Salted Eggs

The successful raw salted duck egg after 30 days using the brine method, the egg yolk has solidified beautifully. Special thanks to tt and Lily for their invaluable advice. However the dry method was not as successful since I used salt with anti-caking agent in it which prevented the salt from adhering to the eggs, the eggs after 30 days were still very slightly salted, so I now put them into the brine to continue salting.

The cooked salted duck egg.

On an impulse, I bought 6 duck eggs from the supermarket this morning. I want to learn how to make salted eggs for use in making mooncakes in a month’s time.

I’m starting a new topic over at Home Cooking Club to discuss the making of salted eggs. I’m inviting all of you who are interested in learning how to make salted eggs to participate in discussion. I’m also hoping those of you who have made salted eggs before or have any knowledge in this area to share your experience so all of us can learn. Anything that a beginner should know before embarking on this project would be appreciated.

It would be good if someone can suggest the best method of making the salted eggs since there are several methods I’ve heard of. Also I want to know why rice wine is added to the brine? I read somewhere before that it is used to deepen the colour of the salted yolks, is that correct? If so, which rice wine is the best to use? If I don’t want to add rice wine, does it affect the final result?

Makes 6 salted eggs

[Ingredients]
6 duck eggs
1 litre water
300g salt (I used coarse sea salt)
a small snap-lock (zip-lock) plastic bag
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[Preparation]
1. Wash any dirt off the eggs by scrubbing lightly with a soft brush. Let them dry completely on a tea towel overnight.
2. Bring the water to a simmer, add salt and cook until all salt is dissolved (the brine should be at least 1 part salt to 4 parts water). Let cool completely before using.
3. In a clean jar with lid, with at least 1 litre capacity, place in the completely dried eggs. Fill the plastic bag with the cold salt water to full and seal it tight. Place the filled bag over the eggs to weigh them down.
4. Carefully pour the remaining cold salt water into the jar to completely cover the eggs. Put the lid on and leave in a shady place for about 30 days.
5. You can start checking after 25 days by taking out an egg and boil it, like you would a normal boiled egg, to see if the egg is fully salted.
6. Once the eggs are salted, either boil them all immediately for consumption, or remove the solidified egg yolks and freeze them. If you are keeping the salted egg yolks for making mooncakes, the remaining salted egg whites can be used for stir-frying purposes, e.g. add the chopped, cooked salted egg whites to fried rice the same way you would make salted fish fried rice.

Taste: Delicious salty eggs
Consume: -
Storage: Salted egg yolks can be frozen for a few months
Recipe Reference: Thanks to Lily Ng and tt for their invaluable advice on making Salted Eggs