This whole recipe started because a good friend gifted me with a bag of salted duck eggs. Not one or two but TEN. Dear B had bought them directly from a salted egg manufacturer in Pantai Permatang Damar Laut and very generously passed some along to me.
Aiks, what on earth do I do with ten salted duck eggs?
Then I remembered one of my all-time favourite dishes at Chinese restaurants: fried chicken in salted duck egg sauce!
After Googling like a hundred recipes, it occurred to me, hey this doesn’t look that hard. I tried it, and loved it so much I made a whole bottle of it so that I can make my favourite dish whenever I want, hassle-free.
What you need for a proper salted duck egg sauce
The magic ingredient here is salted duck egg yolks. Once cooked and mashed, they melt into hot butter and oil, forming that signature foamy, savoury sauce you see in restaurants.
You only need a small handful of other supporting ingredients:
Salted duck egg yolks – the rich, savoury base
Butter and oil – the former for flavour while oil stabilises heat
Curry leaves – a fragrant lift that cuts through the richness
Red chillies – mostly for colour and a gentle heat
And of course, sugar and salt for seasoning
Together they create that unmistakable creamy, slightly crumbly sauce that clings beautifully to fried food.
Some recipes call for cream/milk but in my opinion, you don’t need it.
How your creamy, golden salted duck egg sauce comes together
Start by removing the outer coating from salted duck eggs and washing them clean.
Place them in a pot of water — enough to fully cover the eggs — and bring to boil in an uncovered pot.
When the eggs are cool enough to handle, cut them in half and scoop out the yolks with a spoon. The whites aren’t needed for this recipe, so save them for another dish.
Mash the yolks with a fork until they form coarse crumbs.
Next, heat butter and tablespoon oil in a saucepan.
Add the mashed yolks and stir them through the butter/oil over medium heat. They should quickly start to foam. If nothing happens, turn the heat up slightly until the mixture starts to foam.
Finally, toss in curry leaves and thinly sliced red chillies. Season with a pinch of sugar and salt to taste, give everything a final stir, and your salted duck egg sauce is ready.
At this point you can toss in fried chicken bites, prawns, squid or tofu. Or simply spoon it over a bowl of hot white rice.
Salted duck egg sauce goes beautifully with vegetables too – try out this bittergourd dish!
Salted Duck Egg Sauce
Equipment
- Pot, saucepan
Ingredients
- 5 salted duck eggs
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 6 –8 curry leaves
- 1 red chilli thinly sliced
- Salt and sugar to taste
Instructions
- Remove any outer coating from the salted duck eggs and rinse them clean.
- Place the eggs in a saucepan and add enough water to fully cover them. Bring to a boil in an uncovered pot, then lower the heat slightly and cook for 15 minutes. Remove and allow the eggs to cool.
- Cut the eggs in half and scoop out the yolks with a spoon. The whites are not needed for this sauce. Place the yolks in a bowl and mash them gently with a fork until you get coarse crumbs.
- Heat 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the mashed yolks and stir them through the hot fat. The mixture should quickly foam and bubble as the yolks cook. If the sauce isn’t foaming, increase the heat slightly. Continue stirring for 2–3 minutes until the yolks turn fluffy and aromatic.
- Add the curry leaves and sliced chilli. Stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add sugar and salt to taste. Stir everything together so the seasoning coats the yolks evenly.
- Add your fried chicken, prawns, squid or tofu and toss until well coated in the salted egg sauce. Serve immediately with hot white rice.
Notes
Salted Duck Egg Sauce - Quick FAQ
1. What is salted duck egg sauce?Salted duck egg sauce is a rich savoury sauce made by frying mashed salted duck egg yolks in butter and oil until foamy and aromatic. 2. Why does salted egg sauce foam when cooking?
The yolks emulsify with the butter and oil as they cook, creating the fluffy, slightly foamy texture that helps the sauce coat fried food. 3. Can I use regular eggs instead of salted duck eggs?
No. The distinctive flavour of salted duck eggs is what gives this sauce its deep savoury taste. 4. What dishes go well with salted egg sauce?
It pairs beautifully with fried chicken, prawns, squid, tofu and crispy vegetables. 5. Why are curry leaves used in salted egg sauce?
Curry leaves add fragrance and help balance the richness of the egg yolks. 6. How salty is salted egg sauce?
Salted duck eggs are already quite salty, so only a small amount of additional seasoning is usually needed. 7. Can I make salted egg sauce less rich?
You can reduce the butter slightly or add extra chilli and curry leaves to lighten the flavour. 8. Can salted egg sauce be stored?
Yes. It can be refrigerated for a week and reheated gently in a pan before using.