What is century egg? 5 dishes that will get you hooked on the Chinese delicacy

Century egg, or preserved egg, has received a lot of flak since Italian police arrested two Chinese restaurant owners and confiscated 800 century eggs, claiming they were unfit for human consumption. This led to a flurry of comments from native Chinese and the Asian diaspora in defence of their ancestral delicacy on social media, mixed with comments revealing the curiosity as well as the disgust of those unfamiliar with the food. Century egg, or preserved egg, has received a lot of flak since Italian police arrested two Chinese restaurant owners and confiscated 800 century eggs, claiming they were unfit for human consumption Century egg is the result of curing a raw egg in a mixture that includes salt and calcium hydroxide and then preserving it for weeks afterwards. The resulting egg has a greyish green coloured yolk with a creamy consistency and strong, soapy flavour, while the white becomes a dark brown, translucent jelly with a salty taste. It’s an acquired taste, and for those who’ve never tried or haven’t acquired the taste for it yet, don’t fret. Here are some dishes that use century egg as an ingredient, which introduce – or help to reintroduce – the contentious food to your palate. 1. Chilled tofu with century egg View this post on Instagram Recreated this cold dish we had at Kam Han on #yyc Chilled tofu topped with century egg (#皮蛋) and pork floss, spicy garlicky sauce. Recipe from Taiwanese website, simple to make! #涼拌皮蛋豆腐 #yegfood #Homecooking #chinesefood #colddish #appetizer #tofu #spicy #chilies #foodporn #instafood #latergram A post shared by Neko (@instaneko) on Aug 7, 2016 at 7:32pm PDT Diced preserved egg is placed on top of chilled tofu and mixed with a tangy sauce made with soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil and mirin wine. The result is a great balance of flavours where the tofu dilutes the flavour of the egg and the tangy sauce balances it, leaving your palate with slight alkali aroma. Are century eggs really made using horse urine? 2. Tricolour egg with cabbage This dish is amazingly simple and available at most Chinese restaurants such as Paradise Classic with chains throughout Hong Kong. Salted egg, century egg and regular egg are mixed to create a broth where a leafy green, such as spinach, is cooked. The soup is full of umami and for those trying the blackened egg for the first time, this is a chance to nibble at a small piece when consuming your greens. Is nasi lemak from Malaysia or Singapore? 3. Preserved egg pastry View this post on Instagram This is so eggdictive #allthewayfromhongkong #恒香 #皮蛋酥 #acquiredtaste #onmytable #centuryegg #sgfoodie #sgeats A post shared by Dawn Tan-Lee (@summergal) on Dec 19, 2018 at 11:17pm PST This is an old recipe that has flipped the script that century egg has to be a savoury item. This pastry is sweet with a mixture of lotus seed paste and is sometimes served with sweet pickled ginger. It may not sound like much, but in combination the flavours are a medley of floral aromas that show the ingredient in a new light. 4. Pork and century egg congee View this post on Instagram Century Egg Pork Porridge 皮蛋瘦肉粥 #centuryeggporridge #porridge #foodie #foodporn #foodphotography #comfortfood #whati8today #皮蛋粥 #美食#美味#美味しい A post shared by BEA (@bealuvfood) on Jul 10, 2019 at 3:28am PDT If a steaming bowl of rice porridge is one of your go-to breakfasts, preserved egg with pork should be an easy transition. The creamy yolk is usually melted into the congee and the salty exterior serves as a garnish with the texture adding interest to the palate. No surprise that this is one of the most popular congee combinations in town. 5 places to eat outrageous desserts in Hong Kong 5. Spicy century egg Loaded in spice and a tangy sauce, this version of the preserved egg serves as a vehicle for the punchy flavours on the plate. Crystal Jade has taken things a step further with a quail egg rendition that offers the century egg as a bite-sized snack. Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter