FOOD NEWS
The Fried Orange Eggs That Are A Staple Filipino Street Food
BY CLARICE KNELLY
The Philippines is home to a truly unique cuisine where you can find singular dishes like bright purple ube desserts, savory chicken inasal, and scrumptious mami soup.
While all these sit-down dishes are delicious, if you want a taste of simple and satisfying Filipino street food, you have to try the deep-fried eggs called kwek kwek.
Kwek kwek is made with just quail eggs and batter, but often comes with a tart sauce. A version of this dish that uses duck or chicken eggs instead is called tokneneng.
The batter is made of flour, salt, pepper, and water, which creates a sticky coating, and also annatto powder, which creates kwek kwek's iconic orange coloring.
The annatto powder also provides a slightly nutty and peppery flavor. The hard-boiled quail eggs are battered and deep-fried in a neutral cooking oil so the batter crisps up.
A vinegar-based sauce is usually served alongside this fried snack. A bit of salt or chili pepper can also be sprinkled on top of the eggs to give them an extra kick.