Salted eggs/절인계란/咸蛋

I learnt this from the famous food blogger Christines....This was the first time for me to make salted eggs, I did  tried to use the quail eggs for making the salted eggs too...


A salted duck egg is a Chinese preserved food product made by soaking duck eggs in brine, or packing each egg in damp, salted charcoal. In Asian supermarkets, these eggs are sometimes sold covered in a thick layer of salted charcoal paste. The eggs may also be sold with the salted paste removed, wrapped in plastic, and vacuum packed. From the salt curing process, the salted duck eggs have a briny aroma, a very liquid egg white and a firm-textured, round yolk that is bright orange-red in colour.
Salted duck eggs are normally boiled or steamed before being peeled and eaten as a condiment to congee or cooked with other foods as a flavouring. The egg white has a sharp, salty taste. The orange red yolk is rich, fatty, and less salty. The yolk is prized and is used in Chinese mooncakes to symbolize the moon.
Despite its name, salted duck eggs can also be made from chicken eggs, though the taste and texture will be somewhat different, and the egg yolk will be less rich.


鹹鴨蛋又稱醃鴨蛋、鹹蛋，古稱鹹杬子^]，是一種中國傳統食品，以江蘇高郵所產的鹹鴨蛋最為有名。不少中國食品如粽、月餅也會加入鹹鴨蛋黃。其中廣東月餅越多鴨蛋黃，價錢亦越矜貴，蛋黃以出油「顏色紅而油多」為上品。


鹹鴨蛋大多指醃製過的鴨蛋，各地的製法各有差異。當中以清朝才子袁枚一句「醃蛋以高郵為佳」，令江蘇高郵的鹹鴨蛋一夕知名^]。各家製手包括：

• 黃沙醃法：醃製時先將黃沙倒入盆中，加入鹽、油和水，拌成糊狀，再將晾乾的鮮鴨蛋逐個放入粘泥封存妥當，3周後可洗去泥沙煮食。一些地方亦會以泥沙代替黃沙，或在黃沙中加入粘土；亦會有人以麵粉加熱水成糊狀，加入食鹽、五香粉和白酒，以同樣方法製作。

• 鹽水醃製法：將食鹽溶於沸水，冷卻後倒入壇中，並將洗淨晾乾的鴨蛋，逐個放進鹽水中，加以密封，置通風處，25天左右即可開壇取蛋煮食。此法醃製的鹹鴨蛋，據說可令蛋黃多出油。另外亦可在鹽水中加入花椒、桂皮、茴香、生薑、鹽，將洗淨的鴨蛋泡入，封存後待40天即可煮食。

• 白酒浸製法：浸醃時先將晾乾的鴨蛋放在白酒中浸蘸，再滾上精鹽，放入容器內，密封放置在乾燥、陰涼、通風處，約30天即可取出煮食。

• 辣醬醃法：備辣椒醬、精鹽各一碗，把鴨蛋逐個在辣椒醬中均勻蘸一下，以精鹽中滾一遍，放入瓷罐，頂層撒鹽少許，加蓋並以牛皮紙密封，放置在陰涼通風處，30至40天即可食用。另有人會將辣椒醬、白酒，按8:2的比例拌勻，以同樣方法把鴨蛋醃製70至90天，據說這種醃鴨蛋呈辣紅色，酒香四溢，鹹中微辛。

早於南北朝時期或更早前，中國人已有吃鹹鴨蛋的風俗。南北朝農書《齊民要術》指當時蘇州、揚州一帶已大量醃製，而且可以久藏，書中說：「浸鴨子一月任食，煮而食之，酒食俱用，鹵鹹則卵浮。」說明鹹鴨蛋可以下酒佐食。
元代《農桑衣食摘要》中記載：「水鄉居者宜養之，雌鴨無雄，若足其豆麥，肥飽則生卵，可以供廚，甚濟食用，又可以醃藏。」。說明當時南方各省養鴨業的情況，盛產鹹蛋。1909年的南洋勸業會上，時人以其味美、蛋白質、脂肪質、碳水化合物、鈣、磷、鐵的含量豐富，向外推銷，從而遠銷日本、美國及新加坡等許多國家。
古人認為鴨蛋有其療效。本草綱目指：「俗傳小兒多痢，臭鹹鴨蛋食之，亦間有愈者。蓋鴨肉能治痢，而炒鹽亦治血痢耳。」

 俚語

賣鹹鴨蛋除了是描述一種職業，在粵語中也是一句諺語，是死亡的意思，與閩南語蘇州賣鴨蛋意義相同。如：「小陳去賣鹹鴨蛋。」意思就是小陳死了。賣鹹鴨蛋是委婉語，暗示死亡。一說是因為以前死者入棺時，棺下放大量牙灰，而鹹鴨蛋製作過程中，也會加入大量牙灰，故有此譬喻。

( source : wikipedia)


Ingredients:

chicken eggs / duck eggs 12 pieces
rock salt (粗盐） 1 cup
water 4 cups
Shaoxing wine ( 绍兴酒） 1 T
Sichuan peppercorns (花椒）2 tsp
star anise (八角） 1 piece

Method :

1. Wash and drain the eggs ( make sure that there is no cracks on every egg). Set aside.

2. Pour the water in a cooking ware, add in Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, salt, bring it to boil. When the salt dissolves, add in the Shaoxing wine. Set aside, till it  is cool.

3. Put the eggs  in a clean & dry container, pour in the boiled water.  Please make sure that the water fully covers the surface of the eggs. The eggs may float after you have poured in the water. In this case, you can put a small sauce plate on top of it, so that all the eggs submerse completely in the brine.

4. Seal the container. The eggs are then stored indoor at room temperature for about 30-40 days or a few more days.

5. After 30-40 days, wash and drain the eggs. Keep the eggs in the refrigerator for storage, it can last for a few weeks.

6. Boil the salted eggs before you serve it.

( P/s: Christines advised that the purpose for adding the Shaoxing wine is that, the egg yolks would turn orange-red beautifully because of the effect of adding Shaoxing wine)