Last Updated on 22nd April 2022 by
Eggs are delicious, but did you know they’re extra tasty and nutritious even at cute sizes? You’ve probably heard of quail eggs and realize they’re tinier than your regular eggs, but is there any difference in how they should be cooked from regular eggs?
Read on as we discuss everything you need to know about them: how long to cook quail eggs, how to prepare them, and the different ways you can consume quail eggs on your dinner table.
What are Quail Eggs?
Quail eggs are tiny-sized eggs ranging from 1 ¼ inch long to 1 inch wide, measuring at about ¼ the size of a regular chicken egg. They are a delicacy in many parts of South America and Asia and are often found in Japanese bento. In terms of color, they usually have a tan or creamy color with black specks all over.
In terms of taste, they taste just like chicken eggs. Nutrition-wise, since these eggs are small, it would take three to four of them for one serving of a regular chicken egg.
One quail egg contains 14 calories, 1 gram of protein, 1 gram of fat, and provides a significant portion of your daily requirements of Vitamin A, B12, choline, riboflavin, iron phosphorous, and selenium.
In terms of benefits, they contain a rich amount of antioxidants to help treat cellular damage and many allergic symptoms.
How to Cook Quail Eggs
So, how to boil quail eggs?
First off, since quail eggs are much smaller than your regular eggs, the way they’re cooked is different too. Since they’re smaller, we would need a pan where we could control the heat more efficiently, instead of a pot. Make sure the quail eggs are entirely covered by water.
Let the water boil on high heat before adding the quail eggs. In deciding how long to boil quail eggs, you can generally simmer them for two minutes to get soft-boiled eggs and three minutes for medium-boiled eggs. To hard boil quail eggs, you can let them boil for three and a half to four minutes.
We know it’s a dilemma on how to peel boiled quail eggs and not destroy them because of how small they are. When they’re cooked as desired, transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice-cold water as you would do to regular chicken eggs. This will make it easier to peel off the shells.
Another trick on how to peel boiled quail eggs is to crack them on a hard surface and gently roll them over. Just put on the right pressure to crack the eggs, but not hard enough to destroy them.
How to Eat Quail Eggs
Quail eggs are best eaten when freshly cooked. Soft-boiled quail eggs are usually eaten with salt. You can eat them as a snack, salad, or an excellent addition to your dish.
Quail eggs are considered a delicacy around the world, and there have been many ways that they have been added or cooked to local dishes.
Quail Egg Recipes
Kwek-Kwek
In the Philippines, Kwek-Kwek or tokneneng is a local street food delicacy made by boiling quail eggs to a hard boil, covering them with orange batter, and deep-frying them. They are served by local street vendors together with a spiced or non-spiced vinegar dip or a thick, sweet sauce.
Marinated or Pickled Quail Eggs
In many Asian cuisines like Japanese and Korea, hard-boiled quail eggs are served as a side dish as marinated quail eggs. They are marinated in sweet soy flavored sauce as an appetizer. The marinate usually comprises dashi stock, soy sauce, mirin, and sake in Japan. Peel the eggs and place them in a jar to fit the boiled quail eggs and the marinade.
You can keep the marinated quail eggs in the refrigerator for five days.
Or another way to pickle or marinate quail eggs is by mixing brine made with 1 cup of vinegar and one teaspoon of salt, boiled until the salt dissolves. You can choose any seasoning you like. Seal them in a jar for about a week before serving, so the egg absorbs the brine.
Bacon Wrapped Quail Eggs
This skewered egg meal is for you if you want a meat addition to your quail eggs. Simply wrap some bacon slices around the quail eggs and skewer them appropriately, so the bacon stays in place. You can add some vegetables in between the eggs if you like.
Bring the skewered bacon and eggs over a barbecue, and you can brush a sauce of your liking to give it some flavor.
Quail Egg Soup
In China, quail egg drop soup is famous as a warm dish over winter. You need a chicken or vegetable stock, soy sauce, quail eggs, tofu, cornstarch, and toppings like scallions or mushrooms.
Boil the stock in medium heat on a saucepan, add tofu and mushrooms. Whisk the eggs and cornstarch in another bowl until mixed. Add more cornstarch to the broth, then pour the eggs slowly onto the broth, mixing slowly until the eggs are combined and cooked. Serve immediately when hot.
As small as quail eggs are, their benefits and how you can cook them do not lose to regular eggs. In fact, because of their small size, they are considered better pairs and additions to level up many dishes.
Quail eggs pack just as much punch over chicken eggs and are perfect, cute, little alternatives to serve together with your favorite dishes, a side dish, a snack, or just a straight-up hard-boiled egg.
I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!
