time of this trip (no longer, thanks god!) and the recommended dish was eggs and rice. I wasn't expecting much, but the open kitchen shortly produced a delicious dish of golden rice with crispy garlic flakes and perfectly cooked eggs who's yolks provided a creamy almost gluttonous sauce for the rice. The eggs must of been extremely fresh. I was really impressed, it was the best vegetarian meal I ate in my time in the Phillipines as they didn't really understand the concept of vegetarianism and just thought I was being fussy. So that led to many unenjoyable meals... let's just say, I can't look at Okra in the same way again.

Funny as it is, those eggs were probably the best eggs I've ever had, and probably ever will.