Plan ahead: the enchantment of salted egg yolks takes 28-40 days to set in (or, search them out on the web or at a Chinese market). But it's worth the wait (or the exceptional request!). This dish is a token of how exquisite and crisp tasting (truly, even with the fricasseeing) it very well may be. The completed dish is eggy in however not texture, squash-sweet yet with a slap of salt, and oily in the correct way. Also, notwithstanding the name "salted egg yolks," the yolks themselves are less pungent than they are, well, lavishly eggy—the kind of a hard-boiled egg yolk yet with none of the chalky texture (that I personally despise).
INGREDIENTS AND GROCERY LIST
For the Salted egg yolks:
- 1 cup sea salt
- 4 cups water
- 2 teaspoons Szechuan peppercorns (optional)
- 1 star anise (optional)
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing (Chinese cooking) wine
- 12 eggs
For the Fried Pumpkin:
- 250 grams sugar pumpkin, thinly cut
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 egg, delicately beaten
- 6 tbsp cornstarch
- 4 tbsp neutral oil, add more for frying
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 Thai bird's eye chile, minced
- 2 sprigs curry leaves (around 10)
- 5 salted egg yolks (from above), crushed with a fork
DIRECTIONS
For the salted egg yolks:
- Add the salt and water to a little pan and include the star anise and peppercorns, if utilizing. Heat to the point of boiling and mix until the salt dissolves. Eliminate from the heat and allow it to cool totally. When cool, stir in the Shaoxing.
- Rinse and dry the eggs, at that point place them cautiously in a container with a lid.
- Pour the cool solution over the eggs, ensuring it covers them totally. So as to keep the eggs from drifting, you'll need to weigh them. Linda at Malaysian Chinese Kitchen proposes utilizing a ziptop bag filled halfway with water. You'll crunch this baggie between the jar opening and the cover so that the eggs remain submerged.
- Seal the container, at that point put it in a room temperature spot for 4 to 5 weeks. Following a month, crack open an egg and let the whites (which will be cloudy) fall away. If the yolk is brilliant yellow-orange and firm to the touch, your eggs yolks are prepared to utilize. You can wash and dry the eggs and save them in the refrigerator for one month.
For the fried pumpkin:
- Toss the cut pumpkin with the sugar, salt, and pepper. Include the beaten egg and mix with the goal that the pumpkin slices are coated.
- Pour the cornstarch into a shallow bowl or onto a plate. Working with two or three bits of pumpkin at once, move them to the plate and equally coat in a thin layer of cornstarch. Redo until all the pumpkin is coated.
- Heat an inch or two of cooking oil in a griddle with high sides. Working in clusters sol that you don't crowd the dish, fry the cornstarch-coated pumpkin until crisp and golden brown. Set on paper towels to drain.
- When you've wrapped up the pumpkin, start the salted egg yolk sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a deep profound pan over medium heat, at that point include the garlic, chile, and curry leaves and mix until fragrant, a couple of moments. Include the mashed salted egg yolks and the 3 residual tablespoons of cooking oil. At the point when the egg yolks begin to sizzle and froth, lessen the heat to low, include the fried pumpkin, and mix to coat uniformly. Eliminate from the heat and serve warm.
