Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

2 c Very strong black tea From fireplace
1/3 c Salt 1 c Lime*
2 c Each ashes of pine wood, 12 Fresh duck eggs
Ashes of charcoal and ashes

These are often called thousand-year eggs, even though the
preserving process lasts only 100 days. They may be purchased
individually in Oriental markets.

Combine tea, salt, ashes and lime. Using about 1/2 cup per egg,
thickly coat each egg completely with this clay-like mix- ture. Line
a large crock with garden soil and carefully lay coated eggs on top.
Cover with more soil and place crock in a cool dark place. Allow to
cure for 100 days. To remove coating, scrape eggs and rinse under
running water to clean thoroughly.
Crack lightly and remove shells. The white of the egg will appear a
grayish, translucent color and have a gelatinous texture. The yolk,
when sliced, will be a grayish-green color.

To serve, cut into wedges and serve with:

Sweet pickled scallions or any sweet pickled vegetable

Sauce of 2 tablespoons each vinegar, soy sauce and rice wine and 1
tablespoon minced ginger root.

*Available in garden stores and nurseries.

The description of the whites turning grayish isn't quite
accurate from the ones I've seen. They're more a dark blackish amber
color-- quite attractive actually.

From "The Regional Cooking of China" by Margret Gin and Alfred E.
Castle, 101 Productions, San Francisco, 1975.

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