Salted Duck Eggs

ACROSS SOUTHEAST ASIA

Submerging eggs in brine was a common way of preserving them back in the days when fridges didn’t exist. Today, salted eggs are still common ingredients in Malaysian, Vietnamese, Thai and Filipino cuisines – more for their rich oily yolks and wonderful salty aroma than for practical purposes. The delicious yolk is often stuffed into mooncakes or rice dumplings, or stirred into sauces for stir-fries (see two-egg spinach, here). The simplest way to enjoy them is simply to boil them and have them as one of the side dishes to plain congee (see here). You can get salted eggs from most Asian stores, but it is incredibly satisfying and easy to make your own, using free-range duck eggs. The recipe takes only 10 minutes; the hardest part is probably waiting.

Makes 6 (recipe easily multiplied)
  1. Wash the duck eggs, checking to make sure there are no cracks.
  2. Put the salt, star anise and peppercorns into a pot with the water and bring to the boil. Stir to make sure the salt completely dissolves, adding more salt until the solution is saturated and no more can be dissolved. Remove the pot from the stove, stir in the rice wine and let cool completely.
  3. Carefully place the eggs in a large clean glass jar. Pour the brine into the container, making sure all the eggs are submerged. You can use a little saucer to push the eggs under if they keep floating annoyingly to the surface.
  4. Cover tightly and set aside at room temperature for 20 days. If you like your egg yolks oilier and saltier (better for sauce-making), leave them for up to 40 days. Once you’re happy, drain, wipe dry and keep in the fridge for up to a month. Unless otherwise stated, salted eggs are boiled for 10 minutes till cooked, before eating or adding to other recipes.

Notes: Some cultures simply use a straightforward saltwater brine. The rice wine turns the yolks a deep orange and the spices add extra flavour; feel free to skip these or play around with the combination.

You can also use hen’s eggs!