The Sandy Grain
The best salted egg sauce has a slightly grainy, 'sandy' texture. This shows that real salted egg yolks were mashed into the butter. If the sauce is perfectly smooth and neon yellow, it might be made from a commercial powder, which lacks the depth of the real thing.
Aromatic Balance
A good zi char chef fries the sauce with plenty of curry leaves and chilli padi. The fragrance of the leaves cuts through the heavy fat of the yolk, while the chilli gives it a necessary bite. Without these aromatics, the dish becomes too cloying too quickly.
Quick answers
- What is the best thing to order with this sauce?
- Salted egg pork ribs and salted egg prawns are the classics. If you are at a cafe, salted egg fries or chicken wings are usually safe bets.
- Is it usually a 'wet' or 'dry' sauce?
- It depends on the stall. Some serve it as a thick, creamy gravy (wet), while others toss the ingredients until the yolk forms a crispy, sandy coating (dry). Both are delicious in their own way.