These are traditionally eaten at the Chinese New Year celebrations, but I make them year round. I usually have a jar full in the fridge for a quick snack or when guests arrive unexpectedly over the holidays. They look lovely if you take the time to carefully dent the shells:
I use this recipe - as most folks seem to prefer a sweet pickle :
Sweet Pickled Eggs :
12 -18 eggs 1 large onion, sliced into rings 2 cups white wine vinegar 2 cups water 1/2 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon pickling spice
Directions
Cover eggs with water in a large pot. Cover with lid. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil gently for 10 minutes. Drain. Run cold water over eggs until they are cold. Shell eggs. Prepare the brine in a sauce pan by combining the vinegar, water, sugar and salt. Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Layer the eggs (whole) and onion rings in a sterilized 2litre jar to within 1 inch of the top. Add pickling spice to brine and bring to boil - let the brine cool then pour brine over eggs to fill jar with 1/4 inch from top.Store in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks before serving. Serve chilled.
davidt4,
Dec 29, 12:59am
These sound wonderful.A project for tomorrow I think.
audio-solutionz,
Dec 29, 1:32am
izing-glass or icing glass! was a method used of old. I don't know where you could source it these days. the eggs in the bottom of the bucket would be especially slimy according to my mother who remembers them from her childhood, though has not done it herself. She's 65 now.
I have a Carla Emery book that is 1974 print. She recommends Water Glass method. She was American, so it's possible you'd only get the ingredients for preserving from America.
__ Pack them when they are between 24 hours and 4 days old. Older eggs wont keep so well. Infertile eggs will keep longer than fertile ones. Water glass is Sodium Silicate, (available at the chemist in America). It was expensive $1.05 a pintin 1974. Use 1 pint of water glass to 9-10 pints of water. For larger or smaller quantities use the same proportion. 1 part water glass to nine parts water.
Scald the crock/bucket etc. Boil the water and let it cool before adding water glass. Pour the solution into the crock, bucket, what-have-you (about half way). Add the eggs. Make sure there is an extra 2 inches of solution covering them to allow for evaporation. Store in a cool place such as a cellar. Add more boiled and cooled water as the solution evaporates to maintain the fluid level. Cover the container as tightly as you can. Don't let it freeze. When you first make up the water glass it is is a clear liquid. It gradually turns into a milk colored sort of jelly.Water glass isn't poisonous and it wont hurt you if it gets on your hands or clothes. It just seals the egg shell. One gallon of water glass will make enough solution to preserve from 75-100 dozen eggs. The most practical approach is just to make more solution as you have more eggs to add. Add them about every 3 days along with enough solution to cover them. If you're lucky they will keep as long as a year. If you boil these eggs, prick the small end with a pin first or they will pop open. You'll have to rub or wash the water glass off before you crack the eggs. Otherwise it will fall off into the omelet.
She mentions a couple of other methods if you're interested.
uli,
Dec 29, 10:50pm
Are they progressing well!
ant_sonja,
Dec 30, 11:19pm
Our chooks are supplying us with many yummy eggs so I would like to try using some in different ways for us all to enjoy. We don't do a lot of baking so I thought I'd try pickling them? Was wondering what is involved in this? I only usually keep organic apple cider vinegar on hand for dressings etc. Would this be ok to use? Also how long do they keep for once pickled? Google gives a lot of different info so I thought I'd ask here. Your tried and true recipes would be very much appreciated. Also are there any other ways of 'preserving' eggs similar to pickling? Many thanks in advance :-)
jbsouthland,
Dec 30, 11:28pm
A neighbourin the 60s did something with wax or fat from memory and then tightly packed them in an old kerosene tin....I thought it very messy....and abit yuk but then I was only a child..She used them for baking when hens went off the lay.
uli,
Dec 30, 11:35pm
Pickling - only means you have 20 more eggs in the fridge that need eating :) They won't "keep" more than a week or two.
If you have too many - then consider freezing them in quantities you may use later - once the chooks moult.
I freeze lots of 4 (for cakes) and lots of 10 for quiches or pancakes or scrambled eggs.
Just crack and whisk lightly with a fork then pour into container and freeze. Many cook books recommend to add salt or sugar "to stabilize" - which is not really needed.
kirinesha,
Dec 30, 11:36pm
I make these for my English husband. These keep for ages and are great on a platter with salami and other cured spicy meats and cheeses.
Put the eggs in cold water, add a teaspoon of vinegar and bring them gently to a boil. Continue to boil for 10 minutes and then put them in a bowl of cold water. When they are cool enough to handle, peel off the shells and put them in clean jars (the larger the better). Heat the vinegar and the spices in the top of a double boiler (or one small pot inside another water filled pot). Remove from the heat as soon as the mixture comes to a boil. Allow the mixture to steep for two hours and then pour it over the eggs and seal the jars. Store at least 2 weeks before eating.
ant_sonja,
Dec 30, 11:43pm
Thanks for that jb & Uli I know I can freeze the eggs - sorry should have mentioned that I already do that when needed and yes, without adding any sugar or salt :-) Would still love to try pickling some as well. believe it or not, I have never had a pickled egg before so I thought as a quick snack throughout the day they may be a slightly different option than a simple boiled egg which I already eat often.
ant_sonja,
Dec 30, 11:45pm
Hi kirinesha - must have typed at the same time :-) Your recipe sounds delish! Will definitely give this a go. Do you store these in the fridge?
kirinesha,
Dec 30, 11:53pm
They can be stored in the fridge or a dark cool place - treat as you would gherkins or pickled onions :)
You can vary the spices by the way.
fifie,
Dec 31, 12:00am
Digby Laws Recipe. Mustard Pickled Eggs. 12 small boiled shelled hard boiled eggs. 21/2 cups spiced vinegar, 2 teaspoons mustard, 2 teaspoons cornflour, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon tumeric, 1 teaspoon salt. Pack eggs into clean jars,In a saucepan bring vinegar to the boil. Mix other ingredients together to a pastewith a little of cold vinegar stir into boiling vinegar simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Pour the cold vinegar mixture over the eggs and seal jars. Let stand several weeks before using.
ant_sonja,
Dec 31, 12:04am
Thanks kirinesha - yes will play around with the spice mix tho yours sounds fab :-)
Fifie - thanks for that recipe too :-) Some great ideas - what's the corn flour do in this scenario?
buzzy110,
Dec 31, 12:18am
Remember that with both the pickled recipes given you must ensure your jars are sterilised and scrupulously clean. This is especially important for eggs.
ant_sonja,
Dec 31, 12:24am
Cheers buzzy110, I'm aware of that :) I was brought up with a lot of home pickling & preserving prior to coming to NZ; just never done much in that regard myself as I tend to eat/cook fresh but would love to widen my food horizons in that respect.
buzzy110,
Dec 31, 12:45am
Diverging slightly from your original question, uli and I both make sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables. I have only recently gotten into that and I understand exactly just how exciting and interesting doing things other than the norm can be.
I have Sylvia Lerch's Barefoot roving book here and she gives a recipe for salted raw, whole eggs if you want though I am not sure I can post her recipe here because of copy write.
However I have googled and there are quite a few similar recipes. I'll post one next and tell you what I'd alter.
Bring water and rock salt to a boil; cool. Place eggs in a crock or glass jar. Pour salt-water mixture over eggs to cover. Cover crock and let stand in a cool place (not refrigerator) for three weeks. Remove eggs from salt bath and store them in the refrigerator if not ready to use immediately. Yolks should be a bright yellow-orange color and quite firm. The white should be slightly cloudy and still runny. Eggs without a firm yolk should be discarded.
To hard cook, cover with fresh cold water and simmer for 20 minutes. Shell and quarter. Serve with hot rice or congee.
NOTE: Salted duck eggs may be purchased in mud-pack form or in brine in Oriental markets.
If in mud pack, scrape off mud, wash well and proceed with recipe.
buzzy110,
Dec 31, 12:53am
To make the brine it will be better, IMO, to do a saturation brine. This, essentially is where you boil enough water to cover the number of eggs you want to salt then add handfuls of salt, stirring between each addition. When the salt no longer dissolves, it has reached saturation.
A clean jar or ceramic container using 2 or 3 layers of muslin cloth to cover will work just as well as a crock.
Place a saucer or a clean plastic bag filled with the brine solution inside on top of the eggs to keep the eggs fully submerged.
After 12 days, you can boil and egg to taste. If it is not salty leave them alone for another 7 days.
No need to use duck eggs. Chook eggs do just as well.
ant_sonja,
Dec 31, 1:07am
Thanks for taking the time to list this buzzy - I have copied the recipe and your suggestions; will try the salted eggs after I have pickled some and see how that goes :-) I'm from Germany originally & pretty familiar with Sauerkraut and other fermented veg, again I just haven't ventured into making my own but would love to learn more.
davidt4,
Dec 31, 11:52pm
These are fantastic; I've just eaten two for lunch.They are not as dry as ordinary hard boiled eggs, and of course don't need any salt or pepper.Thanks Uli.
allurs,
Dec 31, 11:59pm
uli davidt4 could you please post recipe as i am unable to get it on my computer many thanks
davidt4,
Jan 1, 2:12am
Here you are.I'd copied it into my files.I steeped the eggs overnight.
Chinese Marbled Tea Eggs
6 eggs 3/4 cup dark soy sauce 2 star anise 2 tablespoons black tea (or 2 tea bags) 1 cinnamon stick 1 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorn (optional) 2 strips dried tangerine or mandarin orange peel (optional)
Gently place the eggs in a medium pot and fill with water to cover the eggs by 1-inch. Bring the pot to a boil, lower the heat and let simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the eggs (leaving the water in the pot) and let cool under running cool water. Using the back of the teaspoon, gently tap the eggshell to crack the shell all over. The more you tap, the more intricate the design. Do this with a delicate hand to keep the shell intact. To the same pot with the boiling water, return the eggs and add in the remaining ingredients. Bring the mixture to a boil and immediately turn the heat to low. Simmer for 40 minutes, cover with lid and let eggs steep for a few hours to overnight. The longer you steep, the more flavorful and deeply marbled the tea eggs will be.
uli,
Jan 1, 5:39am
They ARE lovely . and a good use of that star anise too :)
davidt4,
Dec 30, 2:04am
Haven't started yet uli - other things got in the way.This afternoon I hope, as it's still pouring with rain.
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