We all know the classic avocado toast with poached eggs, and I have to admit it is one of my favourite breakfasts and I never get tired of it. But after some time, everything 1/ asks for a change to bring that old spark back, and 2/ stops feeling as satisfying as it was when you first tried it. That’s why for a while now I’ve been looking for a way to shake things up and bring that feeling back to my breakfast avocado toast. And boy, did I find it!
Apart from the perfectly delicious poached eggs, this avocado hummus is definitely a step up from your usual brunch place version. The cherry on top comes with the addition of one of my latest discoveries: chakalaka!
Egg poaching essentials
These last few days, I’ve left no stone unturned in the search for the best egg poaching method that will work every time as long as the eggs are fresh! And I have to say, I’ve definitely learned some valuable lessons on the way. If you’ve read my guide on how to make perfect poached eggs, maybe you already know but just to make sure, let’s go through the most important things you should know about when making this delicacy:
- Use the freshest eggs possible (less than a week old)
- Use a big pot, one that fits at least 10 cm water in depth (approx 3 L of water)
- For a nicely shaped egg, strain it before poaching, using a fine mesh strainer. With ageing, egg white starts loosening up and separating from the firmer egg white. That can produce wispies when the egg is poached, creating a weird-shaped one.
- Transfer the eggs into ramekins or small bowls. It will make it easier to lower them into the water.
- Add vinegar to the poaching water to help firm up the egg white. Vinegar speeds up the cooking of the protein and that helps the egg white stay compact and not disperse into the water.
- Creating a vortex helps the egg white wrap around the egg yolk more evenly. Flipping the egg in the middle of the water swirl gives the poached egg a teardrop-like shape. If cooking multiple eggs, use the vortex method only for the first egg.
- Keep the water at a light simmer (88 °C); never boil it. Boiling would cook the egg white too fast, resulting in a more rubbery texture than the delicate, fluffy one we are looking for.
- Set a timer for 3,5 minutes. Depending on the egg size and the average cooking temperature the time can differ by around 30 seconds but it will serve as a guideline to know when to check the doneness of your egg.
- Refresh the eggs using a bowl of icy water. If you are making poached eggs ahead of time it is necessary to stop them from cooking by shocking them in an ice bath for 1-2 minutes.
Ingredients for the avocado hummus
Avocado: For this recipe, you will need an avocado at the right stage of ripeness to give the spread a nice creamy texture.
Spinach: I’ve used baby spinach leaves for this avocado hummus but you can also use regular spinach or even exchange it for the rocket.
Chickpeas: For the convenience of this dish I’ve chosen canned chickpeas even though home-cooked ones would be a nutritionally better option. If you’ve cooked a batch of chickpeas in the last three days, this is the chance to use up those leftovers.
Lemon juice: Helps to enhance all the flavours and brings notes of freshness and zestiness.
Chakalaka: My latest discovery! It is an African dried mix of different spices that will give complexity and depth of flavour to the avocado hummus as well as subtle spiciness.
What is chakalaka?
I’ve only recently discovered chakalaka, and I’m still asking myself how I did not know about it until now… It is a spicy relish from South Africa, traditionally eaten with bread, pap (African maize flour porridge), curries or stews. Even though there are countless versions of this dish, the main ingredients are onion, tomatoes, beans and a spicy seasoning made from lots of fragrant spices (paprika, ginger, cumin, allspice, cardamom, cloves, etc.) and crushed chilli.
Today, it is not about the chakalaka dish but the fantastic spice mix that goes inside. I’ve used it in this recipe to make the avocado hummus really stand out.
