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Salted Egg Tofu (Fried tofu & salted egg yolk sauce)
5 from 114 votes

Salted Egg Tofu (Fried tofu & salted egg yolk sauce)

Salted Egg Tofu features egg tofu slices fried to a crisp and coated in a rich salted egg yolk sauce made from mashed salted duck eggs, butter, garlic, curry leaves, and chili. The tofu's delicate texture pairs with the creamy, savory sauce that balances salty and slightly sweet notes. The addition of cornflakes adds a subtle crunch to the sauce. This dish is ideal with steamed white rice and showcases a flavorful way to transform salted egg yolks into a versatile sauce for various proteins.

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Servings: 2 people
Course: Side Dish, Main Course
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese, Singaporean

Ingredients

For the fried tofu
  • 2 Packets (they usually come in rolls) egg tofu Slice into rounds about 1.5cm wide, about 300g or 10.6 oz
  • 2-4 Tablespoons rice flour or corn starch or potato flour
  • ¼-½ teaspoon salt I prefer to omit this as the sauce is salty already but if you're worried you won't get enough sauce on all the tofu pieces. Salting the batter helps to ensure the fried tofu isn't too tasteless on its own, optional
  • neutral cooking oil Enough to fry, generic cooking oil
For the salted egg sauce
  • 4 egg Substitute: salted chicken eggs (Use 4 as these are smaller) Keep the egg whites and eat them with your congee, salted duck egg yolks, steamed or hard boiled, mashed
  • 4 Tablespoon butter Don't use salted butter unless you know for sure how salty your ducks eggs are. Some are super salty, then it'll be overload!, unsalted, about 50g, approximate
  • 2-3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
  • 1 sprig curry leaves Remove the leaves from the sprig but toss everything into the pan, then remove the stalk just before serving
  • 1-2 bird's eye chili Substitute: ½ big chilli- I used this in the photo as smaller chilli padi is pretty spicy and not everyone I was serving could take the heat. The spice does help to cut through the fat though!, red chili padi
  • Handful cornflakes If you use sweet cornflakes, maybe skip the sugar later on, unflavoured, optional
  • ½-¾ teaspoon white sugar The amount of sugar will change depending on the salt levels of your eggs, so don't take my quantity as prescriptive. Taste then season!, granulated, or to taste
  • fish sauce Taste your sauce before adding! I used 2 teaspoons of fish sauce (substitute: salt) but this will vary depending on the salt levels of your eggs. If you made your own, the longer you brined them, the saltier they'll be. If you really want to pile on the flavour, use chicken stock powder instead, or salt, optional

Instructions

Frying the tofu
    Cup of Yum
  1. After slicing the tofu, press it with a kitchen tower (gently) to make sure it's not wet as that could prevent you from getting it cripsy.
  2. Dip each piece in the flour and lay them out side by side on a plate, to prepare for frying. Prepared another plate, with a kitchen towel on it, ready to place the fried tofu on.
  3. Fill your pot with enough oil to fry the tofu. Turn on the fire and once the oil is hot enough, put 2-3 tofu pieces gently into the fire. (You can test the heat by putting a wooden chopstick in- if you see small bubbles, the fire is hot enough. If not, use a cooking thermometer- it should be 160C/ 320F.) Don't put too many tofu in an once or the oil temperature will decrease rapidly and you won't be able to get them nice and golden crisp.
  4. Turn the tofu to fry the other side. If your chopstick skills aren't good, use a spatula or a metal sieve- you don't want to risk dropping the tofu into the hot oil or having the oil burn you!!
  5. Once golden brown on both sides, place it on the kitchen towel to absorb any extra oil.
  6. Repeat till you've finished frying all the pieces then move on to make the salad egg yolk sauce.
Cooking the salted ducks egg sauce (or salted chicken egg if that's what you've got)
  1. On medium-high, melt the butter and once hot (make sure it doesn't burn), add the garlic, curry leaves and chilli.
  2. Stir-fry rapidly till fragrant (your kitchen will smell So Good) then add the mashed up egg yolks.
  3. Keep stirring and you'll see the sauce starting to bubble.
  4. If adding cereal, toss them in now and give everything a good mix.
  5. Taste then season with fish sauce/ sugar as appropriate.
  6. Switch off the heat and pour the sauce over the fried tofu.
  7. Serve with white rice.

Notes

  • Salt levels in salted eggs vary greatly; adjust seasoning carefully by tasting the sauce during cooking to balance saltiness and sweetness.
  • You can skip deep frying by air frying the tofu pieces for a less oily option.
  • Use a mix of red and green chilies in the sauce to add color and mild heat.
  • Because the sauce is rich and flavorful, serve the dish with plain steamed white rice and tea afterward to balance flavors.
  • Leftover sauce can be stirred into cooked rice to make a flavorful snack or used in other dishes like salted egg pasta or chicken.