Servings
Font
Back
Salted Egg Yolk Cornflakes (CRISPY)
5 from 15 votes

Salted Egg Yolk Cornflakes (CRISPY)

Salted Egg Yolk Cornflakes use grated steamed or boiled salted egg yolks cooked with butter, curry leaves, chili flakes, and sugar to create a rich, savory-sweet sauce that coats crunchy cornflakes. The combination balances creamy salted egg flavor with mild heat and a crispy texture, making it a distinctive snack or side dish.

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 214 kcal
Course: Side Dish, Breakfast, Appetizer, Snacks
Cuisine: Asian, Fusion, Chinese, Singaporean

Ingredients

For the Salted Egg Sauce
  • 3½ Tablespoons butter 50g or 1.8 oz) You can use salted butter as an alternative, just don't add any salt later. However, keep in mind every brand adds different amounts of salt so it's difficult to control the salt level in that case, unsalted
  • 5 prigs curry leaves washed well and plucked off the stem. I didn't dry my leaves but, if you don't, there may be some splatter when you add them to the butter
  • 1 teaspoon chili flakes or to taste. I didn't make them super spicy as a lot of kids like to eat this. You may want to add more if you like chilli. If you don't have chilli powder/ flakes, slice up a few small red chillies (chilli padi/ bird's eye chilli) instead but make sure you cook off the moisture- remember to remove the seeds if you don't want it super hot. Also, don't touch your eyes after handling the chillies!, or chili powder
  • 1-1½ Tablespoons caster sugar or to taste. If you change the amount of chilli, you will need to change the amount of sugar as well, for the sauce to be balanced. Substitute: white granulated sugar, white
  • 3 egg preferably steamed, if not boiled works. For conscientious cooks, grate the yolks to get them super fine. I just mash mine well with a fork but it's almost impossible to get a smooth sauce as there will be yolky lumps. An easier way is to substitute with 36g/ 1.27oz of Knorr's salted egg powder- no more lumpy sauce!, salted yolks
  • ½-¾ teaspoons salt or to taste. Some yolks are saltier than others- it depends on how long they've been brined for- so taste the sauce before adding the salt.
Crispy Salted Egg Yolk Cornflakes
  • 2½ C cornflakes If you use sweetened cornflakes, don't add the sugar! Note the weight of cornflakes per cup may vary depending on their shape so feel free to add more or less, unsweetened

Instructions

Preparing the eggs
    Cup of Yum
  1. Pre-heat your oven to 350F/177C/160C fan
  2. If your eggs come cooked, separate the yolks and whites. Note: Keep the yolks and use the whites for other recipes (suggestions on how to use salted egg whites in this link)
  3. If uncooked, crack the egg and steam only the yolks for 10 minutes. (If you steam/ boil the entire thing, it can be difficult to separate the 2 cleanly and some precious yolk is wasted.)
  4. Either grate or mash the yolks finely with a fork then set aside. Grating gives you a smoother sauce.Note: If you don't have salted eggs, you can use the powder instead. My recommendation is Knorrs salted egg powder (they're not paying me FYI) as it comes unseasoned and is made with real eggs- use 36g/ 1.27oz to substitute for 3 yolks) Alternatively, the quickest way is to DIY salted eggs is to cover raw egg yolk (duck or chicken) with salt and cure for 4-8 hours in the fridge, then treat it like a regular salted egg yolk.
Cooking the Salted Egg Sauce
  1. Wash the curry leaves well and pluck the leaves off the stem. Don't discard the stems. Dry the leaves to avoid oil splatter later.
  2. Heat the pan on medium, then add the unsalted butter. When melted, add the curry leaves and chilli powder. Stir-fry till aromatic, about 30 seconds. (Be careful not to let the chili burn!)
  3. Increase the heat to medium-high a,dd the mashed salted egg yolks, stirring continuously. The sauce will froth and bubble.
  4. Add the sugar and taste. If it's not salty enough, add the salt.
  5. Once frothy, add the cornflakes and gently stir, trying not to crush any of the cereal. Stir till well-mixed. Some people like to stir fry till the sauce is a bit drier but I prefer to pop mine in the oven as it's more efficient (see below.)
Drying the cornflakes in the oven
  1. Put parchment paper or Silpat on a baking tray and spread out the cornflakes and curry leaves. I used 2 as I don't like to crowd the cornflakes- this helps them to crisp up faster and avoid steaming.
  2. Leave the cornflakes in the oven for 5 minutes, then turn the tray around and stir the cornflakes. This is to avoid any burning as ovens have hot spots. Leave the cornflakes in for another 3 minutes before checking the colour. They can take anything from 8-12 minutes (total time) to dry out- you will know they're done when the colour turns an amber brown. If you want to skip the turning and stirring, that's fine too but some cornflakes will be browner than others and not as presentable.Note: to save energy, I sometimes pop the cereal in to dry when baking other stuff. You can also dry them for 7-8 minutes on 425F/ 218C but the cereal will burn quickly so you need to watch it!
  3. When done, take the trays out, and allow to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container. (It is still a bit soft when hot but very crisp when cool!) Best to eat within 1 week but it may keep for longer.

Notes

  • Adding milk powder or evaporated milk can create a creamier sauce but may reduce the crispness of the cornflakes.
  • Use unsalted butter to control salt levels, or salted butter but omit added salt, noting different brands vary in salt content.
  • Curry leaves should be washed and plucked from stems to prevent splattering.
  • If using salted eggs, ensure the shells are not cracked; discard any cracked eggs.
  • Grating the yolks gives a smoother sauce; mashing is likely to result in lumps.
  • Salted egg powder (approximately 36g) can be used as a substitute for fresh salted egg yolks for smoother and quicker preparation.
  • The recipe’s nutritional information is an estimate and may vary.

Nutrition Information

Calories 214kcal (11%) Carbohydrates 20g (7%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 14g (22%) Saturated Fat 8g (40%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g (6%) Monounsaturated Fat 4g (20%) Trans Fat 0.4g (20%) Cholesterol 172mg (57%) Sodium 434mg (18%) Potassium 57mg (1%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 6g (12%) Vitamin A 1056IU (21%) Vitamin C 54mg (60%) Calcium 33mg (3%) Iron 6mg (33%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 214

% Daily Value*

Calories 214kcal 11%
Carbohydrates 20g 7%
Protein 4g 8%
Fat 14g 22%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 4g 20%
Trans Fat 0.4g 20%
Cholesterol 172mg 57%
Sodium 434mg 18%
Potassium 57mg 1%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 6g 12%
Vitamin A 1056IU 21%
Vitamin C 54mg 60%
Calcium 33mg 3%
Iron 6mg 33%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.