One was a salted.

I don’t know what possessed me to buy that first salted duck egg. Unrefrigerated, packed in its own little bag, and covered in a thick layer of charcoal and salt. Quite possibly one of the most unappealing things I’d yet seen intended for human consumption. If it weren’t labeled, I probably would have thought it was a pet rock.

I had to do some research on how to prepare them, but it ended up being pretty simple. Start by rubbing the salt off with your thumb into the trash. Some eggs will have a layer of clay between the salt and eggshell, while others won’t. Once you’ve got enough off as you can, run the egg under the tap, rubbing gently until the shell is completely clean.

The prepared egg can be used in a number of ways. The simplest is simply to boil it, as is, like any other egg. After about six or seven minutes in boiling water, it will be ready to add to many different dishes. The flavour is quite different from standard fresh chicken eggs, so maybe don’t throw it into a Cobb salad. In it’s boiled state, it is great sliced and added to ramen or other noodle dishes, or added to congee or plain white rice.

One of the most popular ways the eggs are used is actually in desserts. When cracked open, the yolk is round, firm and bright orange and can easily be removed from the egg white with your hands, unlike the fresh eggs we might be used to. The salted yolk is an ingredient in moon cakes, a seasonal pastry including lotus nut or red bean paste and a salted egg yolk.

Another way to use the eggs is in various steamed pork dishes. Separate them when they’re still raw. If you crack them into a bowl, you can pull out the yolk with your hand. It’s firm and feels quite dry. It should also be an astonishingly bright orange.

Mix the whites of two eggs with lean ground pork, grated ginger, chopped green onions and garlic, a splash of water and a spoonful or two of cornstarch to bind. Mix thoroughly with your hands.

The mixture can be used in a number of ways. As a filling for dumplings, wrapped around green onions and pan fried, or steamed either as one large patty or as individual meatballs. The latter is my favourite, simply rolling the mixture into balls and cooking in a conventional steamer. Serve alongside ramen or other noodle dishes, with tamari and lots of hot sauce.

Your anonymous comment may be printed in The Ontarion's print publication.