“Bethany, can you eat soy products? Like tofu?” Sura asked from the kitchen as her housemate shuffled, yawning, into the room. 

“You’re far too put together for 8:30 AM,” Bethany complained. “And it’s touch and go for any soy products, but I’ll suck it up and take some digestive enzymes if it looks tasty enough.”

“I have a recipe I wanted to make for my bento this week, but it’s really good when it’s fresh, so I thought I’d make it early so everyone can have some for breakfast if they like,” Sura explained. “I’ve only been going for a little while – I prepped everything last night, and then this morning all I had to do was poach the eggs while I put coffee together.”

“Tofu and poached eggs? That’s a strange combination,” Bethany said, going to the coffee maker to pour herself a cup. 

“It’s not regular tofu!” Sura rushed to correct her. “This is aburaage – it’s a slice of tofu that’s deep fried and then sold frozen. When you blanch them, you can cut them in half and they form a little pocket. Then you can crack an egg inside and cook it! The recipe I found has you poach them in a salty broth. I’m going to have one for breakfast over rice.”

“Huh!” said Bethany. “Well, that does sound better than what I was imagining. Sure, I’ll try one – would it go okay with some toast?”

“I don’t see why not!” Sura said. “It’s a poached egg, after all. I even put a few aside for Dani to bring as snacks for the car on her trip.”

“Oh, is that today? I didn’t realize the days were passing so fast!”

“They can’t go fast enough!” Dani called as she strode out into the hall, her heavy duffel bag bouncing on her hip. “The snacks are appreciated, Sura – if we push, we can get to the cabin in a day.”

“When are you heading out?” Bethany asked, putting her bread in the toaster and getting her plate and butter knife ready. 

“Gabby and Kai should be here at nine,” Dani said. “Bethany, could you stick some more bread in the toaster for me once yours is done? Eggs are fine for the car, but I don’t want to get crumbs in Kai’s seats.”

Golden Treasure Eggs (Tamago no takarabukuro)

• 2 cups of dashi stock (traditional or vegan, or 1 tsp. of dashi granules per cup of water)
• 1-2 Tbs. mirin 
• 2-3 Tbs. soy sauce 
• 1 medium carrot, parsnip, or other hard vegetable (optional)
• 3 frozen aburaage
• 6 eggs
• Bunch chives
• 6 long green onions or other long, flexible vegetable

1. Combine the stock, mirin, and soy sauce, and bring to a simmer. If using, peel and chop your vegetables, and place them in the simmering liquid.
2. Briefly blanch your aburaage with boiling water until soft and flexible. Plunge in lukewarm water to cool, then pat off excess water and oil. Roll a chopstick over the aburaage to open up the pocket inside, then cut each one in half to create six “bags”.
3. Mince chives, then prop up each aburaage “bag” in a small cup, add a pinch of chives, and break an egg into it. 
4. Using a green onion, tie the aburaage closed so no egg can float out. You can dip the onion into the simmering poaching liquid for just a second to soften it to prevent breakage.
5. Gently place the aburaage “bags” into the poaching liquid, bracing them against one another so that they are floating with the opening facing up. The poaching liquid should be at a very gentle simmer. 
6. Simmer for 6-8 minutes, until the eggs are set to your preference. The eggs will continue cooking as long as they’re kept in the poaching liquid after shutting off the heat.
7. Keep the eggs in the poaching liquid until it is time to serve them. Eggs may be eaten hot or cold.