Chinese New Year Cookie : Salted Egg Yolk Cookies with Curry Leaves

Continuing the Chinese New Year cookie adventure, here is a recipe I made in 2014, but I never got to put it up. So here it is.

I made a small batch 2 weeks before CNY to check if it was yummy or not, or if it needed any tweaks. On my first try, I made the cookie about 1 inch round, but after the try out, my mom asked to make it even smaller, in the world of cookie, small means, more work T__T But I also wanted to add something extra in terms of taste. Since salted egg yolk was more often used in savoury dishes, more oftenly with evaporated milk, cereal and curry leaves, I decided to be a little adventurous and add curry leaves into these salted egg yolk cookies.

I know, I know, everyone’s first thought was…. O.O huh ? curry leaves ?

But after their taste of both original and with curry leaves (I made both versions), all of them preferred the ones with curry leaves as it adds a depth of flavour to it. Note, it’s just a little amount to enchance the fragrant from the leaves and the salted yolk experience, you don’t want them to feel like they are eating curry :p

I may consider adding some salted egg yolk to my pineapple tarts next. HAHA!! potent it seems

So what’s a salted egg!

It’s actually made using duck egg, preserved by soaking them in a brine or preserving them in salted charcoal paste for about a month or so. That black layer, needs to be removed before using the egg at all.

Preserving them results in a briney and translucent egg white and a bright orange yolk. Most people steam the egg whole, then add it into congee / porridge, rice, some separate the yolk and whites and use the whites for steaming tofu, yolks for cooking dishes like Salted Egg Prawns, Mooncakes and Rice dumplings.

It is essential to buy them fresh and use it quick. When the egg is not so fresh, the yolk is more dull in colour, thus not so aromatic.

For this cookie, once the egg is cleaned, the yolk and whites are separated. The yolks need to be steamed and crushed before adding into the batter. If using curry leaves, finely chop them and add into the dough. Once it is added to the batter, make it like a regular cut out cookie by rolling flat and cut out with a cookie cutter. Brush with a layer of egg wash and sprinkle some black sesame seeds if you wish, bake till it is golden brown. Recipe adapted from Messy Witchen with some changes.

Salted Egg Yolk Cookies with Curry Leaves

 

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Serves: 150

Ingredients

• 250g plain flour
• 20g cornflour
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 3 salted egg yolks
• 170g salted butter, at room temperature
• 80g caster sugar
• 10g curry leaves, finely chopped
• 1 egg mixed with 1 egg yolk, beaten lightly, for egg wash
• 5g each of black and white sesame seeds for topping

Instructions

1. Sift flour, cornflour, baking powder, and bicarbonate of soda. Add in chopped curry leaves, set aside.
2. Crack egg and separate egg yolk and whites. Place yolk in a steel plate or bowl. Steam salted egg yolks for about 5 minutes. Cool, mash with a fork and set aside.
3. Place butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on medium speed until sugar is dissolved and it is creamy.
4. Add mashed salted egg yolks and sifted flours. Mix to for a soft and pliable dough. If dough is too soft, wrap with cling film and rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes. (Try not to start with very soft butter to mix, it will be more pliable to use)
5. Line baking paper on the baking pans. Preheat oven to 175 C.
6. Roll out dough to 5mm thickness and cut into desired shapes using dough cutters. Place on baking pans and brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with sesame seeds to decorate.
7. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and cool completely before storing in airtight containers.

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3.2.2885

It is really yummy! I love it! But it would not last more than 1 month as the salted egg yolk smell would be VERY strong so try to make as close to CNY as possible and try not to overdo it 😉