Dishes
Iron egg
鐵蛋
Also called: tiedan · 淡水鐵蛋 · Tamsui iron egg
A small egg braised and air-dried over and over until it turns dark, chewy and intensely savoury.
What it is
Iron eggs are a Taiwanese version of soy-braised eggs, shrunk and toughened by repeated stewing and drying. They are dark brown, chewy, and taste sweet, salty and a little spicy. Chicken, pigeon and quail eggs are used, and quail is the most popular.
Where it comes from
They come from Tamsui in New Taipei. Yang Bi-yun, who opened the first iron egg shop there in 1980, said she invented them by accident by reheating unsold soy eggs again and again. A competing local story credits a noodle-stall owner, Huang Chang-nian, in the 1970s.
How it is made
Eggs are stewed in a spiced soy broth, then air-dried, and the cycle is repeated until they shrink and darken.
How to eat it
Snack on them with a drink, or put one beside a rice dish.
In Kaohsiung
At Bei Gang Tsai in Kaohsiung's Yancheng district, Michelin suggests a soy-marinated iron egg with the tube-steamed sticky rice.
Where to eat it in Kaohsiung
Sources