Balut (hột vịt lộn) is a fertilised duck egg with a developed embryo inside. It’s a popular food in Vietnam, considered nutritious, and sold on the street and in small eateries. It’s also well known in some other Asian countries. In hột vịt lộn xào me, boiled and peeled balut are fried in garlic butter with tamarind sauce sweetened with sugar and seasoned with fish sauce, then topped with Vietnamese mint and peanuts. Ingredients 10 balut 50 g tamarind 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 tablespoon butter 2 cloves garlic, minced Roasted peanuts, crushed A handful of Vietnamese mint Chillies (optional) How to make hột vịt lộn xào me 1. Boil the balut Start by hard-boiling the balut. 2. Make the tamarind sauce Pour about 100 ml of water over the tamarind and let it soak for 3 minutes. Mash the tamarind with a spoon, then strain it. You only need the liquid. Dissolve the 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce in the tamarind juice. Take care with the next part. Boil the tamarind sauce over medium heat until it has reduced to about two-thirds, then turn off the heat. 3. Fry the balut in the sauce Peel the cooked balut. Fry the minced garlic in the butter, then add the balut and 2 tablespoons of the tamarind sauce. Keep the rest of the sauce in the fridge for another time. Fry the balut in the sauce for about 5 minutes. If you like it spicy, add chillies to the sauce. 4. Serve Arrange the balut on a plate. Scatter sliced Vietnamese mint over them and sprinkle with crushed peanuts. Share:
