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Tuesday, May 23, 2006

Homemade Salted Eggs

When eggs are on sale, i will stock up several packs of 18's. It is the s.o.s., i would like to bake something. But......., time is not on my side. I find that it flies and nothing(cooking or baking) is done and i am left with all the eggs and we are leaving for Malaysia for a 3 week stay. Have to clean up the fridge. What do you do with so many eggs? As you know, i have made Kuih Lapis Batavia and then decided to make salted eggs. I have never had any luck of good salted store bought. They are usually all over salted and not good eats anymore. For good salted eggs, you would have to make them. I would like to weigh down the eggs in the saline solution but have not been very successful doing it. Any suggestions are welcome.

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Ingredients:

18 large eggs
1 bowl of table salt
4 bowls of water
1 tbsp of sichuan pepper corn
1 tbsp brandy or whiskey

Method:

Cook salt and water until salt dissolves. Let saline solution cool.

Add in the sichuan pepper corn and brandy or whiskey.

Put eggs in a large bottle and pour in the cool, strained saline. Cover tight and leave in the pantry for 3 weeks. Test one by cooking to see if it is ready. If not, continue to steep a few days longer. As soon as one is ready, remove the rest and leave in the fridge but not for long though. I will cook them and then store in the fridge for future consumption.

Tips from my dear friend, tt, who taught me how to check if my saline solution is salty enough - drop some cooked rice onto solution and if rice float, then it is good and salty.

Tips from neighbor - keep stirring the solution and the salt will not dissolve if the solution is salty enough.









Serves

44 comments:

  1. Hi Lily,

    I´m a big fan of your blog recently. Thanks for sharing so many great recipes here. Do you use chicken or duck eggs in this recipe? I can´t find duck eggs here & I´m not sure if chicken eggs can be salted.

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  2. eli

    i used chicken eggs as although duck eggs are available in the asian stores, they are expensive and who knows how long they have been on the shelves.

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  3. Hi Lily,

    Thank you so much for your prompt reply. Really appreciate your advise on this. I´ve just made a batch of salted chicken eggs & goose eggs. I manage to find goose eggs so thought of giving it a try.

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  4. eli

    the goose eggs will certainly be so much more rich and creamier than chicken eggs.

    are you in the states?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Lily,
    Thanks for sharing such great recipes online...very generous of your time too.
    Re weighting down eggs for salting, I use an inverted ceramic saucer, or any heavy saucer inverted over the eggs. I use a Chinese soup tureen with cover instead of a bottle, and salt a dozen at a time. So unless your bottle has a very wide opening... try a heavy teapot cover perhaps?
    Lily would you have a recipe for nonya lam mee or their birthday mee? Thanks again.
    Christina

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  6. christina

    thanks for the good tips. in fact i did use saucers that can get in the bottle but they keep toppling. I think i will use a folded kitchen towel and when wet met hold the egg down.

    i thought i posted the lam mee recipe but must have missed it. will have to make hokkien mee first to make lam mee and then post. will be glad to give you recipe if you email me

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  7. Hi Lily,

    I just tested my salted eggs after 29 days & I failed miserably. The eggs are not salty at all. I did not use your recipe as I was already salting the eggs when I came across your blog. I used 1,25 litres of water with 90g of salt. If I want to salt only 9-10 eggs, should I halve your recipe or still use the full recipe? I´ll try again & hopefully next time, it will be a success.

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  8. Lily, sorry one more silly question from me. How long do you cook the salted eggs? Do you cook them from cold water start? And how long can they be stored in the fridge after they are cooked?Thanks a lot for your valuable advise.

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  9. eli

    The saline solution should be the same no matter how many eggs you are making.

    Once the eggs are cooked, it can be stored unshelled for quite a while in the fridge. uncooked ones should be shelled and kept in the freezer. I like to keep the yolks only as the whites are too salty when the yolks are hard.

    i will cook the egg together with the white rice cooking from the beginning. I would start with cold water like what you should do for hard boiled eggs

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  10. Hi Lily,

    Thanks for your advise & tips. I´ll try making it again soon. I think my saline solution was simply not salty enough. Luckily I only tried with 3 eggs & it´s wasted.

    ReplyDelete
  11. eli

    it will not go to waste, just eat them as hard boiled eggs.

    follow the tips for the saline and you will not go wrong.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Lily,
    I'm starting to make salted eggs following your recipe 2 weeks ago, and now it's already done. Thank you!
    Dina.

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  13. Hi Lily

    As I am staying in Africa so I really miss a lot of Asian food. Will the salted eggs turn out successfully without adding the sichuan pepper corn
    & brandy/whiskey? Thanks for your recipes which I enjoy very much!

    Emily

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  14. emily

    just use salt and water, it is the original recipe but when i found this recipe of adding sichuan pepper and whisky, i thought it might make the egg yolk richer in color. unfortunately, no. so leave them out, you will have the same good result

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  15. delta boy2

    that's a very good idea using the bag of water to weigh the eggs down in the brine. thanks

    i don't know about the whisky, whether it is a waste as i did not find any difference in the eggs.

    i have found another method which is so much easier and will post it as soon as i find some time.

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  16. HI LILY
    Have u ever use e salted eggs to fry with flower crab?

    ReplyDelete
  17. hello lily, can you tell me where i can find sichuan peppercorns and chiles in the denver area?

    thanks!

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  18. dijo

    sichuan peppercorns and chillies are available in most asian stores and i bet pacific ocean has it.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks for the wonderful blog, Lily. I'm trying this salted eggs recipe now :). The comments here from others have also been very helpful, I hope my eggs will successful - my first time making salted eggs at home!

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  20. lily,

    can I use lemon juice instead of rum or brandy?

    ReplyDelete
  21. orang kg

    just use plain salt solution and you can make very good salted eggs. just omit the liquor

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hi Lily,

    I just wanted to say that you don't have to keep making batches of salted eggs every few weeks, if you only mean to use the yolk for bak chang or your moon cakes etc. You can keep the yolks, properly sealed so they keep fresh, in the freezer. The yolk will last you ages.

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  23. hi aunty lily, may i know how many times can the salt brine be used for the eggs. I have used the same brine for 2x now into my second batch sucessfully. But i am not sure can i keep using it or should i made a fresh new brine for my 3 batch.thanks

    ReplyDelete
  24. sue

    you can make use of the brine but you would have to add in more salt to the brine by heating it and cooling before using.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi Lily,
    Once you have made the saline solution and put the eggs in, can you put the container in the fridge (instead of a cupboard)for the 3 weeks with good result? This is my first time making salty eggs and I am concerned about any bacteria from leaving eggs unrefrigerated, especially with the hot summer weather.

    Thank you for posting this wonderful recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  26. manacheck

    the saline solution should prevent the eggs from getting bad even in the summer. leave in your pantry and make sure that the eggs are not cracked and try to use something to weigh the eggs down

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hi Lily, I love reading your blog and recipes. You are talented! I am going to try making the salted eggs. I've been trying to stay away from store salted eggs because they are usually very salty, and also I am watching my salt intake. I have been collecting mooncake recipes and when time permits, will make some. I held back from buying them at locals stores, even when they offer buy one get one free deal, lol. In hopes that I will me make some, some time very soon, I hope. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hi Lily,

    I tried this recipe and it worked a treat!

    As for weighing down the eggs, I just cut up some of the egg carton and stuffed it in the top of the jar pushing the eggs into the brine. The material doesn't dissolve quickly and was good for the 3 weeks.

    Thanks again for the recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hi Lily

    I wonder if you have a recipe for making "pei-tan", here in London it's
    almost impossible to find
    them at the Chinese grocers, on the very rare
    occasions they're available, they're quickly sold out AND they
    cost an arm and a leg!

    ReplyDelete
  30. chinchyechia

    i can get pei tan in the asian stores so i don't think it is worth the while making them.

    you can try and here is the link http://www.radio86.co.uk/explore-learn/lifestyle-in-china/5827/century-eggs-anyone

    ReplyDelete
  31. Lily, thanks for the pointer, peitan - provenance unknown - are no longer stocked at the 2 large Oriental supermarkets
    near where I live that they both used to do in years gone by.

    The steamed minced-pork dish that I complimented you on
    was exactly how my mother would make it, her delicious soupy goo-bah [minced-beef balls] beehoon is another dish that I greatly miss.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I have some preserved/pickled veg
    that I have stored in the fridge for
    a very long time indeed and I wonder if it’s okay to use them. Ditto hoisin, plum and bbq sauces, also
    MSG, shrimp paste and rojak sauce but stored at room temperature unused and unopened.

    ReplyDelete
  33. anonymous

    these items mentioned will be still good as long as you don't see green or white stuff growing in them.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Thanks, Lily, I shall be guided by what you say and oh you're
    such a veritable source of culinary knowledge, God bless.

    Mother used to cook kiam chye with duck that we used to keep
    - rear - along with poultry in KL, since no duck, I propose to
    cook it with minced pork or beef steamed just like with tung-choy, hope it tastes okay, don't particularly fancy frying it with beef and garlic, a dish that we also used to have in the old days.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Lily, do you remember one Dr Leong Chee Kong, state physician, Negri S in the mid 1960s before he became personal
    physician to the Agong [Paramount ruler] subsequently?

    ReplyDelete
  36. anonymous

    i am afraid i can't place dr leong chee kong but i do remember dr. said who became menteri besar cos he is Halimah's dad. My father's friend is Dr Chong who has his clinic in Paul street.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Lily, know or heard of one Yeoh Peng Nam, Mentakab girl, 6th
    Form Science at VI KL, Univ of Colorado for her PhD, settled in
    US maybe Denver, had many suitors when young.

    ReplyDelete
  38. anonymous

    sorry, we have not crossed paths but if you still have her contacts, i would like to be friends with her.

    ReplyDelete
  39. hi lilly
    i am a big fan of your blog. loves all ur recipes and have tried most of them :) ur a legend!!!
    thanks to ur salted egg recipes, that makes me run this business now.Ur recipes has made my salted egg so popular (no 1)in the place where i live.
    thank you lilly.........
    ur a real hero :)

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  40. if it can be if not using brandy or whiskey? because I can not use it ..

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  41. ratu

    i don't really know, perhaps you can try just wetting the eggs and then coat with salt. try with 2 eggs and give me a feedback please

    ReplyDelete
  42. Hi, can I add dom wine instead of brandy or whisky? Thanks!

    ReplyDelete