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6 eggs, room temperature
vegetable oil for deep frying
3 tbsp roughly chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
2 tbsp fried shallots*
1 long red chilli, finely sliced
Spicy tamarind sauce:
200g (7 oz) palm sugar*, shaved
¼ cup water
2½ tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp tamarind concentrate*
1 lemongrass stalk, bruised and cut into batons
½ tsp dried chilli flakes (or to taste)
For the spicy tamarind sauce, place all the ingredients in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes or until thickened slightly. Remove from heat and discard the lemongrass stalks. Set aside for later (if your sauce thickens up too much as it cools, just add a little water and heat just before serving).
Cook the eggs in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and plunge into cold water. Peel the eggs and pat dry with paper towel (make sure they’re super dry before frying so you don’t get dangerous oil splatter!).
Fill a saucepan or wok to about 1/3 capacity with the vegetable oil. Heat over high heat. The oil is hot (325°F or 165°C) when a wooden spoon dipped into the oil forms small little bubbles. Carefully add the eggs and cook for 3-4 minutes or until golden and crispy on the outside. Drain on paper towel.
To serve, slice the eggs in half and place them on a serving plate. Drizzle generously with the spicy tamarind sauce. Sprinkle over the coriander, fried shallots and red chilli. Best served with steamed rice or as part of a Thai/Asian banquet dinner.
– If palm sugar is unavailable, use half white and half brown sugar.
– Crispy fried shallots and tamarind concentrate are available in the Asian aisle of major supermarkets or from an Asian grocery store.
