Fried quail eggs in fish sauce suit a family meal because they come together fast and cost very little. The outsides fry up slightly crisp and take on a salty, sweet, gently spicy glaze. The catch is that they soften quickly, and that crispness goes as soon as they sit.
After boiling and peeling, the eggs are rolled in a thin coat of flour before frying, which helps the sauce cling to them. Dropping them into cold water straight after boiling makes them easy to peel.
This batch weighs about 322g, at roughly 190 calories per 100g.
Method
Bring 500ml of water to a boil, add the 20 quail eggs, and boil 4 to 6 minutes. Lift them straight into a basin of cold water, then peel them.
Put the peeled eggs in a bowl, sprinkle over 1 tablespoon of all purpose flour, and toss gently so the flour coats them evenly.
Heat 170ml of cooking oil and fry the eggs until golden all over, then lift them onto paper towels.
In another pan, heat the remaining 30ml of oil and fry 2 teaspoons of minced garlic until fragrant.
Pour in 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 2 teaspoons of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1.5 tablespoons of water, 2 tablespoons of chili sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon of minced chili, and stir until the sauce comes together.
Add the fried eggs, lower the heat, and toss for another 3 minutes so they take on the sauce, then turn off the heat.
Tips
Held up to the light, a fresh quail egg has a small air pocket and a clear shell, while an old one sloshes when shaken.
This holds its crispness only while it is hot, so serve it straight away.
Let the sauce thicken before the eggs go in, then toss fast, since time over the heat softens the coating.
Cold water straight after boiling gives a clean peel and an unpitted surface.
The eggs need to be patted completely dry before the flour goes on, since wet eggs make the flour clump and the oil spit.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.