Tiger Skin Eggs (虎皮鸡蛋)
Fried Boiled Eggs! A classic throughout Asia - in this video we'll show you how to fry them up in the Chinese style, along with two options of how to serve them up with some saucy goodness
This is our all time favorite way to eat a boiled egg – tiger skin eggs a.k.a. fried boiled eggs. These guys absorb flavor like nothing else, have this great pop to them, and are incredibly versatile. But before we get into it, forgive us for first addressing the one question people inevitably ask us whenever we introduce them to fried boiled eggs:
And that is – "but are they jammy?"
And I mean, on some level… I do kinda get it… a gooey yolk an internet obsession for a reason. But increasingly, if feels like the conventional wisdom's becoming that boiled-to-jammy is the only correct way to enjoy an egg – and in this sense, I strongly believe that this cultural zeitgeist has gone a bridge too far.
Because jamminess? Also comes with a cost. While they're great on toast or nestled in some ramen, they can be sorta difficult to manipulate, a bit of a pain to peel, and tough to incorporate into a flavorful dish.
So. Introducing an alternative technique – tiger skin egg, or fried boiled eggs. While the yolk won't be runny enough to bring your Instagram to its knees, the fried skin allows the egg to absorb flavors like nothing else. It's a common move throughout Asia – you see it everywhere from Indonesia's Telur Balado, to Thailand's son-in-law eggs, to Burmese golden curry.
And today, we'll show you how to fry these up in the Chinese style.
Preparing Tiger Skin Eggs
Eggs, six
Process:
Place six eggs in cool water, then over a high flame bring everything up to a boil. Swap the flame to medium high so that it's not quite as aggressive, then boil for 6.5 minutes.
Remove, place in a bowl of cold water. No need for ice bath - place under running water, swap the water a couple times til it's no longer hot.
Peel & thoroughly dry the eggs.
Gently make some shallow cuts down the egg lengthwise.
To fry, if using a wok, first longyau and add in 3-4 tbsp of oil. Medium high flame, once it's hot enough where bubbles can form around a pair of chopsticks (150-160C), add in the eggs. Fry for 90 seconds on one side, 90 seconds on the other, then twist them around to get any white spots that were missed (~2 minutes more).
If frying with a non-stick saucepan, add in about an inch of oil. Medium high flame, once it's hot enough where bubbles can form around a pair of chopsticks (150-160C), add in the eggs. Fry for two minutes on each side.
*Note on equipments: Round bottomed wok have the advantage of using less oil than a saucepan, but feel free to figure out what works in your kitchen - just do not use stainless steel for this. Our saucepan we used in the video is very small, 7cm (~6.5 inches).
*Note on oil popping: frying boiled eggs is a bit notorious for eggs’ skin popping. Steph likes using a lid as a 'shield' when frying, which can be a nice idea if you're also a bit uncomfortable with popping oil.
Red Braised Tiger Skin Eggs
Fried boiled eggs, 6.
Aromatics:
Ginger, ~½ inch.
Garlic, 1 large clove.
Spices:
Cinnamon/cassia stick (桂皮), ⅛.
Star anise (八角), 1.
Dried bay leaf (香叶), 1.
Whole clove (丁香), 1.
Sichuan peppercorns (花椒), ¼ tsp.
Liaojiu, a.k.a. Shaoxing wine (料酒/绍酒). Or your sub of choice.
Water, 1 cup.
Light soy sauce (生抽), 2 tbsp or 20g.
Dark soy sauce (老抽), ½ tsp or 2g.
Seasoning:
Sugar, 2 tsp or 10g.
Salt, ¼ tsp or 1g.
Slurry of 2 tsp cornstarch (生粉) mixed with equal amount of water.
To finish:
MSG (味精), ⅛ tsp or a pinch.
Toasted sesame oil (麻油), 1 tsp or 5g.
Chopped scallion, a bit.
Process:
Fry ½ inch ginger and 1 large clove of garlic in ~1 tbsp of oil in a small pot over medium flame until fragrant, ~30 seconds.
Add the spices: ⅛ cinnamon/cassia stick, 1 star anise, 1 dried bay leaf, 1 whole clove , and ¼ tsp Sichuan peppercorns. Fry for ~15 seconds. Add in 6 fried boiled eggs, then swirl in 1 tsp liaojiu (Shaoxing wine). Quick mix.
Add 1 cup of water, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, ½ tsp dark soy sauce, and seasoning (2 tsp sugar, ¼ tsp salt). Bring to a boil, then reduce the flame to medium. Keep at a light boil, uncovered.
Flip the eggs a few times through the cooking process. Let it cook for ~12 minutes, or until the liquid's reduced by about one third.
Add ⅛ tsp MSG and a slurry of 2 tsp cornstarch mixed with equal amount of water. Let it thicken, ~30 seconds.
Turn off the heat, drizzle in 1 tsp of toasted sesame oil and add a bit of chopped scallion.
*Note on “western supermarket clubbing”: for a homestyle Chinese red braise you can basically do: the peppercorns and the dark soy can be skipped in a pinch, though both would obviously be recommended. The Shaoxing wine can also be skipped, or subbed with sherry, sake, or bourbon.
Sichuan Homestyle Tiger Skin Eggs
Fried boiled eggs, 6.
Aromatics:
Ginger, 1 inch. Cut into slices.
Garlic, 2 cloves. Cut into slices.
Chili bean paste, Pixian Doubanjiang (郫县豆瓣酱), 1 tbsp or 12g.
Liaojiu, a.k.a. Shaoxing wine (料酒/绍酒), 1 tbsp or 10g.
Water, ½ cup or 125ml.
Seasoning:
Light soy sauce (生抽), ½ tbsp or 5g.
Sugar, ½ tsp or 2g.
Salt, ⅛ tsp or 0.5g.
Green garlic (蒜苗) or scallion, 1 sprig.
Red & green mild chilis, ½ each (or bell peppers). Cut into diamonds.
Slurry of ½ tsp cornstarch with a bit of water.
To finish:
MSG (味精), ⅛ tsp or 0.5g.
White pepper (白胡椒粉), ⅛ tsp or a sprinkle.
Toasted sesame oil (麻油), 1 tsp or 5g.
Process:
Get the wok piping hot, shut off the heat, and add in ~1½ tbsp of oil, and over a low flame fry 1 tbsp of Pixian Doubanjiang (郫县豆瓣酱) for ~3 minutes, until it stains the oil red.
Swap the flame to medium high. Add the aromatics (1 inch ginger and 2 cloves garlic, cut into slices) and fry for ~30 seconds. Swirl in 1 tbsp of liaojiu (Shaoxing wine).
Add 6 fried boiled eggs. Mix to coat the eggs, then add ½ cup of water and the seasoning (½ tbsp light soy sauce, ½ tsp sugar, ⅛ tsp salt). Boil it all together over a high flame.
Once the liquid's reduced by ½, add 1 sprig of green garlic (蒜苗) or scallion and half each of red & green mild chilis (or bell peppers) that’s cut into diamonds. Mix, then add ⅛ tsp white pepper and ⅛ tsp MSG, mix again.
Thicken with a slurry of ½ tsp cornstarch mixed with a bit of water. Turn off the heat and drizzle in 1 tsp of toasted sesame oil.