Salted Eggs (鹹蛋)

Try out the easiest, most mess-free technique for homemade salted eggs!

flodesk gif
Prep Time
10 min
Total Time
45 min
Yields
12 servings
YouTube Tutorial

A Recipe by Daddy Lau

My dad's been cooking Chinese food for over 50 years - as a kid fending for himself in Guangzhou, as the head chef of his own restaurant, and as a loving father in our home.

Hopefully, by learning this recipe, you'll get to experience some of the delicious joy we felt growing up eating his food!

- Randy

Salted egg yolk has become a popular flavor for all kinds of snacks, like cookies, popcorn, chips and even ice cream.

It may also be familiar as an ingredient for your favorite traditional Chinese dishes, like zung, steamed pork patty, congee, mooncakes, and molten custard buns.

But how far back does its history stretch? So far back that we're not even sure! Historical records reference salted eggs in the fifth century, so clearly, their rich, salty golden goodness has withstood the test of time.

Check out a quick story summary of our recipe!

Ingredients

Weight: US
oz
g
Volume: US
cup
mL
Servings
12

Main Ingredients

  • 12 eggs
  • 3 tbsp salt
  • 3 tbsp rice wine (

    Find a rice wine that is 40% alcohol content or any other type of alcohol as long as it's 40%. You can use more if needed.

    )

Other Ingredients

  • 2 cup water
  • 3 tbsp white vinegar

What salt is best for making salted eggs?

We use simple iodized table salt. Feel free to experiment with different salts, like Himalayan pink salt or kosher salt. Don't worry about the size of the grain, as any kind of salt should generally be able to absorb through the shell about the same.

What is the rice wine for?

Because the rice wine is used to help kill bacteria that's on the eggshell, it needs to be at least 40% alcohol by volume, or 80 proof. The higher alcohol content may help weaken the eggshell as well.

The wet layer of rice wine on the eggshell also helps the salt stick.

Step 1: Prepare eggs

Wash the eggs (12 ) gently.

Add white vinegar (3 tbsp) to a clean bowl of water (2 cup) and stir it a little to mix the solution. Add more water as needed. There needs to be enough vinegar solution to fully submerge the eggs.

Soak the eggs in the vinegar solution for 30 minutes. This soaking process will soften the eggshell and let the salt penetrate easily.

Step 2: Prepare curing ingredients

Prepare the salt (3 tbsp) and rice wine (3 tbsp) in separate bowls. The rice wine needs to be at least 40% alcohol to kill any bacteria on the eggs.

Make sure the bowls are large enough that you'll be able to easily roll the eggs around inside.

Step 3: Cure eggs

Take the eggs out from the vinegar solution and gently dry them.

Dip each egg into the bowl of rice wine, making sure that all of the eggshell surface wet. The wetness of the rice wine will help the salt adhere to the eggshell.

Then, roll the egg into the bowl of salt until it's completely covered in salt.

Finally, wrap the coated egg with a prepared square of plastic wrap. Lay the egg down in the center of the plastic wrap, pull one edge of the plastic wrap over and then roll the egg along the length of the plastic wrap to keep wrapping it. Then, tightly twist the two free ends to seal the egg in.

Put the wrapped eggs back into the egg carton for storage, and write the date on it to keep track of timing. Put the egg carton in a plastic bag. Let it cure in a cool, dark, and dry place for 4 weeks.

Step 4: Finished salted eggs

Consume after 4 weeks of curing. Don't wait longer than 4 weeks to use them, as the egg yolks will begin to break down.

If you would like to preserve the salted eggs for longer, crack the eggs, remove and freeze the egg yolks. The frozen egg yolks will keep for longer.

Summary

Print Recipe
Made With Lau
madewithlau.com/recipes/salted-eggs
Salted Eggs (鹹蛋)
Try out the easiest, most mess-free technique for homemade salted eggs!
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Total Time: 45 min
  • Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients

Main Ingredients

  • 12 eggs
  • 3 tbsp salt
  • 3 tbsp rice wine (

    Find a rice wine that is 40% alcohol content or any other type of alcohol as long as it's 40%. You can use more if needed.

    )

Other Ingredients

  • 2 cup water
  • 3 tbsp white vinegar

Step 1 - Prepare eggs

↑ Jump to details

Wash the eggs (12 ) gently.

Add white vinegar (3 tbsp) to a clean bowl of water (2 cup). Soak the eggs in the vinegar solution for 30 minutes.

Step 2 - Prepare curing ingredients

↑ Jump to details

Prepare the salt (3 tbsp) and rice wine (3 tbsp) in separate bowls.

Step 3 - Cure eggs

↑ Jump to details

Take the eggs out from the vinegar solution and gently dry them.

Dip each egg into the bowl of rice wine, making sure that all of the eggshell surface wet.

Then, roll the egg into the bowl of salt until it's completely covered in salt.

Finally, wrap the coated egg with a prepared square of plastic wrap.

Put the wrapped eggs back into the egg carton for storage, and note the date to keep track of timing. Put the egg carton in a plastic bag. Let it cure in a cool, dark, and dry place for 4 weeks.

Step 4 - Finished salted eggs

↑ Jump to details

Consume after 4 weeks of curing. If you would like to preserve the salted eggs for longer, crack the eggs, remove and freeze the egg yolks.

Step 5 - Take pictures
Whip out your camera (1). Begin taking photos (1,000,000). Pick your favorites!
Step 6 - Share and tag us on Instagram @madewithlau #madewithlau!
Did you have fun making this recipe? We'd love to see & hear about it. (Especially my dad. He would be THRILLED!)

Enjoy!

We have many, many happy memories of enjoying this dish growing up.

Now, hopefully, you can create your own memories with this dish with your loved ones.

Cheers, and thanks for cooking with us!

Feel free to comment below if you have any questions about the recipe.