Kai Loug Kheuh (Son-in-Law Eggs)

These eggs are part of Thailand’s street-food culture, which isn’t a surprise given that they’re deep-fried, easy to make and easy to eat.

There’s one of many stories behind the name of these that’s rather ominous, and the folks at Gastro Obscura present that reason well: “Upon learning that her daughter wasn’t being treated well by her son-in-law, the concerned parent fried up two hard-boiled eggs as a warning. The deep-fried pair sent a message: Get it together, or your “pair” will be next in line for the deep fryer.”

Hong Thaimee’s True Thai cookbook imparts a less ominous background about the name that’s centered on a cooking rivalry between a father and his son-in-law. In a contest to make the best meal, the father boiled all the eggs so the son-in-law couldn’t use them for his planned scrambled eggs. Not deterred, the son in law developed this recipe on the fly and vanquished the father, as the son-in-law eggs were the family favorite. This recipe is based on Hong Thaimee’s version.

Whatever story you believe, these make a great opening course to a Thai meal.

There are three main parts of these: the sauce, the fried shallots and chilies, and the eggs. When frying the eggs, ensure that they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

What you’ll need:

For the eggs:

• Oil for frying
• 4 or so hard-boiled eggs, peeled

For the sauce:

• 0.5 cups tamarind concentrate
• 0.25 cups shaved palm sugar (brown sugar works, too)
• 0.25 cups fish sauce

For the shallots and chilies:

• Oil for frying
• 1 or 2 thinly-sliced shallots
• 1 or 2 whole dried red Thai chilis for each egg you cook

What to do:

For the sauce:

Add the tamarind, sugar and fish sauce to a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the sauce thickens—about 10-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

For the shallots and dried chilies:

Use the same oil for frying the shallots and the eggs—but not at the same time.

To a small saucepan, add enough oil to submerge eggs. Heat the oil to about 350-375 degrees.

Using a metal-mesh skimmer, lower the shallots and chilies into the hot oil. It will bubble up some before it settles down. Fry them for about 5 minutes, removing all of them from the oil with the mesh skimmer, letting them cool on a paper-towel-lined plate. Allow to cool while frying the hardboiled eggs.

For the eggs:

With the oil about 350-375 degrees. Carefully lower the eggs into the oil, one at a time. When they first start frying, move them around in the oil so they don’t stick to the bottom. Allow them to cook for 3-5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oil to cool on the same plate on which the shallots/chilies are cooling.

For the assembly:

After the eggs are cool enough to handle, cut them in half, longitudinally, and place them yolk-up on a serving plate or tray. Spoon the sauce over the eggs, and liberally sprinkle shallots over the eggs, followed by adding the Thai peppers.

Enjoy!