咸鸭蛋鹹鴨蛋
xián yā dàn haam4 aap3 daan2
Cut open a good salted duck egg and the yolk is sunset-orange and beaded with oil. In Jiangnan they belong to the Dragon Boat “five yellows” — five golden foods eaten at midsummer to drive off the season’s poisons.
The story behind it
The fifth lunar month was considered the most toxic of the year — peak season for the “five poisonous creatures” — so families fought back with yellow: salted yolk, yellow croaker, eel, cucumber and realgar wine make up the 五黄. Brining eggs in salt and sometimes ash or wine is a preservation craft thousands of years old; Gaoyou in Jiangsu is so famous for double-yolk salted eggs that the city is practically synonymous with them.
Ingredients
- 12 fresh duck eggs, washed and fully dried
- 250 g coarse salt
- 1 litre water
- 2 tbsp strong baijiu (the alcohol helps the yolks turn oily)
- A large clean jar
Steps
- Boil the salt in the water until dissolved; cool completely.
- Roll each egg briefly in the baijiu, then pack into the jar.
- Pour over the cold brine to submerge; seal.
- Wait 30–40 days, then boil eggs to test — the yolk should be firm and oily.
- Boil before eating; classic with plain congee or zongzi.