Umami overload - Cured egg yolks

As we are testing recipes for our upcoming SupperClub ( click here for tickets!) we are experimenting with different methods to prepare, cook and present food, to bring out the best of the ingredients we have. So here we are sharing with you one such recent 'success' - cured egg yolks.

Cured egg yolks add great depth to dishes. But it has extremely intense flavours- richly sweet, savoury and umami- best finely grated and sprinkled over your dishes! Don't be greedy, taste it as you go along before adding more to your food! A little goes a long way!

When grating the cured yolks, make sure you use the finest grater you have. We like using grated yolks as a substitute to Parmesan over a simple dish of pasta with spring green, or in place of raw egg broken over traditional Chinese style claypot rice dishes, or simply over avocado and toast with a healthy pinch of chili for a scrumptious firework of flavours!

Ingredients

4 large eggs, yolks only

275g salt, or more as needed

220g sugar, or more as needed

1. Mix sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix well.

2. In a small container (big enough for all four yolks to sit in one layer without touching each other), place half of the sugar-salt mixture to cover the bottom completely. Carefully make four dents big enough for the egg yolks, and place the egg yolks carefully into the dents (don't break the egg yolks). Make sure the bottoms and sides of the yolks are covered with the sugar-salt mixture. Sprinkle the remaining sugar-salt mixture on top to cover the eggs entirely. Add more as needed. Cover the container with the lid and refrigerate for 4 days.

3. Take the yolks out of the fridge. Carefully take each yolk out and remove as much sugar-salt mixture as possible.

4. (Optional step) This step is optional but will help prevent any excess sugar-salt crystals stuck to the yolks and end up in your dishes! Run the egg yolks for no more than a couple of seconds under a cold water tap to remove any excess sugar-salt mixture stuck to the surface of the yolks. Pat the egg yolks dry carefully using kitchen towel.

5. Store in an air-tight box in the fridge for up to 1 month (My research says they will last 3 months in the fridge but we prefer being overly cautious and in any case, they are so good we use them on salads, pasta, rice dishes etc and eat them all well within a month!)