Eggs with Tamarind Sauce

Whether just fried, used as toppings, or as an essential component of many desserts, eggs are a favorite food in Thailand. In this dish, deep-frying boiled eggs gives them a different texture while their flavour is enhanced by the accompanying sauce.

Ingredients:

4 cups (1 qt/1 l) water
6 eggs
2 cups (16 fl oz/500 ml) oil, for deep-frying
1/2 cup chopped shallots

Tamarind Sauce's Ingredients:

1/2 cup (4 fl oz/125 ml) tamarind juice (ma-khaam piak)
1/2 cup (4 fl oz/125 ml) fish sauce (nam pla)
1/4 cup (2 oz/60 g) sugar

How to cook:

1. Pour the water into a large pot and boil the eggs for 5 minutes.

2. Remove from the heat and plunge the eggs into cold water. Peel the eggs and set aside.

3. In a large saucepan heat the oil to 325 F (165 C). Dry the eggs and deep-fry them until they are golden brown. Remove and set aside. With the same oil, deep-fry the shallots until golden brown. Drain and set aside.ํํ

4. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce. Heat to boiling and simmer for 5 minutes.

5. To serve, cut the eggs in half, lengthwise. Pour the sauce over the eggs and sprinkle with the fried shallots.

SERVES 4

Information from: "Thailand the Beautiful Cookbook". Buy this and other cooks book at amazon.com.