1000 Year-Old Eggs
By: Sheri Wetherell
Published: Wednesday, September 7, 2011 - 1:47pm

Ingredients




2 c  Tea, very strong black
1/3 c  Salt
2 c  Ashes of pine wood
2 c  Ashes of charcoal
2 c  Fireplace ashes
1 c  Gardening Lime (available at nurseries or garden supply stores)
12    Duck eggs, fresh
Dipping Sauce:
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

Preparation

1 Combine tea, salt, ashes and lime. Using about 1/2 cup per egg, thickly coat each egg completely with the clay-like mixture. 2 Line a large pot, such as a garden pot, with garden soil and carefully lay coated eggs on top. Cover with more soil and place pot in a cool dark place. Allow to 3 cure for 100 days. 4 To remove coating, scrape eggs and rinse under running water to clean thoroughly. Crack lightly and remove shells. The whites of the egg will appear a grayish, translucent color and have a gelatinous texture. When sliced, the yolk will be a grayish-green color. 5 To serve, cut into wedges and serve with sweet pickled green onions or sweet pickled vegetables and the dipping sauce.

About

These Chinese delicacies are often called thousand-year eggs, even though the preserving process takes only 100 days. They can also be purchased in Asian markets.