This classic combo that needs no introduction: eggs, mushroom and avo. Add crispy bacon to your egg breakfast bowl for a salty edge. 

Egg breakfast bowls 

Serves 4 

Ingredients

For the crispy beans 

410g white beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, chilli flakes and dried basil
Salt and milled pepper
2 Tbsp corn flour
¼ cup olive oil  

150g button mushrooms, sliced
Canola oil, for frying
1 Tbsp butter
4 eggs, fried
4 tortillas, toasted
2 avocados, diced and drizzled with lemon juice 

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
2. Arrange beans on a baking tray and pat down with paper towel to remove excess moisture. Bake for 10 minutes to dry out. Remove.
3. Toss beans in seasonings and corn flour. Place on a lined baking tray and coat in a generous drizzle of olive oil.
4. Roast beans for 20-30 minutes, or until crispy and golden.
5. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and fry mushrooms, about 10 minutes or until golden. Remove and set aside.
6. Add another drizzle of oil in the same pan, along with butter and fry eggs to desired consistency – we opted for saucy, runny yolks.
7. Top tortillas with eggs, crispy beans, mushrooms and avocado. Serve warm. 

Recipes & Styling: Sjaan van der Ploeg 

Food assistant: Lerato Motau 

Photographs: Zhann Solomons

The post Egg breakfast bowls  appeared first on MyKitchen.

There’s an art to creating the fluffiest scrambled eggs, or the softest poached egg with gooey yolk. Our Editor shares his tricks to help you get it right every time!  

Soft & scrambled 

Serves 1  

In a bowl, whisk together 3 eggs and season. Heat 2 Tbsp butter in a large pan and remove from the heat. Pour in eggs and place back onto the heat. After about 30 seconds, use a spatula to pull the cooked eggs from the sides, swirling the pan to allow the uncooked eggs to hit the direct heat. Continue doing this with your spatula, creating folds of fluffy eggs in the pan. With some of the eggs still runny, remove from the heat and continue to fold using your spatula. The residual heat from the pan will continue to cook the eggs. Serve while hot.

Boiled & tested  

Serves 1   

Fill a pot about 3⁄4 way up with water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, place eggs onto a large spoon and gently lower into the water. (Throwing or dropping the eggs into the water can cause the egg shell to crack and allow the egg to seep through into the water). Boil eggs for 6 minutes for a runny yolk or 8 minutes for a firm yolk. Remove from heat immediately and place into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Carefully remove the shell by gently cracking onto a surface and peeling back the cracked shell bits. Serve immediately.

Cheesy omelette  

Serves 1  

In a bowl, whisk together 3 eggs and season. Heat 2 Tbsp butter in a large pan and remove from the heat. Pour in eggs and place back onto the heat. After about 30 seconds, use a spatula to pull the cooked eggs from the sides and swirling the pan to allow the uncooked eggs hit the direct heat. (Doing this creates a thicker base for your omelette, preventing it from breaking when flipped). Sprinkle the one half with your favourite fillings and cover with cheese. Using a spatula, flip the side without toppings over to enclose, cover with a lid and allow to steam so the cheese can melt – about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the omelette to steam for a further minute before transferring to a plate. Serve immediately.

Also read: Rolled herb omelettes with hake

Perfectly poached 

Serves 1  

Fill a pot about 3⁄4 way up with water and bring to a boil. Add about 3 Tbsp white vinegar to the water. Crack one fresh egg into a small ramekin (this helps eliminate getting egg shells into the water). Once boiling, bring the water down to a medium simmer and, using a whisk, create a whirlpool in the pot. As the whirlpool is about to stop, tip in your egg and simmer gently for about 5-6 minutes for a soft runny yolk or 6-8 minutes for a medium-firm yolk. (It is the action of creating the whirlpool as well as the addition of vinegar that helps create the iconic shape). Remove the egg using a slotted spoon and place onto a clean plate. Season and serve immediately.

Sunny fried crispy eggs 

Serves 1  

Heat 1 Tbsp each butter and oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Swirl it around to coat the entire pan and crack the egg in the pan. Fry the egg for about 2-3 minutes for a soft yolk and 3-4 minutes for a medium yolk. Spoon the butter and oil mixture over the egg whites to create the perfect crispy egg. Season well and transfer to a plate. Serve immediately.

Also read: Curried fried eggs

Recipe & Styling: Chad January
Photographs: Zhann Solomons  

The post Egg-cellent tips to perfectly prepare your eggs appeared first on MyKitchen.

We know that with the school holidays around the corner, you’ll need to find a way to keep the little ones busy, as well as keeping the peace while making sure everyone is fed copious amounts of delicious food! We whip up some delectable brunch themed recipes and include tasks that the kids can do to help put these meals together.  

Bacon and egg muffins  

Makes 12 • Total Time 35 Min (Plus 1 Hr Freezing Time) 

Ingredients 

7 medium eggs
250g streaky bacon
1 Tbsp chopped thyme
¼ cup maple-flavoured syrup or golden syrup
2 cups cake flour
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1¼ cups buttermilk or plain yoghurt
¼ cup butter, melted
2 tbsp chopped chives plus extra for garnishing
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 spring onion, thinly sliced lengthways

Method 

1. Place 6 eggs in boiling water and cook for 4 minutes. Remove and plunge in iced water. 
2. Carefully peel eggs and place them upright into an empty egg carton lined with clingfilm. 4. Freeze eggs for an hour. 
3. Chop bacon and fry in a hot pan for 5-7 minutes or until crispy. 
4. Stir through thyme and syrup and remove pan from heat. 
5. Preheat oven to 180°C. 
6. Sift flour and baking powder together and add salt. 
7. Whisk remaining egg with butter and buttermilk or yoghurt. 
8. Add dry ingredients and combine. 
9. Fold through half the cooked bacon, chives and cheese. 
10. Dollop a tablespoon of mixture into the base of each greased muffin cup. 
11. Nestle an egg upright in the centre 
12. Cover each egg with batter and sprinkle with chives. Bake for 15 minutes. 15. Serve muffins topped with bacon and garnish with spring onion. 

For the little chef: Get the young ones to sift the dry ingredients, whisk the wet ingredients and combine the batter.  

Battered fish hotdogs  

Serves 4 • Total Time 20-30 Min

Ingredients 

canola or sunflower oil for deep-frying
1 cup flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
handful parsley or coriander, chopped
1 cup soda water or beer
300g sustainable white fish, cut into strips
4 hotdog rolls, halved
handful shredded lettuce, rocket or spinach
1 tsp sesame seeds
handful fresh coriander
1 red onion, thinly sliced (or pickled)
3-4 Tbsp sriracha sauce
1/3 cup mayonnaise

Method 

1. Heat the oil in a deep pot. 
2. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and herbs. 
3. Stir through beer or soda water to create a smooth batter. 
4. Dry fish with kitchen paper and season well. 
5. Dip fish in batter and fry in batches for about 5-6 minutes or until golden and cooked through. 
6. Drain fish on kitchen paper and lightly season. 
7. Fill the buns with the salad leaves and fish. 
8. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and coriander, and top with thinly sliced onions. 
9. Whisk the sriracha and mayonnaise together and serve on the side.

For the little chef: Get the kids to stir the batter and dip the fish (be warned: it will get messy!).  

Salt rubbed steak skewers with salsa  

Serves 4 • Total Time 20 Min (Plus 1 Hr Marinating Time)  

Ingredients 

FOR THE STEAK
2 rump, porterhouse or rib eye steaks
¼ cup coarse salt
milled black pepper

FOR THE GREMOLATA TOMATOES
2 punnets cherry tomatoes, halved
½ red onion, chopped
¼ cup olive or canola oil
handful coriander, chopped
handful parsley, chopped
1 garlic clove, grated
1 lemon, zested and juiced
salt and milled black pepper

Method 

1. Slice steak into 3-4cm chunks and coat with salt. 
2. Leave for an hour at room temperature. 
3. Combine gremolata ingredients and leave to infuse for 30 minutes. 
4. Remove steak from salt and brush off the excess. 
5. Thread steak onto skewers and season with pepper. 
6. Braai or grill over high heat for about 3 minutes on each side for a medium-rare steak. 
7. Remove from the heat, cover and rest for 10 minutes. 
8. Serve with gremolata. 

For the little chef: Tiny cooks will enjoy rubbing the steak with salt and threading it onto skewers. 

The post Brunch Ideas Your Kids Can Help With appeared first on MyKitchen.

This recipe may take some extra work in the kitchen, but trust us, it will be so worth it. You’ll never enjoy poached eggs the same again!

SERVES 2 // COOK TIME 1 hour 5 min

INGREDIENTS
2 medium beetroots, halved and peeled
1½ L water
2 medium potatoes, peeled and grated
2 tbsp coconut oil
Salt and black pepper
400 g tin cannellini beans
1 tbsp tahini
Zest and juice of ½ lemon
1 tbsp vinegar
4 eggs
Coriander, to serve

METHOD
1. Place the beetroots and water in a large pot. Cook for 1 hour, until tender. Remove beetroots from the pot and allow them to cool.
2. Squeeze any liquid from the grated potatoes. Add coconut oil and seasoning, and stir to combine well.
3. In a non-stick frying pan, cook 2 tbsp potato mixture at a time for 3–4 minutes on each side.
4. Place the cooked beetroot, beans, tahini, lemon zest and juice, and seasoning in a blender. Blitz until smooth.
5. Bring a pot of water to a simmer. Add the vinegar. Stir the water to create a whirlpool, then crack in an egg and cook for 6 minutes. Repeat.
6. To serve, spread bean pâté on a potato fritter and top with a poached egg. Sprinkle with fresh coriander.

This twice-baked egg and mushroom potatoes recipe is a great hangover cure! it might take a bit of prep, but trust us it’s worth it!

The post Poached eggs, potato fritters and beetroot-bean pâté appeared first on MyKitchen.

You will never want to have your eggs any other way once you’ve tried these flavourful Greek poached eggs with herb pesto and roasted red pepper sauce.

SERVES 4 // COOKING TIME 1 hour

INGREDIENTS
For the roasted red pepper sauce
2 red peppers, halved and seeded
2 tomatoes, quartered
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red-wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
For the herb pesto
3 cups spinach leaves, stems removed
1 cup rocket
1 cup basil
½ cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
⅓  cup grated hard cheese
2 tbsp lemon juice
To serve
2 cups plain yoghurt
4 tbsp olive oil
8 eggs, poached
½ cup feta, crumbled
½ cup fresh basil
¼ cup fresh dill
4 pitas, toasted

METHOD
For the roasted red pepper sauce
1. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
2. Place the red peppers, tomatoes and garlic on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Roast for 30 minutes until charred. Pinch the skins off the peppers and tomatoes.
4. Pulse the peppers, tomatoes and garlic in a blender with the vinegar and sugar on high until smooth. Set aside.
For the herb pesto
1. Blanch the spinach leaves and squeeze out any excess liquid.
2. Place all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.
To serve
1. Dollop ½ cup of the yoghurt in the center of a plate and top with herb pesto and red pepper sauce. Drizzle with olive oil and top with eggs, feta and herbs.
2. Repeat for the remaining 3 plates and serve your Greek poached eggs alongside toasted pitas.

Recipe & styling: Jezza-Rae Larsen
Photography: Sean Dollery // HMimages.co.za

If you enjoyed this meat-free brekkies, wait to give these Greek-inspired veggie pita pizzas a go!

The post Greek poached eggs with herb pesto and toasted pitas appeared first on MyKitchen.

Breakfast is served! We love how this spicy baked beans and eggs recipe combines elements of a traditional English brekkies with local flavour.

SERVES 6 // COOKING TIME 35 min

INGREDIENTS
4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red chilli, finely chopped
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp brown sugar
4 large tomatoes, chopped
½ cup basil, chopped
2 × 400 g tins cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
6 eggs
To serve
¼ cup basil
1 baguette, sliced and toasted

METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Add the oil to a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat and fry the onions until caramelised and translucent. Add the garlic, red chilli and spices and allow to cook for another 2 minutes, until fragrant.
3. Add the tomato paste, sugar, tomatoes, basil and beans and simmer for 15 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft.
4. Once cooked, create 6 medium-sized holes in the beans and crack the eggs into them.
5. Cover the skillet with foil and place in the oven. Bake until the whites of the eggs are cooked to your liking.
To serve
1. Garnish your spicy baked beans and eggs with fresh basil and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot alongside crusty, toasted bread.

Recipe & styling: Jezza-Rae Larsen
Photography: Sean Dollery // HMimages.co.za

Celebrating an extra special family occasion? This giant breakfast parfait will be a hit!

The post Family-sized spicy baked beans and eggs appeared first on MyKitchen.