Baked Eggs: Qai Ci (Khai Being)

by Cindy Her

Nyob Zoo Foodies!

Today, I’ll be showing you a fun, tasty, and easy Lao appetizer/snack: Khai Being. In the Hmong culture, we like to call these Qai Ci: “Qai” means eggs and “ci” means to bake. These are super fun to eat and also very easy to make. It’s just time consuming 🙂 Great for potlucks or any special occasions. These are basically hard boiled eggs but rather than boiled, it’s seasoned, hard baked, and no yolk in the center haha. Super fun. I grew up eating this as a kid and I still love it till this day.  The great thing about eggs is that you have the freedom to season it how ever you want. So today, I’ll show you how we like to season the eggs and how we like to cook it. Hopefully you can give it a try and have a successful bake.

Let me know how you like to season your eggs. Happy Baking! 🙂

Main Ingredients

EGGS! We are doing 30 eggs today.

Crack the too to release the yolk and whites to be seasoned.
Release the egg. Utilize the chopstick to help release the egg.Strain well to get rid of the shells
Season the eggs
I’m using oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce, lots of black pepper, sugar, and salt. Green onions is optional Pour the egg mixture back to the shell
Bake on the cardboard flat
1 hr bake @ 175′ and then another 1.5 hr bake @ 200′ Peel and enjoy with sweet chili sauce
What it looks like after cooking. Not the prettiest but it still taste good!

SO FUN!

Enjoy!

-CHawjCreations

Baked Eggs: Qai Ci (Khai Being)

Serves: 8-10 Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

  • 30 Eggs
  • 1/2 tsp Salt (add more if desire)
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • 2 tsp ground black pepper (more or less depends on you)
  • 2 Tbsp Oyster sauce
  • 1 Tbsp sweet soy sauce (Kwong Hung Seng Sauce)
  • Sweet chili sauce
  • Green onions (optional)

Instructions

1) Take a chopstick or a strong bamboo stick and poke a small whole on the top of all the egg. Be gentle and try not to crack the sides or the whole egg or else you won't be able to fill it back it.

2) After you poke holes on top of all the eggs, take the chopstick and poke it inside to break apart the yolk. Gently use the chopsticks to help release the egg out and onto a bowl. If you notice shells going into the bowl, it's okay. We will strain it out later. Take the yolk and whites out of all the eggs. Be gentle and try not to poke the bottom of the egg or else you can't use it. Once the eggs are release out of the shell, you can rinse the shell or use a damp paper towel to clean it a bit.

3) With the eggs in the bowl, take an immersion blender and blend the top half to release the gloopy whites so it will be easier to be put through a sieve. If you don't have an immersion blender, use a whisk or a blender. Just be mindful of the egg shells. Once well mixed, put it through a sieve over a bowl. Strain well so you don't have any shells left in the mixed eggs.

4) Let's season. Add in all the seasonings to the eggs and mixed well. Once mixed, feel free to cook some so you can adjust the seasonings. Feel free to add green onions and other stuff if you desire. Just make sure to cut it super small. Pour the egg mixture into a pitcher with a lip (or any tool of your choice to put the mixture back into the shell).

5) Then fill the all the eggs 3/4 back up.  Place it back on the cardboard flat.

6) Bake on the cardboard flat for 1 hr @ 175 degrees F. After 1 hr, turn the oven up to 200 degree F and cook it for 1.5 more hour. After 1.5 hrs, take a bamboo skewer and poke it through the center of the egg. It should come out clean and the egg should feel semi firm as you poke it through. If you notice it's still soft, you can cook it for an additional 10-15 more minutes.

7) Once cooked, take it off the heat and let it cool before consuming. Peel, cut and eat with sweet chili sauce. YUM!

Notes

Store in the fridge for at least 3 days. It can be eaten cold. You can also use this as a protein component in a salad. Slow and low heat will allow the egg to stay its shape and prevent it from cracking and over proofing.

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4 comments

Celeste June 28, 2021 - 1:12 pm

This looks wonderful! I’m excited to try. Maybe this is silly, but do you put the cardboard on a metal tray in the oven? Or straight onto the metal grate?
Thank you

Reply
Darren Newman July 26, 2022 - 4:27 am

I would think either way is acceptable, hopefully she answers soon!

Reply
Chiemua Thao December 13, 2022 - 6:16 pm

Wait how can you bake on the cardboard though, wouldn’t it burn in the oven and also, can you steam the eggs instead of baking it?

Reply
Cindy Her December 24, 2022 - 12:55 am

Since we’re cooking it on a pretty low temp, the cardboard will not catch fire.

Reply

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