Chinese steamed eggs (蒸水蛋) with pidan and salted egg

Everybody loves steamed eggs especially if it is soft and silky. It is not easy to get it perfect all the time especially me because I always forget the timing i.e. when I put the mixture into the steamer or when to take it out. I decided to use the electric steamer today because it has a timer. Unfortunately, I did not hear the timer so the egg was left in the steamer too long and I ended up with a lot of holes in the egg. Hopefully, better luck next time when I try the electric steamer again.

 Century or thousand year eggs called Pidan (皮蛋) are not really 1,000 years old but are somewhere between several weeks to several months old depending on the processing method. It is made by preserving duck, chicken or quail eggs in a mixture of clay, ash, salt, quicklime, and rice hulls. Through the process, the yolk becomes a dark green to grey color, with a creamy consistency and strong flavour due to the hydrogen sulfide and ammonia present, while the white becomes a dark brown, translucent jelly with a salty flavour. In China, they are sometimes referred to as “pine-patterned eggs.” This is due to the intricate pine branch patterns that show up near the eggs’ surface. They are often served with pickled ginger or used in congee or stir fries. 

I like to buy pidan with the husks on because the yolks are firm and not runny compared to those without the husks.

Ingredients 

3 chicken eggs (room temperature)

1 pidan

1 hard boiled salted egg

This is how I peel the pidan.

Put the pidan into a small used plastic bag

Crack the pidan and peel off the shell in the bag.

This way there are no bits of husks or shell falling onto the counter top or floor.

Cut the pidan and salted egg into small pieces.

Make a hole in the bottom of one egg.

Put the egg into the bowl with the other eggs

Use the egg shell to measure the amount of water to add into the eggs.

The ratio is to use 1 ½ egg shell or 3 half egg shell of water per egg.

Using the egg shell to measure the water is ideal because no matter what size eggs you use the ratio will always be right.

Add a little salt and pepper into the egg mixture.

Lightly beat eggs.  

Strain the egg mixture to get rid of bubbles to ensure a smooth and silky texture.

Strain the egg mixture a second time into a shallow heatproof dish.

See the bubbles left in the strainer?

Add the pidan and salted egg into the mixture.

Place the dish onto the prepared steamer.

Cover and steam on low heat for 10 minutes.

Do not use high heat or the texture will be coarse.

Alternatively, you can use an electric steamer.

Cover and steam for 10 minutes or until egg is set.

If you're not sure if the egg has set, shake the dish a little and the egg should be jiggly but firm.

Make sure that water droplets on the lid do not drip onto the steamed eggs when removing from the steamer.