This is an update on the progress of my Century Eggs, if you have no idea what these are - read my previous article here.
My eggs had had almost 4 weeks sitting in the lye solution so I was very eager to see how they would be coming along. All but one remained completely intact and I think that I actually caused that damage to happen as I was fishing it out of the container. No problem though, I needed at least one sacrificial egg to see what had been happening beneath the surface of the shell.
As you can see from the photos above, there is a slight discoloration on the outside of the shell, but nothing to write home about. BUT you can see a gorgeous blue colour peeping through the crack in the eggshell..!
Once the eggs were drained and dried off, the next stage was to encase the eggs in clingfilm and then clay. Removing any access to oxygen cures the eggs further. Traditionally this would be done with mud and rice husks and then the eggs would be buried - I was happy to settle for a clay encasement. That’s it for the next few weeks - I cannot wait to share the final results.
In the meantime however, here is a sneak preview of how they are coming along - you can see that the yolk has taken on a completely different texture and colour, and although the white has clearly spilled everywhere - it already has a more jelly-like consistency. I had a wee nibble at this stage as well and so far, as expected, it just tastes like a slightly more intensely flavoured egg. If anyone has a good recipe for Congee - send it my way, as I have not yet attempted it but plan to serve it with the finished eggs!
