Small, jet-black eggs repeatedly braised in soy sauce and air-dried until they become dense, intensely savory, chewy nuggets of concentrated umami — Tamsui's legendary snack.
Ingredients
12 quail eggs or small chicken eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
300ml soy sauce
200ml water
3 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp rock sugar
1 tsp five-spice powder
2 slices ginger
Instructions
1Combine soy sauce, water, star anise, cinnamon, rock sugar, five-spice, and ginger in a pot. Bring to a boil.
2Add peeled hard-boiled eggs. Simmer for 1 hour, turning occasionally for even color.
3Remove eggs from liquid and air-dry for 6-8 hours (use a fan to speed the process). The surface should feel dry and slightly tacky.
4Return eggs to the braising liquid (reheat if needed) and simmer for another hour. Air-dry again.
5Repeat the braising-and-drying cycle 3-5 times over several days until eggs are dark brown to black, shrunken, dense, and chewy.
6Store in an airtight container. Best eaten at room temperature.
Did You Know?
Iron eggs were invented by accident in the 1960s when a Tamsui vendor named Huang Zhang-ji kept re-braising unsold eggs — she discovered that each cycle made them chewier and more flavorful, and a local delicacy was born.