How to Make Tokneneng

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Tokneneng is a popular Filipino street food.  It is usually made of hard boiled duck egg or sometimes unfertilized duck egg or balut.  To make a tokneneng, the hard boiled egg is dipped into an orange-colored thick batter then deep fried until cooked.  Tokneneng is usually accompanied with vinegar sauce, chopped onions, chilis and sometimes chopped cucumber.

Tokneneng reminds me of my high school days, especially during my Cadet Officer Candidate Course and Cadet Army Training days.  I would usually eat two pieces of this street food from manong who sold different street foods on a pedicab.  It was only Php10.00 back then which makes it really affordable.

So maybe you are wondering what’s with the battered egg when you can eat it as is, right?  Well, I don’t know.  For me, the orange-colored coating of tokneneng is so enticing to eat it.  Another thing is, manong will not be the one to make your dipping sauce.  You will be the one to make your own concoction of your vinegar sauce.  I tell you, the vinegar sauce must have to have chopped red onions, chopped cucumber, a little bit of salt and lastly, some chopped chili to give it a kick.  Then, I would buy buko or coconut juice to compliment it.  That time, buko juice is only Php10.00.  Cheap right?

What I love about this street food aside from being affordable is how every ingredients of it, including the vinegar sauce, compliments each other.  The orange coating of the tokneneng, is a little crisp and soft and gives the tokneneng a bread after-like taste.  The richness of the duck egg is well balanced by the acidity of the vinegar.  The chopped onion gives it a subtle sweetness and spiciness.  The chopped chili gives it a nice kick and the cucumber gives it a refreshing taste.

So, did you know this street food is so easy to do and you can be sure that it is hygienically prepared by cooking it at home?

Procedure

Whisk together flour, baking powder, Spanish Paprika and salt.  Make a well at the center and add the egg.

Combine the annatto seeds and 4 tablespoons of hot water.  Let it steep for five minutes then drain to remove the seeds.  Add the orange colored water into the center and slightly mix to beat the egg.

Combine the hot water and tap water.  Slowly pour this into the center with continuous mixing until a thick batter is formed.  How thick?  It should be thick enough to cover the eggs without dripping easily from the eggs.  Be careful in adding the water or your batter will come out thin.  If so, add more flour.

Deep fry until cooked.

For the sauce, combine chopped cucumber, onions and vinegar.  Season with sugar and salt.  Add some chopped chili if you want it spicy.  Served this with your tokneneng.

Download Recipe Below.