How to Make Chinese Salted Egg
Learn how to make 1 of my favorite condiments, Chinese Salted Egg, at home using brine solution with only 3 ingredients. So good but so quick and easy: the hardest part is the waiting! (My homemade salted egg yolk recipe is passed down from my Greatgrandmother so you know it's tried and tested.)
- Prep time
- 480 hr 10 min
- Cook time
- 10 min
- Yield
- 12 servings
- Difficulty
- EASY
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 12 eggs
- 4 Cups water ((1 litre) I use tap water in the UK and in Singapore but the safety of tap water may vary from country to country. )
- 1 Cup salt ((250g) Rock salt, kosher salt and canning salt all use. If using table salt, you need it to be very fine.)
Instructions
- 1
Clean the eggs well, checking for any cracks in the shells. (Do not use eggs with broken shells) Dry the eggs then place them in a glass (or plastic) jar.
- 2
Combine the water and salt in a pot and bring to the boil. Stir to make sure all the salt is dissolved. Turn the heat off and allow the brine to cool to room temperature. (If you are adding shaoxing wine, now would be the time to add it. Don't rush this process- the salted water needs to cool completely.)
- 3
Pour the cooled brine into the jar and make sure it is sufficient to fully cover the eggs. Place the half-filled zip-lock bag on top of the eggs to make sure the eggs are totally submerged.
- 4
Cover the container and store at room temperature for a month. (I place mine under the kitchen sink).
- 5
From day 18 onwards (or day 20 if using duck eggs), take 1 egg out of the brine. Boil it and eat it. If it tastes salty enough for you, remove all the eggs from the solution, rinse them with water and store them in the fridge. If you'd like a saltier egg, allow the eggs to continue brining. Keep tasting every day or so till you are satisfied with the eggs. (Eggs are then washed and refrigerated)
- 6
Do note the egg whites may become too unpleasantly salty to be consumed if you brine the eggs past 20 days. (Most recipes only call for the salted egg yolk but it's rather wasteful to throw the whites out! The whites go well with rice or porridge.)