How to Make Deep-Fried Balut Po’ Boy

I’ve been on a po’ boy kick for the past couple of weeks, but then I got bored of all these basic ass po’ boys. I needed that new new. So, I hit up a nearby Asian market.  As soon as I walked in, I spotted some Balut eggs. It was love at first sight. If you’re not familiar with what balut is, then you NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS FIRST. Then, keep reading.

Ok, so first things first: I needed to make the aioli. Oh, and now that you know what Balut is, you know I had to keep this thing duck-themed. So I incorporated the duck egg in the aioli.  Check out the recipe.

Duck Egg Aioli

• 2 or 3 fresh garlic cloves, peeled and minced.
• Coarse sea salt
• 1 duck egg yolk (room temperature)
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 1 cup pure olive oil
• 1 table spoon of orange zest
• a few slices of jalapeno (cause you know I gots to have  that spice)

Directions

Whisk minced garlic, pinch of sea salt (to start), and yolk until smooth. Squeeze in lemon juice. Then, while whisking by hand, pour olive oil in steady stream to emulsify. Putting a towel under the bowl during the process helps with the bowl slipping and sliding. Take a few breaks in between the process to make sure the oil is fully mixed in. Slow and steady wins the aioli — so check it before you wreck it. Once it reaches a consistency to your liking, add salt to taste and fold in the orange zest and jalapeno slices. Kept the ‘penos sliced, rather than diced cause yuh’ know I like’m cute and chunky.

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This is when things got weird….

To prepare these guys all you have to do is boil them like a normal chicken egg. After letting them cool, I was really hyped to try one dipped in salt and pepper, aka the traditional OG style. Once I cracked open that shell and popped the embryo sac, I saw a beak, feathers, and a set of eyes.  All I could think about was this ಥ_ಥ

So I decided to go with what I know best and that’s to DEEP FRY ‘EM.

Tempura Batter

• 1 cup flour
• 1 table spoon cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups of soda water as cold as possible

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients and mix until smooth. A few lumps here and there is aight. The cold bubs keeps the batter fluffy, so refrigerate if you’re not going to use it right away and in-between battering.

I did a hood version of an at-home deep fryer by pouring a bunch of grape seed oil into a cast iron skillet (about halfway). Once the oil gets to about 375 degrees, then I’m ready to fry. Coat the ducklings evenly in the tempura batter and drop them in the deep fryer until golden brown delicious. Salt them as soon as you pull them out.

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The Holy Duck Trinity Sandwich Spread

Clockwise from top left: deviled duck embryo yolk spread – duck egg aioli – smoked paprika.

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How to Assemble

Assembling the sandwich is up to you. I kept it New Orleans style simple and used iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, and leftover jalapenos. You know a GlutLife recipe wouldn’t be complete without sum drank. And the best way to wash a little quack down is with a little yak of the Hennessy variety.

A special shout out goes to Glut family member Landjawz for showing us how to suck on duck eggs.