EAT IN ASIA / Destinations / Thailand
Stir fried preserved egg with crispy basil (Kai Yiew Ma Kra Prao Krob)
Have you ever heard about a century egg, or a about a thousand-year-old egg? No? Just try it! This way of serving eggs is very popular in Asia. These eggs are common in many traditional Asian dishes, and although the name might not be the most tempting one, it is worth trying. Especially, it is extremely popular in China, Thailand and Vietnam.
So, what is exactly a thousand-year-old egg? Well, it is a regular chicken egg that is preserved in a special way. This preserving process takes from at least several weeks up to a couple of months or even years. The process is carried in rice hulls with added ash, salt, clay, and quicklime.
Once the process is finished, the egg is black from the outside and so it is inside. The egg white has a dark grey color, and the yolk is no more bright yellow. I would rather say that the yellow color has either changed to sepia or to brown.
And although it does not seem to be tasty, you will be surprised by its taste. Especially when this century egg is served in a very traditional and popular Thai dish - Kai Yiew Ma Kra Prao Krob.
What is Kai Yiew Ma Kra Prao Krob
The quickest answer will be – preserved egg with fried crispy basil leaves. By the way, another good way of trying basil leaves is to try one of dishes like Stir-fried seafood with spicy Thai basil leaves and Omelet on rice with fried crispy basil leaves and minced pork meat.
But, coming back to Kai Yiew Ma Kra Prao Krob, this dish is much more than only that black egg and basil. Kai Yiew Ma Kra Prao Krob is served with plain rice and with a small bowl of an oyster sauce mixed with some hot chili peppers.
The black egg is deep fried. That is why it has a crispy but at the same time a delicate outer skin. It is well enrolled in thin garlic stripes and in chili flakes. These condiments give the egg and extra spiciness and nicely underline the frying flavor.
The basil that is used for that meal is not a regular basil. Actually, that is a local holy basil that has relatively wide leaves and has a slightly different taste than the one you know from the Italian or Spanish cuisine.
Holy basil is stir-fried with a relatively small amount of oil. It is really crispy and preserves its natural dark green color.
In Kai Yiew Ma Kra Prao Krob basil is fried with a hearty amount of garlic and chili. Basil leaves have a form of very thin and spicy chips.
How is Kai Yiew Ma Kra Prao Krob served?
Kai Yiew Ma Kra Prao Krob is served on a plate where on one side are usually two halves of the thousand year old egg topped with this crispy stir-fried basil leaves and on the other side is a portion of a plain, white rice.
The egg with basil leaves is sprinkled with some oyster sauce that gives an extra aroma to the dish. That composition perfectly goes with a plain steamed rice that allows to fully distinguish all flavors that are in this traditional meal. Apart from that, you can mix it with an additional chili and oyster sauce from a small bowl or mix it with the garlic and oyster sauce from the dish.
Is Kai Yiew Ma Kra Prao Krob worth trying?
Yes, definitively it is. Not only because it is a traditional Thai dish, but also because it is tasty and unique. If you want, you can always combine it with minced pork or chicken, or take a vegetarian version with tofu, or just with no extra toppings.
