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Kai Palo (Stewed eggs)

Kai Palo (ไข่พะโล้, Stewed eggs) is an egg dish made from eggs and Soy sauce(醬油, jiàngyóu). It is a popular dish among Thai people originating from China. The dish is well known for its sweet and salty taste as well as the brown-colored eggs.

Etymology

“Palo” is a method of cooking that has its name from the word “拍滷” which reads “Pa-lor” in Hokkien dialect and “Pa-lou” in Teochew dialect.

By frying brown sugar in the pan first, then adding spices like brown sauce, meat, and other ingredients, the “lor” in the Hokkien dialect translates directly to “dark-colored stew” The meat used in the stew can range from pork, and ducks, and even gooses.

It is worth noting that the “Palo” according to the Thai Royal Academy dictionary (พจนานุกรม ฉบับราชบัณฑิตยสถาน พ.ศ. ๒๕๕๔) means “Name of a type of a Chinese dish that uses different spices mashed together and braised until the stew dries. If cooked in a Thai style, sugar and soy sauce are often added to give the dish a sweet and salty taste but not a lot of spice is used.” This is slightly different from the “Palou” in the Chinese language which means cooking a meat dish in a dark-colored stew with salt, soy sauce, and Chinese spice.

Origin and History

Palo has been a very common local food among the Chinese since ancient times. Palo from different areas of China also have their unique taste based on the specialty of those regions. Sichuan’s Palo are usually more fragrant and spicier, Xiang-Hai’s Palo has a more reddish color and is on the saltier side, Xuzhou’s Palo are generally sweeter and have a fresh scent, Guangdong’s Palo has a richer stew with softer meat, while Hakka’s Palo is spicy and sour with little spice.

Legend of Palo

There is a Chinese legend about the origin of Palou that there was a god named “Pai-Sui-Ea. This god had a wife named “Pai-Xiao-Men” whom he loved dearly. Pai-Sui-Ea was willing to give anything to Pai-Xiao-Men and always took good care of her. However, Pai-Xiao-Men fell in love with a man named “Huo-Qi-Men who was a duck farmer. When Pai-Sui-Ea found out, he was very furious and cursed both his wife and the duck farmer, turning both of them into ducks and then killing and cooking both of them in spice and soy sauce. It is also said that if anyone wants his blessings, they need to offer Palo to him, which leads to the shrine being filled with nothing but Palo. Eventually, the people got bored of offering only Palo so they decided to change up the recipe a little adding in eggs and Tofu and using different kinds of meat like Goose and Pork.

Nutrition values

Stewed eggs (Kai Palo) contain a relatively high amount of sodium and sugar. The average dish has roughly 654.7 mg of sodium and 5.53 g of sugar.

Preparation

The necessary ingredients for Stewed eggs (Kai Palo) are peeled hard-boiled eggs, 1 cup of Soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 3-4 tablespoons of sesame oil. Start off by putting the eggs in a large cooking pot and filling it with water to a point where it covers all the eggs. Follow by adding Soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar, then stir them together. Cook them in medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Then remove the pot from the heat and let the eggs steep in the soy-sugar mixture for about 1-2 hours. Return the eggs to the medium-low heat again. Repeat the process of heating and letting them steep for a few times until the eggs turn golden brown.

By soaking the prepared batch of eggs in a covered pot of the sauce mixture overnight, the eggs will take on a more complex smoky, salty-sweet flavor.

Variations

These are some of the dishes that share some similarities to Stewed eggs (Kai Palo) either in the form of the ingredients used, the look, or the taste.

Ajitama (Ramen eggs)

Ramen Eggs (Ajitama)

The Japanese marinated eggs with soy sauce, vinegar, and mirin. It is used for Ramen topping.

Haminados

One of the most recognizable foods in Sephardic kitchen. Its unique cooking methods existed long before its popularity among its community in Spain. During the Spanish Expulsion around 1492, it managed to spread across different Jewish communities while remaining a hallmark of Sephardic cuisine.

Gyeran Jangjorim

Also referred to as “Korean Braised eggs” The eggs are in brownish color and often have a sweet and savory taste.

Mayak Gyeran (마약계란)

Also know as “Korean marinated eggs". It is a popular side dish originating in South Korea. The dish has similar methods of cooking the eggs to Stewed eggs.