Thousand-year-old eggs – 皮蛋 - pe`ih-daahn – in congees or as hors-d’oeuvres

Despite their name, the “thousand-year-old eggs” are not that old!

Thousand-year-old eggs (also called century eggs) are preserved duck eggs (皮蛋 - pe`ih-daahn in Cantonese).  You can easily find them at wet markets.  The century eggs are covered with mud and chips and left to ferment – not for a century – but up to 100 days. After that period the white has turned to opaque black and its texture is gelatin-like. The yolk has become black-greenish, is creamy and has a pungent alkaline taste.

 

The outside is gelatin-like  / inside is creamy and has a strong alkaline taste

 

The 2 eggs covered with yellow-orange chips are “pe`ih-daahn”.

The black egg is a salted duck egg (咸蛋) or haa`hm-daahn in Cantonese

How to eat thousand-year-old eggs?

 

Simply remove the mud and rinse the egg well. Then crack the shell, peel and slice the egg (like you would do for hard-boiled eggs). Thousand-year-old eggs are often added in congee to make the notable “thousand-year-old egg and pork rice congee” (pe`ih-daahn sau-yuhk juk1). 

 

Pe`ih-daahn are also served as cold hors d’oeuvres.

 

Pe`ih-daahn with pickled stem ginger

 

Thousand-year-old eggs served cold with thinly sliced bean curd

 

Slices of pickled stem ginger (sold in small plastic bags at wet markets)

 

 Stem ginger / Jí-gèung / 子姜 

 

I remember the first time I tried thousand-year-old eggs. Pe`ih-daahn are definitely an acquired taste!