The Chinese like to preserve their food — meats, fish and vegetables are regularly prepared this way. This egg recipe, called ham dan, is another preserved food and has just the right amount of saltiness, says Lynette Lo Tom in “A Chinese Kitchen,” part of the “Hawai‘i Cooks” series. It is followed by another egg dish, but this one uses a preserved egg, sometimes called 100-year egg.
Salted Eggs
- 1-1/2 cups rock salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons black tea leaves
- 8 cups water
- 1 lemon, seeded, cut in 4 wedges
- 2-1/2 dozen uncooked duck eggs or extra-large chicken eggs
- Waxed paper
In stock pot over high, dissolve salt, baking soda and tea leaves in water. When salt is dissolved, turn off heat and add lemon wedges. Cool.
In nonreactive container, combine 1 lemon wedge and some of liquid. Fill container with eggs and gradually add remaining liquid and lemon. Crumble waxed paper and place at top of container; cover to make sure eggs are submerged. Refrigerate 40 days.
Remove from liquid and store in fridge for up to 2 months. Makes 2-1/2 dozen salted eggs.
Pei Dan With Chives and Eggs
- 6 preserved eggs (pei dan)
- 10 to 12 fresh large eggs
- Salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1 large bunch fresh garlic chives (about 3 cups), cut into 1-inch lengths
- 2 teaspoons cooking oil
- Oyster sauce, to taste
Wash and peel pei dan, and cut each egg into wedges (about 16 pieces). Set aside.
Lightly beat fresh eggs, add salt and pepper to taste, and add pieces of pei dan. Set aside.
In skillet, saute chives in oil until wilted, about 5 minutes, then add fresh eggs and pei dan.
Cook as you would scrambled eggs. Serve with oyster sauce. Serves 6 to 8.
Nutritional information unavailable.
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