Salted eggs

Salted eggs with congee is a go to for comfort food eating.  Most commercial salted eggs are duck eggs.  They are "grey" and often already hard boiled.  You can easily make your own salted eggs using chicken eggs and for me there is nothing better than a golden yolked soft boiled salted egg with dried scallop congee.

INGREDIENTS

15 chicken eggs (approx 68g each)

1C sea salt (or rock salt)

1L (4C) hot water

1T Shaoxing wine

1 star anise

2t Sichuan peppercorns

METHOD

Put water, salt, star anise and peppercorns into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve the salt, remove from heat and let cool completely (or overnight)

Once fully cooled, add the Shaoxing wine to the brine.  Sterilise a large glass container (I use boiling water technique).  Wash the eggs* and put the eggs into the glass container, making sure none have any cracks or crack

*Keep the egg carton for storage later

Pour the cooled salt water mix into the container and cover the eggs. To keep any eggs that may float fully submerged in the brine, place a small bowl or plate on top of the eggs

Tightly seal the container and keep at room temperature for 30 days (1 month).  After 30 days it is probably best to test one egg out.  Cook and see if its salty enough.  If it isn't, brine for another week or so

For storage, drain and wipe the eggs dry. Keep them in their original egg carton in the fridge. The salted eggs can be kept for a few weeks in this way

NOTES

If you omit using Shaoxing wine, your egg yolks will not turn orange-red

The glass jar I used was the 1.8L Ikea Korken jar which costs $AUD 3.99