How to make soft boil eggs (半生熟蛋)

We get very nicely make soft boil eggs from Singapore coffee shops, served with soya sauce and pepper, and it goes very well with a toasted spread spread with butter and kaya (a spread made from coconut milk, eggs and sugar). Wonder how to make these nice soft boil eggs yourself?

Sometimes egg white is not sufficiently cooked(still clear), or sometimes the egg yolk is over cooked (harden). The magic is timing and temperature. Egg white cook at a higher temperature, while egg yolk cook at a lower temperature. Put the eggs in a deep bowl, small cooking pot, or a big mug. Boil plain water to boiling point. Pour the water over the egg slowly (sudden change of temperature may crack the shell), and way above the level of the eggs. Do not cover as to let the heat escape after the initial cooking of the egg white, but when the temperature reaches the yolk, it should not be that hot to over cook the yolk. Set your timer. Remove the eggs anytime between 4-5 mins. Serve within few minutes, otherwise the heat in the egg continue to cook the yolk and you get over cooked yolk.

If the eggs are chilled in the fridge, best to thaw it , or just soak it in luke warm water for a while before the above procedures. Alternatively, you could keep the eggs in the hot water as above for another 1-2 mins, provided the pot is big enough to have enough water volume to keep hot, since some heat is lost to overcome the chilled eggs. As a guide, about 1 litre of boiling water to 2 chilled eggs is enough for this purpose.