Vacuum-packed preserved quails eggs

[marycontrary]

Hi everyone, I was give these eggs by a Taiwanese friend of mine. They are quails eggs (although you can also get duck egg versions). The outside is dark brown and has the texture of shiny firm plastic. The inside is light brown and tastes creamy, mildly spicy and not salty at all (so not like the preserved eggs I have had in the past), the aftertaste is delicious, almost like liquorice. Unlike 1000 year eggs they don't have that (lovely? frightening?) ancient egg flavour/fragrance/texture, infact they no longer resemble eggs at all. She has given me some in the past that are almost black rather than brown. They seem to be snacks, but does anyone know other uses for them? I am addicted...

PS I have some photos but uploading pictures seems devilishly difficult on this forum...

[marycontrary]

I forgot to add- they are already cooked and have no shell on them, just vacuum-packed in plastic

[Dejah]

I forgot to add- they are already cooked and have no shell on them, just vacuum-packed in plastic

←

Tea eggs ( fresh eggs that were slow cooked in tea and speices)

or

Low shui dan? Simmered in soy sauce and spices.

The licorice flavouring is from star anise

[marycontrary]

Hi Dejah, thanks for the reply,I think it sounds more like low shui dan, as I have had tea eggs before and these didn't taste like them, they did have a subtle soy sauce flavour.I just love the way that something as natural and down-to-earth as an egg can be transformed into something so seemingly artificial and futuristic looking, packed into plastic like candy! These are really hard to find in UK Chinatowns- are they very easy to find in Taiwan or on the mainland?

[aprilmei]

They're called "iron eggs" and they're a Taiwanese speciality. The ones I've had are jet black, shiny, extremely dense and slightly chewy. I love them.

[marycontrary]

Hi April, yes they definately sound like the 'iron eggs' you describe. Is it possible to make them yourself, or do you need special equipment/access to a secret recipe?

From a google search, it seems the eggs are boiled and then dried 3 times until they turn jet black, the liquid they are boiled in apparently contains fermented bean sauce, soy, sugar, and various spices, also I read that they come in different flavours ranging from sweet to spicy. Does anyone else have any information?

Thanks

[jhirshon]

Hope so - these sound DELICIOUS.

cheers, JH

[AzianBrewer]

Oh yeah...they are definitely "Iron Eggs" or "Tieh Da". I think they are originally from Dan Shui in Taipei.

[marycontrary]

Anyone have any recipes for making iron eggs? Are they ever used in particular dishes or are they just a snack to be eaten on their own?

Thanks, Emily