Salted Preserved Eggs
Salting eggs is a simple preservation method used throughout Asia. Egg shells are porous, and after weeks of curing eggs in brine, the yolks turn bright yellow and richly flavored, while the whites become creamy and salty. The salted eggs are usually boiled and eaten as a snack or light meal with plain rice or Basic Rice Soup (page 67). The yolks are also used alone in special preparations, such as Moon Cakes (page 300). Traditionally, duck eggs are salted, but chicken eggs are easier to find and more affordable in the United States. Any kind of salt works, but fine sea salt doesn’t crystallize after boiling like both regular table salt and pickling salt sometimes do.
When I use the salted yolks in moon cakes, I salt the eggs for the full 4 weeks because the extra saltiness is a nice contrast to the sweet elements of the cakes. Schedule yourself to make moon cakes within the first week after the eggs are ready, to ensure that the yolks retain their beautiful round shape. You don’t boil the salted eggs used for moon cakes. Instead, you separate the whites and yolks, discard the whites, and bake the yolks.
