Salted duck egg is a traditional Chinese dish created by letting duck eggs soak in brine or packing the eggs in damp salty charcoal. The salt gives the eggs a briny taste and the egg white stays liquid. The egg yolk becomes firm and develops a bright orange-red shade that is very decorative. The egg yolk is much less salty than the egg white.
Before being served, a salted duck egg is normally boiled or steamed. It can be used to flavour other foods or used as a condiment, especially to rice congee, a type of rice porridge. In Chinese moon cakes, the brightly coloured yolk is used as a symbol of the moon.
If you want to make salted duck eggs, start by selecting fresh duck eggs of high quality and clean them thoroughly. It is important to remove any traces of dirt that may be present on the shell. Place the eggs in a glass jar with a safe lid. Fill up a cooking pot with water and bring to full boil. Turn off the heat and add salt until the water can dissolve no more salt. It is important to make the brine really salty, since this is what will keep the eggs preserved. Leave the water until it has cooled down to room temperature. Pour the water over the eggs in the jar and make sure that all eggs become 100% covered. Place the lid on the jar and place the jar in a cool and dry place (not a fridge). Let at least 2-3 weeks pass before you try an egg. In some cases, the eggs need to brine for up to 8 weeks.
