For Ultra-Flavorful Fried Eggs, Top Them With A Teaspoon Of This Sauce

How do you like your eggs? It's a question that has plagued folks for generations, as there are so many ways to prepare them. One of our favorites, though, has to be frying. It gives the eggs the perfect latticed edges, soft, molten center, and the eggs can be cooked as little or as much as you'd like. 

Fried eggs are good on their own, but any home cook worth their salt knows that a little seasoning goes a long way in upgrading their flavor. One condiment that you may have never thought to pair with these types of eggs is sweet and sour sauce. It's a far cry from the ketchup, salsa, and guacamole that usually accompany breakfast foods, but it is certainly quite flavorful. As its name suggests, this condiment isn't too cloying, nor is it too tart, and it will complement the base of salt and pepper you may have already added to your eggs.

The nice thing about sweet and sour sauce is that you can add it as a drizzle before plating, or you can cook the eggs in it. The sugars in the sauce will caramelize, giving you a beautiful color and an even crispier white. It's versatile, flavorful, and will certainly give your boring ol' plate of fried eggs a unique edge. 

You can use a store-bought sweet and sour sauce, repurpose your leftover McDonald's sauce, or make use of the containers from your leftover Chinese takeout (it is a staple of Chinese-American cuisine, after all). Homemade sweet and sour sauce is easier than you may think to make; our version brings together ketchup, soy sauce, white vinegar, sugar, and water on the stove until it boils and thickens. If you're making your own, you could add a spicy twist to this sauce as well, like by simmering chiles in it or adding red pepper flakes. 

Sweet and sour sauced eggs would be excellent eaten straight from the plate, though you can also use them in a flavorful breakfast bowl or atop savory oatmeal. If you want the flavor of the eggs and the sauce to be the star, plop the eggs over a bed of rice topped with chives, or wrap it up in a breakfast crepe or burrito for a flavorful handheld.