How Asia does eggs: 10 ways to enjoy this beloved ingredient
Eggs are inexpensive and famously versatile, which is why they’re a favourite ingredient of home cooks and culinary shows like MasterChef. Be creative with an egg, and you can become a kitchen wiz.
They may be simple, but in Asian kitchens, they’re also sophisticated vehicles of flavour and history. In the region, eggs are preserved until they turn black, slow-cooked until they become liquid gold or exploded into flossy, crisped confetti. These are eggs reimagined. Think texturally wild, emotionally rich and unapologetically maximal.
Here are 10 iconic Asian egg dishes that go beyond poached and sunny-side up.
See more: Sustainability and flavour: The rise of fermentation in Asia’s top restaurants
Century egg (China)
Also called pi dan or “thousand-year egg”, this legendary preserved egg dates back to the Ming dynasty (14th to 17th century). Duck eggs are cured in a mixture of clay, lime and ash for several weeks to months, turning the whites into dark amber jelly and the yolks creamy, dark and earthy. It’s sometimes compared to blue cheese or truffles.
Find it in: Century egg and lean pork congee (Cantonese), cold tofu salad with soy and scallion (Taiwanese night markets) or paired with pickled ginger as a snack. It’s an acquired taste, but one with serious cult status.
Tea egg (China, Taiwan)
A classic street-side snack with a storied past, tea eggs are hard-boiled and then simmered in soy sauce, black tea and five-spice until cracked and marbled. The practice is said to have originated during the Song dynasty, evolving as a way to flavour and preserve cooked eggs during long journeys. Actor Jackie Chan is known to enjoy tea eggs and reportedly often prepares them for his production team during filming.
Find it in: Taiwan’s 7-Eleven tea eggs, bento boxes and Chinese home kitchens during Lunar New Year. Some modern versions add Sichuan peppercorns for numbing heat.
Soy-marinated yolk (Japan, Korea)
These eggs are similar to tea eggs; however, there is a version where only the yolk is utilised. They are otherwise known as shoyu tamago or gyeran jangjorim yolk. To make them, take the yolk of a soft-boiled egg and marinate it in soy, mirin and dashi (or garlic, chilli and sugar in Korean versions). Within hours, it becomes jammy, umami-rich and glossy.
Find it in: Onsen tamago donburi (rice bowls), gyudon, ramen toppings or tucked inside kimbap for a surprise burst of richness.
See more: The eggs factor: Asia’s top chefs share their favourite egg recipes
Salted egg yolk lava (Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia)
Salted duck eggs were once purely utilitarian—preserved in brine or ash for long shelf life in rural China and Southeast Asia. But their yolks, crumbly and golden, became prized for their rich, briny umami, eventually morphing into the cult-favourite lava custard bun of modern dim sum.
Find it in: Hong Kong’s liu sha bao, Singaporean salted egg crab, potato chips (Lay’s made a flavour), pasta and even croissants.
Telur balado (Indonesia)
A signature from West Sumatra’s Minang cuisine, telur balado involves deep-frying hard-boiled eggs until blistered, then tossing them in a bright red sambal made of chillies, tomatoes, garlic and shallots. It's fire, both visually and on the tongue.
Find it in: Nasi Padang, street food stalls and warungs across Java and Bali. It’s also sometimes sweetened with kecap manis (sweet soy sauce) or served with fried tempeh.
Golden egg floss (Thailand, Vietnam)
Known as foi thong (Thailand) or mut trung (Vietnam), this egg-based dessert is made by drizzling egg yolk into hot syrup, creating sweet, golden strands. It was introduced to Thailand in the 1600s by Portuguese Bengali trader Maria Guyomar de Pina, who brought European confectionery techniques and localised them.
Find it in: Thai royal banquets, wedding trays and New Year gifts. This is often paired with sticky rice or mung bean paste.
Salted duck egg (Pan-Asia)
The salted duck egg, cured for two to four weeks in brine or packed in charcoal paste, has been a pantry staple in China and across Southeast Asia for centuries. The white is firm and very salty; the yolk is sandy, oily and dense with flavour.
Find it in: Filipino ensaladang kamatis (tomato salad), Thai green mango dips, Chinese mooncakes and congee toppings. Sometimes, it is also added to stir-fried shrimp or yang chow fried rice.
Gyeran jjim (Korea)
Gyeran jjim is Korea’s answer to steamed egg custard. Traditionally served in a hot stone pot (ttukbaegi), it puffs up while staying soft and spoonable. Made with anchovy or kelp stock, this dish often appears in banchan (small side dishes), temple food or as a comforting palate cleanser in barbecue joints.
Find it in: Ssam spreads, dosirak lunchboxes or as a gentle side dish next to grilled meats.
Tamago yaki (Japan)
(Photo: Mak_ jp / Pexels)
Layered, slightly sweet and impossibly smooth, tamago yaki is a rolled omelette made in a square pan (makiyakinabe). It’s seasoned with soy sauce, dashi and sugar, offering a complex interplay of savoury and sweet. A sushi chef's ability to perfect this is considered a rite of passage. One famed chef reportedly practised tamago yaki 300 times before the head chef gave his seal of approval.
Find it in: Nigiri sushi, bento boxes, breakfast plates and sometimes even as dessert.
Balut (Philippines, Vietnam)
Balut is a fertilised duck egg incubated for 14 to 21 days, then boiled and eaten straight from the shell. The yolk is creamy, the broth is rich and the embryo (partially developed) is the focus of both culinary fascination and global controversy.
Find it in: Dare shows like Fear Factor. You can also spot it among Filipino street food (with rock salt and vinegar), Vietnamese hot vit lon with laksa leaves and ginger or paired with beer. In the Philippines, it’s also believed to be an aphrodisiac and a hangover cure.
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