Recipe for Trứng Vịt Lộn

Trứng vịt lộn—hard-boiled duck embryo—is a delicacy popular in Southeast Asia and the Philippines.  It is most commonly known by the Filipino name balut.  But you don’t have to fly to Manila or Hanoi to experience this exciting and delicious dish.

Here is my recipe for trứng vịt lộn, Vietnamese-style.

Buying ingredients

Go to the downtown Oakland farmers’ market Friday mornings on Broadway. Find your friendly trứng vịt lộn vendor and then choose how old you like your duck embryo. I prefer 20 days old, when the bones and feathers are present, but still soft and tender. Also, pick up some coriander leaves for garnish.

Directions

1. Boil the eggs for 30 minutes.
2. When the egg is still warm, crack it open on the blunter, flatter end and carefully drink the delicately flavored embryonic broth that collects at that end of the egg.
3. Peel the rest of the shell and enjoy with a simple garnish of salt and Vietnamese coriander leaf
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with beer, until full.