Pinoy Balut

When I went home to the Philippines last year, a cousin of mine treated me,  along with a  few other cousins and friends, to dinner at a popular balikbayan destination called Isdaan Floating Restaurant in Gerona, Tarlac. Although I found the restaurant’s ambience, food and service good but not great, I was very impressed with the sizzling balut on their menu. The lightly-battered duck eggs slathered in a spicy mixture of oyster sauce and chili peppers was such a delicious experience that I’ve been regularly re-creating it at home. I hope you enjoy this dish as much as I do. Happy cooking!

PREP TIME

15 mins

COOK TIME

20 mins

TOTAL TIME

35 mins

 

Yield: 4 Servings

INGREDIENTS

• 4 balut, cooked and peeled
• ¼ cup flour
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 2 shallots, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 thumb-size ginger, peeled and minced
• 2 to 3 Thai chili peppers, minced
• ½ small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tablespoon green onions, chopped
• pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a bowl, lightly dredge peeled balut with flour.
2. In a wide pan over medium heat, heat oil. Add balut and cook, turning once or twice, until lightly browned. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.
3. Remove oil except 1 tablespoon from pan. Add shallots, garlic, ginger, chili peppers and bell pepper. Cook, stirring regularly, until softened and aromatic.
4. In a bowl, combine soy sauce, oyster sauce and water. Stir together until blended. Add to pan and bring to a boil. Add balut and continue to cook, gently turning to coat in sauce, until heated through and sauce is thickened. Season with pepper to taste. Remove from pan and arrange on sizzling plates. Garnish with green onions and serve hot.