Mai

This recipe is a part of our our mini series: Vietnamese dishes that might put foreigners into a coma.

Today we’re tackling duck embryos/fertilized duck eggs. Commonly known in English by its filipino name balut, trứng vịt lộn (northern dialect) or hột vịt lộn (southern dialect) is a popular street food in Vietnam as well. The fertilized eggs are incubated, usually for 2 to 3 weeks for the duck to begin development.

The most simple way to eat them is boiled and served with rau răm- Vietnamese coriander, fresh ginger, and salt and pepper. In Hồ Chí Minh city, street vendors specializing in trứng vịt lộn will almost always have hột vịt lộn or cút lộn xào me- duck or quail embryos in tamarind sauce. Other than simply boiled, this is likely the second most common way these eggs are eaten. Albeit less common, you will also find them in hotpot, fried with fish sauce, in rice congee, batter-fried, in soups, and more.

This recipe is for the version with tamarind sauce. The sauce is sweet, sour, and savory. It’s thick, coating the eggs and adding layers of flavor. Crunchy crushed peanuts and crispy fried shallots are added on top, adding even more texture- which Vietnamese people love, and of course, rau răm is always a must-have pairing with trứng vịt lộn. While I am from the north, I used the southern dialect’s name for the eggs in this recipe, since this dish originated in the south.

If you’ve been wanting to try fertilized duck eggs but worried about eating them plain, this is a great way to ease yourself in!

INGREDIENTS FOR HỘT VỊT LỘN XÀO ME

Fertilized duck eggs – Trứng vịt lộn/hột vịt lộn
Tamarind – Me
Shallot – Hành tím/hành khô
Garlic – Tỏi
White granulated sugar – Đường cát trắng
Fish sauce – Nước mắm: arguably the most important seasoning sauce in Vietnamese cuisine. Made from fermented anchovies, it is salty and incredibly umami. Non-vegan Vietnamese recipes without fish sauce are very rare. The best nước mắm comes from Phú Quốc or surrounding islands off the coast- Southwest of mainland Vietnam. Our favorite brand available outside of Vietnam is Red Boat (U.S.).
Bouillon – Hạt nêm: think broth, but in solid form. Bouillon is an amazingly easy way to bring that umami flavor to your food. We use it instead of salt in many of our dishes. You can usually find chicken, pork, or mushroom bouillon. In Vietnam, Knorr is the most common brand. However, we have only been able to find Knorr in powder form in the US and France, not granules. Instead, we use Totole brand chicken or mushroom bouillon. The quantities on our website are based on the granule-type so if you use powder, adjust to your taste.
Chili sauce – Tương ớt: such as sriracha
Vegetable oil
Vietnamese coriander – Rau răm
Roasted unsalted peanuts – Lạc/đậu phộng rang không muối
Bird’s eye chili – Ớt hiểm

DIRECTIONS FOR HỘT VỊT LỘN XÀO ME

Gently clean the surface of the eggs under running water.
Bring a medium pot of water to boil.
Once boiling, reduce heat to medium, add in the eggs, and boil for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, add the tamarind pulp to a bowl and pour in boiling water. Set aside.
Peel and thinly slice shallot.
Peel and mince garlic.
Slice chilies diagonally, if using.
Rinse rau răm – Vietnamese coriander, remove leaves from the stems, and thinly slice into ribbons.
Crush peanuts with a morter and pestle or roughly chop with a knife.
Add cold water or water and ice to a large bowl.
When the eggs are done, remove them from the pot and place into the cold water. Let sit until cool enough to handle.
With clean hands, massage the tamarind pulp to extract it into the warm water. The mixture should become thick and opaque.
Place a sieve over a clean bowl and pour the tamarind mixture through, using a spoon to press any solids left in the sieve to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Discard the solids.
To the tamarind liquid, add sugar, fish sauce, bouillon, and chili sauce. Stir to fully combine and dissolve the sugar.
Prepare a clean plate to hold the peeled eggs, along with a small bowl for the liquid.
Use the flat of a knife or a spoon to crack the bottom (the less pointy side) of an egg and begin peeling to create a hole.
You may see a membrane holding the egg together, gently break this with your fingers, then pour any of the liquid inside the egg into the small bowl.
Continue peeling the egg and place the peeled egg into the plate. Repeat with the remaining eggs.
Add shallot and oil to a cold sauce pan, and turn heat to medium. Fry the shallot, stirring continuously for about 4 minutes, until you start seeing the first bits turn golden. Reduce heat to low (2/10) and continue frying until most of the shallot has turned lightly golden.
NOTE: pull the shallot earlier than you think you should, it can burn quickly.
Using chopsticks or a slotted spoon, remove the fried shallot from the pan to a small plate or bowl, leaving the oil in the pan.
Heat the oil back up to medium and add the minced garlic. Sweat for about 1 minute, be careful to not burn the garlic.
Pour in the tamarind sauce mixture, along with the reserved egg liquid.
Let the sauce boil for about 5 minutes or until thickened.
Add in the sliced chilies (if using), saving a few pieces for garnish, and the eggs.
Reduce heat to medium low and let the eggs simmer in the sauce for about 10 minutes, turning and spooning the sauce over them frequently to ensure all sides are well coated.
Remove the eggs and sauce to a plate, top with rau răm, crushed peanuts, and fried shallots. Serve immediately!

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