We are now on our fourth pick on our salad list. This time, it is something very Filipino. Something very common, a traditional Filipino delicacy. Again, this is about mixing of ingredients. It is very easy to prepare. Our recipe here uses cucumber, shallots, and chillies, and yes, salted egg or itlog na maalat. Red salted egg salad. Personally, I love using tomatoes, not cucumber. The combination is just amazing. There is something with salted egg that is very appetizing.

Red salted eggs are made from duck eggs. This kind of egg is a Chinese preserved product brined in salt solution or packed in damp, salted charcoal. With the salt curing process, the salted duck eggs obtain a briny aroma, a gelatin-like egg white, and a firm-textured round yolk that is bright orange-red in color. These eggs are commonly boiled or steamed before being peeled and eaten as condiment to congee. They can also be cooked with other food as flavoring. These salted eggs are really tasty. You will love them, especially the yolk, which is rich.

Chicken eggs can also be salted, but there will be a slight difference with the taste and texture. About 10% of eggs from one batch can also break in the process. In the Philippines, the same curing process is used. However, the eggs are dyed red to distinguish them from fresh duck eggs. Pateros method is a popular technique used to process salted eggs in the country. In this method, clay (from ant hills or termite mounds), table salt and water in the ratio of 1:1:2 are mixed until the admixture becomes smooth and forms a thick texture similar to cake batter. The fresh eggs are individually dipped in the admixture, and packed in 150-egg batches in newspaper-lined (10x12x18 inch) wooden boxes (often residual boxes of dried fish packing). Newspapers are used to lightly wrap the whole batch and consequently slow down the rehydration process. Curing can last 12-18 days.

Well, now you got an idea of how salted eggs are made. It is time to prepare those lovelies into savory salad. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 Salted Eggs
• 1 small sized Cucumber
• 5 of Red Shallots, thinly sliced (or 1 of Onion)
• 3 of Red Chillies, thinly sliced (de-seeded is optional)
• 3 Tablespoons of Lime Juice
• 1 Tablespoon of Pickled Garlic, finely chopped (optional)
• 2 Tablespoons of Coriander leaves, chopped
• A pinch of Sugar (Optional)
  

Cooking Instructions:

1. Cut the salted eggs into wedges
2. Place them in the serving plate
3. Sprinkle with sliced Cucumber, shallots, chillies and coriander leaves
4. Squeeze the Lime over the salad
5. Garnish with Lime wedges, and serve with rice porridge
6. Best Serve with rice and Tapa or Tocino.