Salted egg the new star

Salted egg the new star

The humble local favourite finds fame as home-grown chefs create snacks, sauces and desserts using the yolks as a key ingredient Salted eggs are all the rage, popping up in myriad dishes and baked goods in cafes and restaurants here.

The brined duck egg yolk has transcended Chinese cuisine, where it is an accompaniment to porridge, tucked into mooncakes or used by zi char cooks to make a sauce for pork ribs, crabs, prawns or deep-fried fish skin.

However, a new generation of chefs and bakers are using the bright orange yolks in pastries, pastas, pizzas, cocktails and as a dip for finger food.

One of the first to realise the potential of salted eggs was Mr Chronos Chan, 40, co-owner of ice cream parlour Tom's Palette in Shaw Towers. He started selling salted egg ice cream in 2008.

Customers were wary of trying it until he decided to list it as a mystery flavour.

That got people trying - and liking - the ice cream.

Then came a period starting about two years ago, when chefs and bakers experimented with salted egg yolk creations and tested them on customers.

Now these dishes are best-selling fixtures on menus, proving to be a hit with diners.

Some of the dishes creating a stir are the charcoal waffles drizzled with salted egg yolk sauce at Fatcat Ice Cream Bar in Bedok North; and seafood pizza slathered with salted egg mayonnaise and fried chicken wings coated with salted egg sauce from Beer Market in River Valley Road.

Chefs who grew up eating salted egg dishes in zi char places are keen to translate the flavour into their creations.

At sharing plates restaurant Morsels in Mayo Street, the grilled octopus and squid ink risotto served with salted egg sauce is its most popular dish, with up to 150 portions sold each month.

Chef-owner Petrina Loh, 32, says: "The risotto has an umami flavour that brings out the saltiness of the sauce, which also goes well with the natural saltiness of the octopus."

Inspired by liu sha bao (steamed salted egg custard bun) in dim sum restaurants, the chef-owner of Fix cafe in Balestier, Mervyn Phan, 35, came up with a dip to accompany its bite-sized doughnuts. The cafe sells about 500 servings of that in a month.

Phan says: "It is interesting to take a nostalgic flavour and apply it in a new and creative way."

Chef Andy Ang, 49, of Five & Dime, a cafe in River Valley Road, was introduced to the salted egg craze by his younger colleagues last year. He came up with salted egg prawn pasta and salted egg custard lava cake.

With only 20 portions made daily, the molten chocolate cakes usually sell out fast.

Ang says: "I like the contrast between the bitterness of the dark chocolate and the salted egg, which adds extra oomph."

The popularity of salted egg yolks stems from its multi-faceted flavours. Makansutra founder KF Seetoh says: "It has mass appeal with its savoury and lightly salted taste. Salted egg dishes are new yet retro and are an allusion to local food heritage."

Eric Neo, 37, executive chef of the Intercontinental Singapore, noticed that salted egg yolks started trending in the middle of last year, when liu sha bao became the most talked-about dim sum item here.

He says: "Salted egg's versatile sweet and savoury flavours make it easy to use in a wide variety of dishes."

Chef-owner Willin Low, 43, of modern Singaporean restaurant, Wild Rocket at Mount Emily, introduced salted egg crab cake in its eight-course omakase menu in July.

He says: "Salted egg has long been part and parcel of Singapore cuisine. More chefs are confident of using local ingredients and proud of celebrating our food heritage, which is more interesting than copying foreign flavours."

Egg suppliers have noticed a growing demand for salted duck eggs from eateries. Egg importer Kai Young Huat has seen a 20 per cent increase in orders in the past year for its processed salted egg yolks.

It processes about 90,000 egg yolks, mainly from Vietnam, in a month. Its director, Mr Aloysius Lee, 34, says: "Salted egg yolk is more than a festive ingredient for mooncakes and rice dumplings. More restaurants are using it in dishes and dim sum."

Mr Randy Tan, 56, general manager of Eastern Egg Supplies, which imports at least 672,000 salted eggs a month, says: "Sales have become consistent all-year- round in the past year, instead of the festive surges in May and August."

As salted egg dishes gain popularity, health experts caution against indulging in them too often.

Salted duck egg yolks contain twice the cholesterol of butter and are high in sodium.

Nutritionist Jean Tong from Eat Right Nutrition Consultancy recommends limiting consumption to one yolk a week.

She says: "Foods such as lava cakes and chicken wings are already sources of empty calories. Adding salted egg makes them more unhealthy."

Dr Christina Low, medical director of Singapore Medical Group, a private specialist health-care provider, points out that a diet high in cholesterol and salt can lead to heart problems and stroke.

She says: "Pair salted eggs with vegetable and fruits, or eat just the egg whites as they do not contain cholesterol."

However, diners are excited by salted egg yolk offerings.

Student Felix Chew, 24, who recently went on a "salted egg food trail", says: "I think salted egg dishes will stay on menus as it is such a popular ingredient. The dishes have the potential to become a classic, just like chilli crab."

Housewife Josephine Seetoh, 40, says: "I am keen to see how cafes use salted eggs in their dishes, though I need to limit myself as they can be quite overwhelming."

Salty goodies

SALTED EGG AND CHAR SIEW MUFFIN

Photo: Operation Dagger

What: Called Ms Piggy, this large savoury muffin has flecks of salted egg yolk in the sweet and smoky barbecued pork filling.

Where: Pacific Marketplace, Pan Pacific

Singapore, 5 Raffles Boulevard, lobby level; open: 7am to 10pm daily

Price: $7

Info: Call 6826-8240 or go to www.pacificmarketplace.com.sg

CRISPY LOTUS WITH SALTED EGG

Photo: Wan He Lou

What: Thin slices of deep-fried lotus root are coated with a piquant salted egg sauce, flavoured with curry leaves and chilli.

This is one of Wan He Lou's best-selling dishes, with about 500 portions sold each month.

Where: Wan He Lou, 01-01, 65 Maude Road; open: 11am to 2.30pm, 5 to 11.30pm, daily

Price: From $11.90

Info: Call 6294-8057 or go to

www.wanhelou.com

SALTED EGG COOKIES

Photo: Flourish

What: With about 400 tubs sold over the Chinese New Year season, these savoury cookies by Flourish have proven to be so popular that baker Trixie Ong, 36, will be offering them permanently at her shop.

Where: Flourish, 122 Owen Road, 01-01, Suites@Owen; open by appointment only

Price: $20 for a jar of 50 to 60 cookies

Info: E-mail cakes@flourish.com.sg, a week in advance to order

SALTED EGG AIOLI

Photo: ST

What: Owner Chung Deming, 33, found it expensive to order a zi char dish to satisfy his craving for salted egg yolk sauce.

So he came up with a dip, which is produced in his modern Singaporean cafe, The Quarters.

The aioli is a blend of mayonnaise, curry leaves, chilli and salted egg yolks. It goes well with fried finger food.

The cafe also serves fries ($8.50) with the aioli. About 70 jars have been sold since January.

Where: The Quarters, 16 Enggor Street, Icon Village, 01-09; open: 8am to 10pm (weekday), 10am to 10pm (Saturday), 10am to 6pm (Sunday)

Price: $14 for a 200g jar

Info: Go to www.thequarters.sg; the Salted Egg Aioli can also be bought from www.batch.sg

THE EGG COCKTAIL

Photo: Operation Dagger

What: Inspired by liu sha bao and a duck egg yolk liqueur from Sweden, Luke Whearty, 31, owner of Operation Dagger bar, came up with this concoction.

It comprises a salted egg yolk cured for 24 hours in dark Venezuelan rum, sugar and vanilla. The drink is housed in a ceramic egg cup, which is then immersed in a glass container that contains smoked star anise and burnt hay.

The Egg has become the bar's signature sip, with more than 900 sold each month.

Where: Operation Dagger, B1-07, 7 Ann Siang Hill; open: 6pm to midnight (Tuesday to Saturday), closed on Monday and Sunday

Price: $25

Info: operationdagger.com

kengohsz@sph.com.sg


This article was first published on March 08, 2015.
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