作法
- 蛋以外的所有材料入厚底鍋燉20分鐘——湯應呈深桃花心木色。
- 下去殼水煮蛋，湯應完全淹過。最小火燉60分鐘。
- 離火後讓蛋繼續浸泡冷卻，連湯一同冷藏過夜。
- 第二天：將蛋連湯重新加熱燉60分鐘，冷卻後再冷藏過夜。
- 第三天起：重複「燉60分鐘—冷卻—冷藏」的循環。蛋會逐漸縮小、變深、形成密實有嚼勁的口感。最正宗的版本要重複5至7天。
- 上桌前撈出蛋，置於網架上風乾30分鐘，至表面略呈皮革感。室溫食用，鵪鶉蛋一口一顆，雞蛋則對切享用。冷藏可保存兩週，越放越Q。
Common questions
Can 鐵蛋 be made ahead?
鐵蛋 is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 720 minutes.
Is 鐵蛋 spicy?
鐵蛋 as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is 鐵蛋 vegetarian or gluten-free?
This recipe is suitable for most diets. If you have specific restrictions, the substitutions section in each ingredient note covers the most common swaps.
How hard is 鐵蛋 to make at home?
鐵蛋 is approachable for a home cook with basic stove skills — total time about 730 minutes, no special technique required.
Can 鐵蛋 be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 8 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
文化背景
鐵蛋發明於1950年代的淡水（台北西北方的小港鎮）——一位麵店老闆把每日剩下的滷蛋反覆回滷，注意到蛋逐漸從柔軟轉為Q密。這道菜成為淡水的招牌零嘴，碼頭沿岸的攤位處處可見。反覆「滷—乾」的過程，造就了那種極端的口感——Q到近乎橡膠，味道則濃縮到極致。常作為下酒小菜，或碼頭散步的下午點心。
