Coconut water duck eggs from the West are famous in Vung Tau for their uniqueness.

Duck eggs and quail eggs are boiled with a unique recipe, famous for 25 years - Photo: DANG KHUONG

At 105 Ba Cu, Ward 4, Vung Tau City, visitors can easily find the duck egg shop on the sidewalk sold by Ms. Thuy.

Although it is a familiar, popular dish, with a unique way of preparing it, Ms. Thuy's shop still has a flavor that made a local comment on the TikTok platform: "It is not an exaggeration to say that this is the best duck egg shop in Vung Tau".

Secret recipe of duck eggs with coconut water

Thuy's hometown is Ben Tre. When she was 11 years old, her whole family moved to Vung Tau to live and work.

It looks like a normal duck egg, but diners will immediately feel the strange flavor when enjoying it - Photo: DANG KHUONG

The concern of the child living far away from home at that time was how to find a job to make a living.

She recalls: "I knew this dish when I was in Ben Tre. When I went to Vung Tau, I didn't see anyone selling balut with coconut water, so I came up with the idea of ​​researching it myself to cook and sell."

When the shop first opened, Ms. Thuy, her mother and brother sold. Later, some of her aunts from the countryside came up to help sell. After a while, the shop became so crowded that she had to hire more sales people.

Ms. Thuy shared that to make delicious food, the ingredients must be carefully prepared.

From 7am, the egg delivery person will bring duck eggs and quail eggs for her to choose, then it is the step of washing the eggs and vegetables. "I have to wash all the eggs and vegetables about 2 hours before boiling them," Ms Thuy said.

Once cleaned, the quail and duck eggs are boiled in coconut water. The boiling process lasts from morning until the shop opens for sale.

According to Ms. Thuy, doing so will ensure that the eggs absorb the aroma and flavor of the coconut water. If you boil the eggs for 2-3 hours, you will not have that experience.

To enhance the aroma and sweetness of the eggs, coconut water is also made from a special recipe. When asked, Ms. Thuy just smiled and said: "This is my secret recipe."

Unique flavor: Broken duck eggs eaten with sweet chili

As soon as the dish was brought out, the diners noticed that the egg on the plate was broken. If they didn’t know, they might think it was an accident during the cooking process. But the restaurant owner said that this was necessary so that the coconut water could penetrate deep into the egg.

Boiled eggs with coconut water (above) will be broken to bring out the aroma and deliciousness when eaten - Photo: DANG KHUONG

As soon as the shell is peeled off, the eater can see inside is a slightly cloudy yellow liquid. When slurping, those who are observant will realize that the liquid has a sweet taste, similar to the sweetness of coconut water, not salty like normal duck eggs.

The big plus point of this shop is that the eggs are firm, not soft, and especially just right, not too young or too old. Therefore, the gizzard inside the egg is not hard.

Besides, chili is also a prominent spice of the shop. Ms. Thuy shared: "Since selling balut eggs, I have also learned more about how to make chili. I research and stir-fry it to get the right taste for myself."

Chili peppers that Ms. Thuy stir-fried herself make the dipping sauce special - Photo: DANG KHUONG

Tasting a small spoonful of chili, the eater immediately feels the sweetness touching the tip of the tongue, followed by a slight spiciness that fades very quickly.

Take a little salt mixed with lime and chili to eat with duck eggs, the taste buds of the person enjoying it are immediately impressed, because that is not the way to eat duck eggs with peanut flavor and salty salt.

Instead, the meat has the sweetness of coconut water mixed with the salty and slightly sweet taste of the salt bowl, making this popular dish more interesting and unique.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hot-vit-lon-nuoc-dua-mien-tay-noi-danh-o-vung-tau-vi-doc-la-20240904204749551.htm