Hard-boiled eggs are briefly fried until lightly blistered, then simmered in a glossy sauce of kicap manis, shallot, garlic and chili. Served with rice and crisp green beans, this savory, sweet-and-spicy dish makes a hearty main course for two.
Telur masak kicap broadly means eggs cooked with soy sauce. The sauce and exact method vary from cook to cook and household to household; in this Malaysian version, kicap manis, light soy sauce, shallot, garlic and chili bring the flavor. Kicap manis is a sweet, syrupy soy sauce. Light soy sauce adds salt and umami, while a small amount of water thins the sauce so it can coat the eggs. The result is savory and sweet, with a gentle heat and a deep soy color.
Hard-boiled eggs are firm enough to fry briefly in oil after peeling. Turn them gently in the pan: here and there, the egg white will develop a golden-brown, blistered spot. This adds a little toasted flavor and a rougher surface for the sauce to cling to. Then cook the shallot and garlic gently until soft, but don’t let them brown. Once you add the soy sauce, keep the heat low so the sauce can reduce without the sweet kicap manis burning.
Kicap manis is available at Asian grocery stores and many larger supermarkets. If you can’t find it, use light soy sauce with a teaspoon of brown sugar and half a teaspoon of dark soy sauce for color. The flavor will be less syrupy, making this a practical adjustment rather than an exact substitute. Start with a little chili and add more at the table if you like. Soy sauces vary in saltiness, so taste the sauce before adding salt.
Serve the eggs with warm white rice, which soaks up the sauce well, and green beans for a fresh, crisp contrast. You can briefly boil or steam the beans while the sauce simmers; keep them tender-crisp and drain them well. You can also serve some cucumber on the side, but it isn’t necessary for the dish. If you’re cooking for more people, use a spacious pan so the eggs can sit in a single layer and get evenly coated in sauce.
Store any leftover eggs and sauce covered in the refrigerator and eat them within three days. Cool rice quickly after cooking, refrigerate it and preferably use it the next day. Reheat the rice and eggs just once, until piping hot throughout. If the sauce has thickened, add a small splash of water when reheating it.
Rinse the rice until the water is mostly clear. Cook the rice according to the package instructions and keep covered and warm.
Boil the eggs for 9 minutes in gently boiling water. Cool them in cold water, peel and pat dry.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry the eggs all over until the whites are lightly blistered and colored in a few spots. Turn them gently; remove them from the pan.
Heat the remaining oil in the same pan. Cook the shallot for 2 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and chili and cook for another 30 seconds.
Pour the kicap manis, light soy sauce and water into the pan. Bring gently to a boil and return the eggs to the pan. Simmer gently for 4–5 minutes, turning the eggs carefully now and then so the sauce coats them all over.
Meanwhile, cook the green beans in lightly salted water for 4–5 minutes, until tender-crisp. Drain them.
Serve the eggs and sauce with the rice and green beans.
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