Thousand-Year-Old Eggs

Categories: Cheese/eggs | Chinese

Serves: 12 Servings

Ingredients:

2 c Very strong black tea
1/3 c Salt
2 c Each ashes of pine wood,
Ashes of charcoal and ashes
From fireplace
1 c Lime*
12 Fresh duck eggs

Instructions:
These are often called thousand-year eggs, even though the preserving
process lasts only 100 days. They may be purchased individually in Oriental
markets.

Combine tea, salt, ashes and lime. Using about 1/2 cup per egg, thickly
coat each egg completely with this clay-like mix- ture. Line a large crock
with garden soil and carefully lay coated eggs on top. Cover with more soil
and place crock in a cool dark place. Allow to cure for 100 days. To remove
coating, scrape eggs and rinse under running water to clean thoroughly.
Crack lightly and remove shells. The white of the egg will appear a
grayish, translucent color and have a gelatinous texture. The yolk, when
sliced, will be a grayish-green color.

To serve, cut into wedges and serve with:

Sweet pickled scallions or any sweet pickled vegetable

Sauce of 2 tablespoons each vinegar, soy sauce and rice wine and 1
tablespoon minced ginger root.

*Available in garden stores and nurseries.

The description of the whites turning grayish isn't quite accurate from
the ones I've seen. They're more a dark blackish amber color-- quite
attractive actually.

From "The Regional Cooking of China" by Margret Gin and Alfred E.
Castle, 101 Productions, San Francisco, 1975.

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