Food

What I learned to cook during the lockdown: Buttery, golden salted egg yolk chicken


Buttery and creamy golden salted egg yolk chicken. — Pictures by CK Lim
Buttery and creamy golden salted egg yolk chicken. — Pictures by CK Lim

KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 — Some foods taste just as good when delivered — cakes and sourdough bread, fried rice and thermos flasks of soups. (Though I’ll never understand the appeal of iced drinks with half the ice cubes melted…)

These are necessary and a boon given the recent months of lockdown. Though the restrictions have eased in the current recovery movement control order (RMCO), many are still choosing to stay at home rather than dine outside.

Perhaps it’s a wait-and-see mindset. Perhaps we have gotten used to having our meals via an app and a friendly delivery person. Either way, online or mobile food delivery is here to stay.

One dish that seems impossible to deliver and have it served just right is that daichow favourite: salted egg yolk chicken. Something is lost in the half hour or so it takes to travel from the wok to our home.

The crunchiness of the lightly battered chicken, the wok hei, the deep aroma of flash-fried curry leaves; even the richness of the ham dan — the addictive salted egg yolk — feels as though it has lessened somewhat in transit.

Of course, even having a freshly-cooked plate of xián dàn zhá jī is no guarantee that it’ll taste good. The last time we had it at a neighbourhood daichow, what arrived at the table was a soggy, sad mess. Salted egg yolk alone does not equal deliciousness, alas.

Everyone’s favourite indulgent ingredient: salted egg yolk
Everyone’s favourite indulgent ingredient: salted egg yolk

Fortunately, as with many foods, it’s easier to prepare it at home than we realise. The main ingredients — salted egg yolk, chicken, cili padi (bird’s eye chillies), butter and curry leaves are easy enough to obtain.

If there’s anything the recent lockdown has taught us, it’s that with enough time on our hands and a spirit of adventure, we can experiment in our kitchens. We can make do and make magic with what we uncover in our pantries.

And through some cheerful trial and error, we can also dish up our own salted egg yolk chicken, crunchy and rich, deeply aromatic, and full of wok hei.

SALTED EGG YOLK CHICKEN

There are so many salted egg yolk foods these days. Some prefer seafood for their salted egg yolk fry-ups: be it succulent prawns or tender squid. Others prefer to snack on crispy salmon skin and seaweed sprinkled with salted egg yolk “gold dust” — absolutely addictive, these.

But for fans of fried chicken, there’s no better way to enjoy salted egg yolk. Another name for this dish is niúyóu huángjīn jī (literally “golden butter chicken” which ought to tell you what another essential ingredient in this dish might be) though in some circles, this means omitting the crucial salted egg yolk — horrors of horrors!

Don’t forget the 'cili padi' and butter!
Don’t forget the ‘cili padi’ and butter!

Still, this reminds us not to skimp on the butter. If you’re looking for a healthier dish or one that omits lactose, you’d be better off enjoying something else rather than a half hearted rendition of this daichow classic.

Some prefer to separate the salted egg yolks from the whites before steaming the yolks. But, quite honestly, most would end up forgetting the salted egg whites. What a waste.

Easier to boil the salted eggs whole, then scoop out the egg yolks. The cooked salted egg whites can be added to congee or to a vegetable dish the same day. Easy peasy. (And far less of a mess!)

Also, unlike a conventional frying batter where the wet and dry ingredients are kept separate, here both the wet and dry ingredients are incorporated for a thicker batter that doubles as a marinade.

Ingredients

6 uncooked salted duck eggs, cleaned of external black charcoal paste
1kg chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
250g cornstarch
1 large egg
1 tablespoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon rice wine
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Oil, for cooking
125g butter
8 stalks curry leaves; remove the stems
10 cili padi, finely sliced
Sugar and salt to taste, for the gravy

Method

To cook the salted duck eggs, place the cleaned salted duck eggs in a pot of water. Cook over medium heat for 10-12 minutes.

Once cooked, remove from boiling water and rinse in running tap water or submerge in cold water to cool the eggs down. Peel the cooled eggs. Scoop out the egg yolks and place on a chopping board. Chop it up finely using a sharp knife. Set aside in a small bowl.

Add the pieces of chicken thighs in a large mixing bowl. Add the cornstarch, egg, turmeric powder, rice wine, sesame oil, white pepper, sugar and salt. Mix well until every piece is well coated.

The intense aroma of fresh curry leaves is intoxicating.
The intense aroma of fresh curry leaves is intoxicating.

Preheat the oil in a large wok over a high heat. The oil is ready when you add a smidgen of batter to the oil and it sizzles. Fry the pieces of chicken in batches; don’t overcrowd the wok.

Once the pieces of chicken are golden brown, remove from the oil and allow to drain on paper towels or a wire rack. Keep frying until all the chicken are done. Drain the wok of the remaining oil and wipe clean with a paper towel.

To make the salted egg yolk gravy, melt the butter in the wok over medium heat. Add the curry leaves. Fry these until they are crispy but not burnt. Next add chopped up salted egg yolks and cili padi. Season accordingly with sugar and salt.

Finally, return the fried chicken pieces into the gravy. Toss well to ensure every piece is well coated with the salted egg yolk gravy. Transfer to a plate and serve immediately.

For more Weekend Kitchen stories and recipes, visit https://lifeforbeginners.com/weekend-kitchen/.



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