Onsen Eggs!

Today I'm working with onsen eggs. That means eggs slow-cooked in the shell. Originally, the term "onsen" refers to a hot spring--eggs that are cooked in natural hot springs until they are poached to perfection.

I made a pho for my eggs! Here is what I used:

3 cups beef stock
3 cups chicken stock
1 tbs grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
2 cups shredded carrot
3 tbs vegetable oil
2 cups button mushrooms
1 cup shitake mushrooms
2 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs rice wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
30-40 fresh medium sized shrimp
eggs

fresh cilantro
fresh mint
fresh green onions

Sweat onion and half the carrots in vegetable oil for 10 minutes on low-medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add stock, fish sauce, sugar and soy sauce. Bring to a simmer. Soak the noodles in very hot water for 5 minutes. Shock in cold water and let sit.

For the onsen eggs:
Place eggs in a well-insulated pot or thermal cooler. Pour over enough very hot water to cover them completely (water should be about 170-180 degrees F). Cover and let sit 15 minutes.

Add noodles to soup, return to a simmer and add shrimp. Cook only until shrimp is barely pink (5 minutes). After it is taken off the heat, add the vinegar. Taste it and add salt if necessary. You can also add some chili sauce if you want it to be spicy.

Serve soup in bowls and crack an onsen egg over each one--you should be able to crack the shell and pour the poached egg out in one easy go. If it doesn't come out, it is probably overcooked. Garnish soup with the remaining carrots, cilantro, green onions and mint.