Chayote with Salted Duck Egg , or 佛手瓜炒鹹鴨蛋, first grills lemon-marinated Chayote slices, then stir fries them with Chinese Salted Duck Eggs.
I was inspired to create this dish by a recipe I once saw in a Chinese cookery book which featured salt preserved Duck Eggs being stir-fried with Bitter Melon. This vegetable can look a little like Chayote, but has a very different taste, being… well, bitter, while Chayote is very mild, almost cucumber like in delicacy. In order to boost the flavor profile of the latter for this dish, I marinated the slices of fresh Chayote with Lemon Juice, Rice Wine, and Sesame Oil before grilling them for even more flavor.
Chinese Salted Duck Eggs are sometimes used in sweet preparations, as in the Salted Egg Yolk Buns popular on Dim Sum menus, but the umami, saltiness works very well in savory preparations, especially with mild vegetables.
How to Cook Chayote with Salted Duck Egg
First, slice the Chayote into strips, then toss them in a bowl with the salt and leave to sit for twenty minutes or so. If your Chayote has very thick skin, you may wish to peel it first, but this is not usually an issue with the smaller ones.
When the Chayote slices have wilted somewhat, rinse them well and squeeze out the excess water and put back in the bowl. Mix together the sugar, lemon juice, rice win and sesame oil and stir to dissolve the sugar. Pour this over the chayote and leave to marinate for at least fifteen minutes.
Next, break the Salted Duck Eggs into a bowl and chop up the solid parts of the yolk into tiny chunks using a knife.
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When ready to cook, lightly grill the chayote until it is just cooked through and some nice light grill marks appear. Do not overdo this part. You want the marks to be faint… not heavily dark.
Heat your wok over medium flame and add a tablespoon of oil. When the oil is hot, pour in the egg and, just as the white is beginning to set, break it up into chunks with the edge of your spoon. You don’t want to scramble the eggs entirely; rather you should end up with distinct pieces.
Finally, add the chayote slices, sauté briefly until they are heated through then plate and serve your Chayote with Salted Duck Egg while piping hot.
Your Recipe Card for 佛手瓜炒鹹鴨蛋:
Chayote with Salted Duck Egg
Ingredients
- 1 Chayote
- 2 Salted Duck Eggs
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1 tbsp. Rice Wine, or Dry Sherry
- 1 tbsp. Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp. Sesame Oil
- ½ tsp. Sugar
Instructions
- Slice the Chayote into strips and macerate them in a bowl with the salt.
- When the Chayote has wilted, rinse away the salt and marinate the strips for fifteen minutes in a mixture of the sugar, lemon juice, sherry and sesame oil.
- Break the Salted Duck Eggs into a bowl and then chop up the solid parts of the yolk into tiny chunks.
- Lightly grill the chayote until cooked and some nice light grill marks appear.
- Fry the eggs in a little oil over moderate heat, breaking them up into distinct chunks as they solidify.
- Finally, add the chayote slices, sauté briefly until they are heated through then plate and serve.
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