This recipe is something I made quite frequently last term – or at least some variation of it. It requires little effort, can be made in less than 30 minutes, and is really just a fun new take on dishes we were probably all raised on. In this case, I like to make a soft scrambled egg, which I feel is usually unnecessarily confined to the inflexible category of traditional Western breakfast foods. In my opinion, by pairing the egg with Eastern flavours like soy and sesame, it makes for a great meal – even after 11am.

"You will never eat dry, overdone, or suspiciously grey-looking scrambled eggs again"

For the cucumber salad, there are many different variations of the one I have made here. Some feature chillis, others red onion instead of scallion, but they all undoubtedly taste delicious. The version I have written down is truly just the most basic and quick preparation. Feel free to tweak the recipe and add ingredients as you please: it is ultimately a very forgiving salad. If you are looking for more flavour, I would recommend adding some chilli crisp or coriander Additionally, if you're not hectically trying to make lunch in between lectures, and you actually have some time on your hands, consider generously salting the cucumbers after smashing and cutting them. Let them sit out for 20 minutes before draining the excess water. This way, you will end up with a less watery salad after adding your other ingredients.

The most important step in this recipe is cooking the eggs. While eggs are notoriously easy to make, they are also offensively easy to mess up. While these eggs are not soft, runny, and buttery like a French scramble, they nevertheless taste nothing like the unsavoury concoctions you have probably been served in some school cafeteria. I guarantee, with this technique, you will never eat dry, overdone, or suspiciously grey-looking scrambled eggs again.

Ingredients

• 90g or roughly ½ cup white rice
• 3 Eggs
• ½ large cucumber
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1 green onion
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• salt to taste

Method

1) Thoroughly wash your rice and cook according to the instructions on the box. In the meantime, finely chop your garlic and thinly slice the green onion, separating the greens and whites.

2) Smash your cucumber with a heavy object until it opens on the sides. I recommend a rolling pin or a can, but the back of a particularly frustrating book would also work. (I’ve tried this before, and it tastes just the same). Cut into bite-sized pieces. Add the whites of the green onion, chopped garlic, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, rice vinegar, sugar, and mix well. Don’t let the salad sit out too long, as the cucumbers will release water, diluting the sauce.

3) Beat your eggs, lightly salt them, and pour them into a coated pan with some neutral oil. Once the edges start setting, use a spatula to push the cooked egg into the centre of the pan. Don’t stir; just continue pushing the cooked parts around until big ribbons of cooked egg have formed in the pan. Once the eggs are almost done, let them sit for another minute before taking them out.

4) Place the eggs on top of the cooked rice, and pour over 1 tsp of sesame oil and 1 tbsp of soy sauce. Garnish with the remaining green onions and serve with cucumber salad.