boiled eggs simmered in soy sauce
Mom makes these whenever she makes beef simmered/braised in soy sauce, and it is SO GOOD. I haven’t the faintest idea what she does with the beef – what parts, how she cuts them, etc… I just know that at the end of the day, there’s definitely eggs in it for me.
Then, when I spent 6 weeks in Beijing, these eggs became both the start and usually the highlight of my days. By the bus stop where I waited to go to work, there would always be a food stand with [a bunch of stuff that I don't remember and] these EGGS. They were “wu mao” per egg (fifty Chinese “cents”) — which makes them about $0.07 apiece.
Eggs and soy sauce are already a magical combination. Hard boiled, fried, whatever – drizzle soy sauce over a cooked egg and you are in bidness. However, simmer a boiled egg in a soy sauce-drenched broth for a few hours ……… that’s where the magic happens.
Anyway, I got mom to squeal her method, so here it is!
Materials:
- eggs
- enough chicken stock / bouillon / whatever to juuust cover the eggs in a small pot
- 1/4 cups soy sauce (give or take, to taste – but keep in mind, you’re not drinking the broth, it just has to soak into the eggs, so it must be pretty strong)
- 1 tbsp (ish) ginger root
- 1 star anise
Method:
- Boil the eggs. The way I do it is, put the eggs in a pot, fill with water to cover the eggs, bring to a boil, turn off heat, cover and leave for 17 minutes. (Give or take. I could not swear to being that exact).
- Put the eggs in ice water until they cool down (this is supposed to help keep that green film from forming around the yolk too), then peel the eggs.
- Put the eggs back in the pot and add the appropriate amount of bouillon for how many cups you put in, or replace water w/ chicken stock. Add soy sauce, ginger and star anise.
- Bring to boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 2-3 hours. When the color is like below, you are done!
Yay! Soy simmered eggs! Enjoy!
Kristina said,
March 5, 2010 at 4:26 pm
I LOVE these eggs. My mom makes them, too.
You’re totally right…soy sauce + eggs (fried or hard-boiled is my preference) = match made in heaven.
pressure cooker tea eggs « ☼ chefs of the high peas ☼ said,
March 17, 2010 at 3:05 am
[...] the producers who brought you the critically acclaimed Eileen’s egg simmered in soy sauce, comes a companion piece about the marbled cousin of the salty ovoid snack. The version of [...]