The scrambled egg is a test of the cook’s meditative and evolved skill. It’s like a Japanese watercolour painting or charcoal sketch. There is so little in it that a fool may think that it’s the easiest thing to do. But it’s actually pitilessly unforgiving, because unlike oil paints, you can’t paint over a watercolour. Unlike a burji, you can’t “fix” a messed-up scrambled egg.
And believe it or not, a scrambled egg can be cooked without any ingredient, other than a pair of beaten egg. No oil. No butter. No salt. All these are nice to have, but non-essential. I have served scrambled eggs dozens of times to my family and they have enjoyed it without even adding salt or pepper, and neither have I added it during cooking.
A lot of myth-making has grown up around scrambled eggs. Some say that it can’t be creamy and smooth without cream. Others sneer at cream and say that milk must be used. A third group considers butter to be essential. Some add water to it, some cook it partly with the lid on the pan, and so on. I cook it all the time and I need nothing but the eggs. It’s Zen And The Art Of Scrambling Two Eggs.