I always say I’m a “savoury breakfast eater,” but the truth is, I rarely eat breakfast at all. For better or worse, I’ve structured my life in such a way that I start writing almost as soon as I open my eyes; pausing to make a “real” breakfast creates more anxiety than it’s worth. If it takes more than five minutes to prepare, it’s not something I’m going to eat on a weekday morning.

Hardboiled eggs, cottage cheese and toast are breakfast staples for me, and they are all serviceable—delicious even—but suffer from a rushed, thrown-together vibe. But when I have an egg poached in miso soup? That feels comforting—almost luxurious—even though I use instant miso soup packets and cook it all in the microwave.

Miso soup is obviously great as a snack or side, but add an egg and you suddenly have a really quick, savory breakfast. Instant miso soup in general feels like a hack for these times: I got a pack with multiple flavours— tofu! fried tofu!—and their immediacy and variety of tastes have brought me more excitement than I care to admit. (We are all getting our kicks where we can.)

Anyway. Poaching an egg in miso soup is very easy: Add the soup ingredients and the amount of water suggested by the package instructions to a microwave safe bowl, whisk with a fork to get the miso dispersed, then crack an egg in there. Pop it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, until the white is opaque and the yolk is as runny or firm as you like it. It might take a couple of tries to get the timing perfect for your microwave; two-and-a-half minutes in my science oven delivers a fully set white with a runny yolk.

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