In Chinese kitchens, the most common eggs are chicken eggs and duck eggs. But in some families, there are also some special eggs. We use these special eggs in our egg drop soup with cabbage recipe. These specially prepared eggs are called preserved eggs and salted eggs. Both kinds are made from duck eggs. Do you want to know more about them?
What is a preserved egg?
Preserved eggs, also known as leather eggs, Songhua eggs, or Bian eggs, is a unique food in China with a special taste. The preserved egg is dark green in color and elastic after peeling. Some people like it very much, and some people can’t accept the taste, and can’t even swallow preserved eggs.
How are they made?
Preserved eggs are an alkaline food. They are made by pickling ordinary raw duck eggs. The materials used are salt, tea leaves and alkaline substances, such as quicklime (calcium oxide), ashes after burning plants and trees, sodium carbonate, Sodium hydroxide, etc.
We first need to clean the fresh duck eggs. Then put the edible alkali and salt into the container, pour boiling water, mix and dissolve, add quicklime and plant ash, and when these become paste, spread it evenly on the surface of the duck eggs. Seal the container and store in a cool place, and the marinade is complete after two months.
Historical note: Old timers made soap by using the white ashes from burned hardwood to make potash lye (potassium hydroxide). The lye was combined with rendered fat (lard) and water to make soap.
https://rusticwise.com/how-to-make-lye-for-soap/
The unique taste of preserved duck eggs
From the action of strong alkali, the sulfur-containing amino acids in the egg itself are decomposed to produce hydrogen sulfide and ammonia. Hence the special taste. The color of preserved eggs is also caused by the action of strong alkali. The egg white part will become reddish-brown or dark brown, and the yolk will become dark green or orange-red.
The production principle of preserved eggs use the properties of eggs to gel protein in an alkaline solution, so that eggs become elastic solids.
Eating preserved eggs
How do we cook with preserved eggs? We can use preserved eggs as ingredients, such as the preserved eggs used in our egg drop soup with cabbage recipe. We can also remove the shell of the preserved eggs and make a cold mix to make a sauce. China has a famous porridge, called preserved egg porridge with lean meat. It even appeared on Chinese KFC’s breakfast menu.
What is a salted egg?
Salted duck eggs are also special Chinese eggs. Compared with preserved eggs, more people can accept the taste of salted duck eggs. Salted duck eggs are also marinated, and are nutritious, rich in fat, protein, and more.
How are they made?
There are many ways to make salted duck eggs, and according to regional differences, different methods of salted duck eggs are produced. One of the more common techniques is to put the duck eggs into a deep-mouthed container, add water to cover the duck eggs, add salt equal to half of the weight of the duck eggs, seal the container, and marinate for 7-10 days to complete. Alternatively, choose fresh duck eggs and clean the surface of the shell. Drain the water completely, wet the surface of the eggs with white wine, then coat the eggs with the final salt coating, then put the eggs in an airtight container in a cool place, take out and eat after 20 days.
How to judge the quality of salted eggs
Good quality salted duck eggs have a clean shell and will tremor when shaken. After removing the shell, the saltiness is moderate. After piercing the egg yolk with chopsticks, there will be “yellow oil” flowing out.
Poor-quality salted duck eggs are dark in color, with white or black spots, brittle, and have a short shelf life. The egg white part is soft and salty after removing the shell.
Eating salted eggs
Salted eggs must be cooked before eating. After cooking, we can eat it directly, remove the shell, and eat it with porridge. Or use it as an ingredient, such as our egg drop soup with cabbage recipe, where salted duck eggs are part of it.
How to determine if a salted egg is raw or cooked
- Put the salted duck egg into water, if the salted duck egg sinks, then it is raw. Raw eggs must be cooked. If it floats on the water, then it is cooked. We can eat it directly.
- Put the salted duck eggs on the table and spin it. If it spins then it is cooked. If you can’t spin the egg, it is raw. We need to cook it before we can eat it.
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