Fried Egg with Tamarind Sauce

This fried egg recipe is one of the most popular dishes in Thailand, commonly know as son-in-law eggs. Ironically, its a favourite of Thai kids, local moms would make it as a quick, nutritious, and flavourful meal!

The first time I had these fried eggs in tamarind sauce was in Thailand in my visit a few years ago and it was a very new and fun experience. I had never heard of these eggs prior to that delicious meal, but after having them I couldn’t get enough of it! I just wanted more and more, so I had them for breakfast every morning for my whole stay in Thailand. It is a simple recipe that generally made with hard-boiled eggs, deep fried until the skin is golden, then served with perfectly balanced dressing made from tamarind juice, soy sauce, and palm sugar. I have made a few changes to my liking over the years , have tried to make them a bit more healthy. I love to make this dish with fried eggs, rather than hard boiling them first, like is done traditionally, however both methods end with a dish which taste absolutely delicious!

Fabulously tangy, sweet, sticky and salty, this dish represents all the best flavours of Thai cuisine. It may sound a bit complicated to make but it’s quite easy. It works beautifully with a golden-crisp fried egg enveloped in a memorably intense sauce. The textural contrast between the crisp edges and custardy yolks is simply divine.

Tamarind Dressing or sauce:

The tamarind sauce itself is a wonder to behold. Even if you’ve had sweet and sour sauce dishes before, just wait until you try a version made with tamarind paste. It’s sour but not as acidic as vinegar with a lovely fruity aroma and flavour. If you have made pad thai before its very similar to the pad thai sauce. You can adjust the flavours as per your liking.

How to make Fried Egg with Tamarind Sauce:

Remove the outer shells of the shallots and slice into thin pieces for deep frying. Then fry the shallots in oil until golden brown, remove with a strainer and set aside to cool.  Or use store bought crispy shallots.

Make the dressing combining tamarind juice, soy sauce, chilli sauce and palm sugar. Simmer in a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar has melted. Add the flour mix and stir till the sauce becomes thick.

Heat a frying pan on medium heat with 2 tbsp of oil. Fry the eggs in oil until crispy and golden brown but still runny on the inside. Drain well &arrange on a serving plate.

Drizzle the dressing evenly over each fried egg.  Add fried shallots, green onions, cilantro, and red chillies to taste. That’s it. Enjoy!

Helpful Tips and Tricks to make Fried Egg with Tamarind Sauce:

• Where to buy the ingredients: The best place to buy the ingredients would be an Asian market.
• You can either buy tamarin paste or make your own from the dried tamarind or from tamarind pulp.
• It’s more traditional to use palm sugar. But if you don’t have it, brown sugar can be used to create very similar results. The one component that should not be left out, however, is the fried shallots.
• If you have access to Oriental store, go get the ready fried shallots and garlic and save yourself some time. But honestly, making them yourself really just adds about 5-7 minutes to the total time and also imparts a lovely flavour to the eggs as we’ll be using the same oil to fry them.

Fries Eggs in Tamarind Sauce

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cooking Time: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 2 voted )

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Ingredients

• 4 eggs, at room temperature 
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil 

For the Fried Shallots:

• 1 cups sliced shallot
• ½ cup vegetable oil 

For the Tamarind Sauce:

• 1/4 cup tamarind paste/juice
• 2 tbsp palm sugar
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp sriracha sauce
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp water

For Garnish:

• 5 small dried red chillies
• Fried shallots
• Spring onions
• Coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp crushed roasted peanuts
• 1 fresh red chilli, sliced
•  

 

method

1. Fry the shallots. Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot on medium-high heat. Wait until the oil is hot, add the sliced shallots, and let it cook 3-5 minutes or until very light brown. Stirring just enough to help distribute the heat evenly over the fried shallot. Once the shallots are light golden brown, remove from the oil with a strainer, place on a plate lined with paper towels and let cool.
2. Make the tamarind sauce. Set a wok over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the tamarind paste, then stir in the palm sugar, soy sauce, chilli sauce & salt. Add a little water if it feel too thick. 
3. Take a small mixing bowl. Put 2 tsp of plain flour add a tbsp of water to from a paste. Stir the flour mixture into the tamarind mix & simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat and set it aside.
4. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a clean wok or frying pan over medium heat. When the oil is smoking hot, crack in 1 of the eggs and fry for 1-2 min for until crispy & golden but still runny on the inside. Drain well & arrange on a serving plate. Repeat with the rest of the eggs and set aside.
5. To serve, pour the tamarind sauce over the eggs, sprinkle over the fried shallots, crushed peanuts and top with fried chillies. Garnish with coriander leaves and spring onions. Serve with rice or on its own.

Did You Make This Recipe?

If you did, take a picture and tag me on Instagram at @poetryofspices!