When I was young, my mother used to prepare the most delicious concoction duringย the winter months. It was a drink that her mother had prepared for her. Something taught to my Nani ("Maternal Grandmother") by the head chef of her grandfather’s home in India over 80 years ago.
"Madam, this is Egg P’lip", the chef would say in his heavy Indian accent, "to warm your heart in the winter, and strengthen you in the summer."
Egg P’lip, actually a mispronunciation of ‘Egg Flip’, soon became Egg Philip, a childhood favourite of mine - mornings when my fingers and toes felt cold, my mother would make it for me.
"Your heart is warm, this will help the other bits."
It seems nonsensical now, partly because the simple-to-make beverage was served cold, and partly because I grew up in the Middle East where the ‘winter’ was hardly testing, a cool 20-25 degrees C.
Print๐ Recipe
Egg Philip
- Total Time: 3 mins
- Yield: 1 1x
Description
Egg Philip is a drink my mother used to make for me as a child; something passed on to her by her mother.
Ingredients
- 1 Beaten Egg
- 1 cup of Milk
- 1tsp White Sugar
- 1tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Whisk all the ingredients together, pour into a tall glass with ice.
- That’s it!
- Prep Time: 3 mins
So it involves drinking a raw egg – not an issue for me, but how do you feel about it? Almost everyone I’ve described Egg Philip to since has expressed their most sincere condolences for what they see as inhumane punishment for a young child, no doubt it reminded many of seeing Sylvester Stallone down a glass of raw eggs in Rocky.
If you try it, let me know what you think. Make sure your eggs are fresh, and maybe try adding a little cinnamon for added flavour, though I think the vanilla and sugar is more than enough!
I still enjoy Egg Philip on the odd occasion, and living now in Canada as we go through what appears to be a particularly cold winter, it would seem that I need a little something to warm my toes.
Ishita Manek
I love all the stories!!
Riz
Thanks Ish!! Please do keep reading, there are many more to come ๐
Nathan-John Webb
Reminds me a lot of eggnog, can’t wait to try this.
Riz
Haha! Eggnog actually reminds me a lot of Egg Philip ๐ Let me know what you think!
Anelia
Hi there
My mom also makes “egg flip” which we now call egg phillip too.
My moms recipe is alittle different. It was passed down from here mother also and all the good recipes from my grandmother never had any quantities. She would always say put alittle of this or alittle bit of that. She made egg flip wth one egg yolk beaten a lot of sugar (10-15 tsp) and a dash (2tbsp) of brandy. The mixture is a thick sweet delicious concoction that is supposed to be eaten when ur sick to get rid of congestion. We love it cuz it reminds us of our mom and grandma and our childhood!
Riz
Hi Anelia! It’s so lovely to hear that your family have a version of this too! I would suspect that both our families recipes were similar at one point in time, though my family doesn’t drink so they probably switched out the brandy several generations back!
Hope you’re having a lovely weekend ๐
Charlotte
Hello. This was the “milkshake” my Grandma Hoffman made for me. It was always a special treat. Thanks for sharing your story.
Riz
Hi Charlotte,
Thanks so much for your comment. It’s nice to hear that you shared this special treat too!
Carrie
My grandmother made this for us when I was a child. I never knew it had an origin, I just thought it was something she made up.
Amanda
As a young child in the US (Pacific Northwest) I had a childโs cookbook and one recipe was called the mad hatters breakfast. It was my favorite and one of the few things I could make without help. The recipe is very similar if not identical to yours. Iโm so happy I found thisโค๏ธ
Riz
Oh, thanks for sharing, Amanda! I’m googling Mad Hatters Breakfast right now! lol