Dish of the Day: Chinese pídàn 皮蛋 or Century Egg [Taiwan]

Century egg with tofu

A mixture of salty and sweet, soft and crunchy and slimy and crispy, this dish is a great example of a 'love it or hate it' flavor profile! In Chinese, it's called 皮蛋, or pídàn, meaning leather or skin egg. In English, it's commonly referred to as Century Egg or Thousand Year Egg.  

The secret to this iconic Chinese egg dish is in its process of preservation, a feat that may take up to several months at a time. The result is a perfectly fermented jewel of an egg, the color of dark coffee egg white and crystal-jade tinted yolk when sliced open.

Although the initial sulfur and ammonia smell may be off putting at first whiff, the flavor profile can be addictive! 

By far, my favorite way of eating it is the way it's pictured in the photo above, placed alongside a block of cold tofu with katsuobushi, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Ts is a very Taiwanese way of preparation.

Although the egg itself can also be eaten alone, there are many other ways of serving it as well, like mixed in omelets or stirred in congee. 

Following is a recipe I found on AllRecipes of a tasty congee version using this Chinese egg. I've been given this before by my Taiwanese friends whenever I had a cold or felt sick, and it always helped me feel better!

Pork and Century Egg Rice Congee Recipe

Recipe by Lea Eats 

"This traditional Chinese breakfast rice porridge is filling, cheap, warming, and oh so good. I like my rice well broken down and therefore use a short-grain rice and a longer cooking time. I hope you enjoy! Serve hot in small bowls, garnished with a drop of oyster sauce, chopped scallion greens, and small slices of yau ja gwai (fried chinese bread stick, or chinese crullers)."

Congee with Century Egg

• 1 cup uncooked short-grain white rice
  
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 6 cups water
• 1 cube pork bouillon cube

• 2 cups char siu (Chinese roast pork), diced
  
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 2 cups water
• 2 preserved duck eggs (century eggs), peeled and diced

Directions

1. Rinse the rice in several changes of cold water. Drain completely in a mesh strainer and place into a large pot. Stir the vegetable oil into the rice and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Stir 6 cups of water, the bouillon cube, char siu, and green onion into the rice. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Stir frequently as the rice cooks to help break the rice grains apart and keep it from burning on the bottom.
3. Stir in the remaining 2 cups of water and the century egg. Continue cooking another 1 1/2 hours, stirring frequently until the congee reaches your desired consistency. The congee is ready when the individual grains of rice are no longer discernable and have thickened the soup.

Image of congee by Yasmina Haryono, used under Creative Commons License. 

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And now we ask you - Have you ever tried Century egg? If not, would you ever?