A quick and easy salted egg snack recipe: it only takes 5 minutes to make this addictive and deliciously sweet & salty popcorn.
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Salted egg snacks are like marmite- you either love them, or hate them. (Singapore, as a whole, seems to be a nation of salted egg lovers- we have salted egg prawns, salted egg fried rice, salted egg croissants, salted egg cookies and even salted egg ice cream!) Lately, I've fallen in love with popping corn on the stove (I've even written a post on how to perfectly pop popcorn on an induction stove) so I thought, why not salted egg yolk popcorn? Salted eggs aren't the healthiest possible condiment and popcorn (sans all the butter and caramel) is a great snack so I figure the 2 balance each other out, calorie-wise! (Note: this does not make a crunchy popcorn, as there's no caramel in the sauce, but rather a soft popcorn loaded with umami.)
If you're a fan of savoury snacks as I am, try these 26 Asian snacks, party foods and canapes or these 9 sweet and savoury Asian nut recipes!
What does salted egg taste like?
It's hard to describe, but it's quite an intense, in-your-face flavour that's packed with umami. Sort of like an Asian parmesan. Definitely not for people who like mildly flavoured food!
What kind should I use?
You can use shop-bought eggs but I always like to cook with homemade ingredients wherever possible (less preservatives and additives!) It's super easy to make your own salted eggs- you just need salt, water, eggs and time. (If you can't get duck eggs, which are traditional and produce an oilier, more orange yolk, simply substitute with chicken eggs. In Singapore, duck eggs are not sold, so I use chicken. Try to use organic, free range chicken eggs with a deeper coloured yolk - like the ones used to make pasta- as these make for more attractive salted eggs.)
You can also use pure salted egg powder such as Knorr's. (Most other brands contain sugar, milk etc and are not purely salted egg.) The substitution is 11.8g of Knorr powder to 1 yolk. It is actually easier to use the powder as you can add it directly to the pan. (In contrast, the yolks need to be steamed then mashed up first.)
Steaming vs boiling
You can either steam or hard boil them then keep them in the fridge. However, my preference is for separating the yolk from the whites then steaming the yolks as this allows for a cleaner separation of the white from the yolk. (When you hard-boil the eggs first, there is always a bit of precious yolk that is removed with the white (or you get some white mixed in with the yolk.) If you're short of time, microwave the yolks on high for about 2 minutes.
What do you do with the whites after using the yolks for salted egg snacks?
Most recipes call for only the yolks and say to throw the salted egg whites away, which is a terrible waste! Instead, keep the whites and add them to:
- omelettes
- steamed minced pork
- porridge
- tofu (coat before frying)
- fried rice
Remember to omit or reduce the salt when adding the salted egg whites as they're naturally salty!
I don't have curry leaves and I don't like chilli, what can I do?
The chilli is definitely optional and, strictly speaking, the curry leaves are too. Even without these 2 ingredients, this popcorn is super tasty thanks to the umami in the yolk. However, I can guarantee that once you've had salted egg snacks with the curry leaves, you won't want to go without, as the earthiness and almost bitterness of the curry leaves help to ground the fat of the salted egg yolk. (Similar to how a lot of parmesan on its own can be cloying, and needs another ingredient to add complexity.) If you don't have your own curry leaf plant, the herb is readily available in Asian supermarkets, in fresh, frozen or dried forms. You'll only need a sprig or 2 for this recipe so here are some other curry leaf recipes to use up the rest! (If you're lazy to click the link, you can temper the curry leaf in oil to make a tadka for your curry or use it to make a relish.)
Quick and easy salted egg snack recipe: popcorn
Equipment
- potato masher (or fork if you don't have one)
- weighing machine
- frying pan
- heat proof spatula
Ingredients
- 6 salted egg yolks Steamed/ hard boiled/ microwaved till cooked, then mashed finely to avoid clumps in the sauce. If you're extra finicky, blend the salted eggs yolks for the finest possible sauce!
- 100 g unsalted butter Works out to be 3.5 oz. The salted egg yolks are salty already so don't use salted butter
- 3 sprigs curry leaf optional
- 1 chilli padi optional, substitute with big chilli or a pinch of chilli powder if you want some spice but not too much. Always remove the seeds if you can't take the heat!
- 2 teaspoon sugar Or, to taste. The sugar is crucial to balance the saltiness of the egg yolks and bring out the flavour to its fullest so do not skip it! Taste and, if necessary, add more. (Different brands of salted eggs have varying levels of saltiness. Homemade salted eggs also taste different depending on how many days the eggs are left in the brine, so will require slightly different amount of sugar to balance the salt. Some may even require you to add a pinch of salt to the sauce, but always taste first to see if this is necessary!)
- Pinch Salt Often, this is unnecessary, so taste first before adding!
- 5-6 cups cooked popcorn If you need tips on how to make your own popcorn on an induction stove, visit https://www.greedygirlgourmet.com/how-to-pop-corn-on-the-stove/ Use about 3 tablespoons of corn kernels to get approximately 6 cups of popcorn.
Instructions
- Using medium-low heat, melt the butter then add the curry leaf sprigs and stir fry till fragrant. Add the chilli and give the sauce another stir. (Do not allow the butter to brown.)
- Add the mashed salted egg yolks and stir till you see the sauce frothing up- this ensures that the sauce will be nice and thick.
- Add the sugar and stir. (Alternatively, if you want the sugar to form a light crunchy layer on the popcorn, add the sugar at the end of the entire process!)
- Taste and, if necessary, add salt, stir then remove the pan from the heat (and switch off the fire).
- Add the popcorn to the sauce then stir till well-mixed.
Notes
What's your favourite salted egg snack? I used to love fish skin but after the whole Irvins and the lizard scandal, I've never quite felt the same way about it again 😛 (That's why salted egg lovers should make this snack: you'll never confuse the popcorn with a lizard!)
Eliz says
I LOVE salted egg! This is amazing!
Zen says
yay me too! glad u like it
Anaiah says
I've had salted eggs before but never with popcorn! This looks interesting. I'll give it a try
Gabriela Herrera says
This popcorn is an absolute game changer. I have never seen such a thing it looks so indulging.
Sue says
A new way to enjoy popcorn! How fun!
Zen says
haha hope u like it. salted egg is one of my fave flavours!
Emily Flint says
This is such an interesting and intriguing recipe. I've never heard of salted eggs, but now I need to try this! I have a friend who has ducks so I will be visiting her ASAP and then making this popcorn!
Zen says
aw lucky u!! we can't get ducks in singapore, so I've always had to make do with chicken eggs!! Hope u like the result:)