Thai son-in-law eggs (Kai Look Keuy)
Thai son-in-law eggs (Kai Look Keuy) is a simple recipe that uses hard-boiled eggs, deep-fried until the skin is golden brown, then served with a perfectly balanced dressing made from tamarind juice, fish sauce, and palm sugar.
- Prep time
- 10 min
- Cook time
- 20 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 cup sliced shallots
- ½ cup oil (high smoke point oil, such as grapeseed, vegetable, or canola oil)
- 6 eggs (raw, uncooked duck or chicken eggs)
- water (enough to submerge the eggs for hard boiling)
- 2 cups oil (high smoke points oil like grapeseed oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil )
- ½ cup palm Sugar or brown sugar
- 1/4 cups tamarind concentrate
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- Fried Shallots (or make your own crispy fried shallots with this simple recipe)
- Cilantro leaves, chopped for garnishing
- fresh or dried red peppers. Use Thai peppers for the extra heat or red bell peppers for the extra crunch and color.
Instructions
- 1
Begin by preparing the eggs. Make hard or medium-boil the eggs to achieve the perfect balance of soft yolks and firm exteriors. Once done, plunge the boiled eggs into cold water to help with easy peeling. Peel the eggs and set them aside to cool at room temperature.
- 2
Fry the sliced shallots in oil at medium-low heat until light brown, 5-7 minutes. Remove with a strainer and set aside to cool. Use store-bought fried shallots or this homemade recipe to make crispy fried shallots for more detailed instructions.
- 3
Next, we will be deep-frying the eggs. Deep fry the hard-boiled eggs in hot oil until the outer surface of the eggs, the egg white part, turns golden brown and lightly crispy. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon or a strainer into a serving dish lined with paper towels and let cool.
- 4
Make the dressing by combining tamarind juice, fish sauce, and sugar. Simmer in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often with a whisk or wooden spoon until sugar dissolves and the sauce thickens to the consistency of maple syrup.
- 5
Adjust with more sugar, fish sauce, or tamarind paste as needed. The flavor tends to lean towards a sour note. But adjust for your own taste buds! Set aside for drizzling over the eggs later. Next, slice the eggs with a sharp knife. A small serrated knife helps. Slice the eggs in half and plate the halved eggs on a serving platter.
- 6
Drizzle the dressing evenly over the top of the eggs. Add fried shallots, cilantro, and red peppers to taste. Pour any leftover sauce into a small bowl and serve that with the eggs! That’s it. Enjoy!