Kwek Kwek

Ingredients

Eggs

• 20quail eggs

Batter

• 150 gplain flour
• 50 gcornflour
• 1 tspbaking powder
• 1 tspannatto powder or orange food colouring
• 1 tspsalt
• ½ tspblack pepper
• about 200 ml water

To coat

• 50 gplain flour, for dusting

To fry

• oil, for deep frying

Sawsawan

• 150 mlcane vinegar
• 1small onion, minced
• 3 clovesgarlic, minced
• 2siling labuyo, chopped
• 1 tspsugar
• salt
• black pepper

Equipment

• bamboo skewers

Directions

1. Boil the quail eggs for 4 minutes only, then plunge them into iced water. Four minutes and straight into ice. Peel them, which is fiddly.
2. Roll each gently under your palm to crack the shell all over first, then peel under running water. Pat them completely dry, because any water on the shell stops the flour clinging.
3. Whisk the batter ingredients with enough water to make a batter that coats thickly, roughly the consistency of double cream. The batter must be thick.
4. Heat the oil to 175°C (345°F). Dip each floured egg into the batter, turning it to coat completely, and lower it into the oil.
5. Fry a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, turning, until the coating is puffed, crisp and deep orange. Do not crowd the pan or they stick to each other in a single mass.
6. Lift them out onto a rack rather than paper, which would steam the undersides soft.
7. Mix the sawsawan and put it in a communal cup at the stall. Serve hot, three or four to a skewer, dipped in the vinegar between bites.

Technique

• Kwek kwek is quail eggs; tokneneng is chicken or duck eggs, and the names are not interchangeable.
• Pre-boiled and peeled quail eggs are sold in packs in the Philippines and save the worst of the work.
• It is after-school food and it is eaten standing at the cart.

Substitutions

• Chicken eggs, halved, which makes it tokneneng.
• Paprika for colour if you have no annatto.

Variations

• Tokneneng, the chicken egg version.
• With a sweet and sour sauce instead of vinegar.
• Served over rice as a meal rather than a snack.

History

A Manila pavement snack fried in front of schools and offices and eaten from bamboo skewers.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kwek Kwek?

Kwek Kwek is a street food from Philippines: quail eggs in orange batter, deep-fried and dipped in spiced vinegar. A Manila pavement snack fried in front of schools and offices and eaten from bamboo skewers.

How long does Kwek Kwek take to make?

Kwek Kwek takes 20 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 20. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Kwek Kwek?

Yes, within limits. Chicken eggs, halved, which makes it tokneneng. Paprika for colour if you have no annatto.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kwek Kwek?

Whisk the batter ingredients with enough water to make a batter that coats thickly, roughly the consistency of double cream. The batter must be thick.