I feel lonely tonight. It is a Saturday evening and I’m binge watching Master Chef in the dark recesses of my room. Normal people in my situation would numb their pain by nibbling on an assortment of cookies or microwaved popcorn. Oh, not me…I don’t have such treats in my pantry. In my search for a processed, high fructose corn syrup filled, sugar coma inducing snack, I stumbled upon…nothing. I opened the fridge and gazed down upon eggs. Not the ivory colored ones we are all accustomed to, I was looking at century eggs.
These eggs are considered Chinese delicacies. Which is a nice way of saying, you NEED to be VERY open-minded if you are going to give them a try. I’m not going to say that this dish is for everyone. It’s not. Century eggs are called that because it looks like they have been rotting for…a century. In reality, it’s more like a few weeks. Through processing, chicken, duck or quail eggs are transformed into the eggs you see in the picture above. I will not bore you with the science, just know…they are not the eggs that you know and love. The whites are turned black and into a jelly like consistency. The yolks takes on a greenish grey color with a creamy consistency. It sounds like I’m talking down on the century egg but I’m not. I grew up eating this and just understand how this may not appeal to the majority. Take that as my one and only warning.
Sooooo…back to my evening of unwanted solitude. I usually eat these “delicacies” as a part of other dishes but never alone (the taste is too strong for me). They leave a fairly unpleasant odor for those brave enough to eat it (ie. stinky breath). I was fearless and saw no reason to have minty fresh breath so I decided to bring the funk! Fried garlic, fried shallots and green onions…I was unkissable! It was worth it though. I enjoyed this little snack and decided to post it as a way of saying “food is subjective, give it a try so you can at least know.”
- 2 whole Century Eggs
- 1 tbsp Roasted Peanuts
- 1 tsp Fried Garlic
- 1 tsp Fried Shallots
- Sriracha To taste
- Scallion Optional
- Cut the century egg into quarters, then sprinkle the remaining ingredients on top.
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