You’ll need to begin this recipe a day ahead.
Ingredients
Chilli-lime sauce
Method
Main
1.Bring pigs’ ears, onion, celery, carrot and 6 litres cold water to the boil in a stockpot over medium-high heat, skim scum from surface, reduce heat to low, half-cover with a lid, and simmer, topping up with extra water if necessary, until very tender (6-8 hours). Drain (discard vegetables), cool pigs’ ears to room temperature on a try, refrigerate overnight, then cut into julienne.
2.For chilli-lime sauce, combine ingredients and ¾ tsp sea salt in a bowl and set aside.
3.Preheat vegetable oil in a large saucepan or deep-fryer to 180C. Deep-fry pigs’ ears in batches until crisp and golden (2-3 minutes; be careful as hot oil will spit violently – cover it with a spatter guard). Drain on absorbent paper and keep warm.
4.Meanwhile, heat half the clarified butter in a frying pan over medium heat, add half the eggs, fry until cooked to your liking (2-3 minutes for soft yolk), then drain on absorbent paper. Wipe out pan and repeat with remaining clarified butter and eggs.
5.To serve, toss pigs’ ears and spring onion with a little chilli-lime sauce and divide among serving plates. Top each with an egg, scatter a little sea salt on the yolk and serve hot with extra chilli-lime sauce.
Note Pigs’ ears are available from select butchers; you may need to order them. Chilli garlic sauce is available from select Asian grocers. Dotolo and Shook prefer the Tuong Ot Toi Viet-Nam brand.
Drink Suggestion: Bavarian beer, or a wine with a little sweetness, such as Domaine Huet demi-sec Vouvray. Drink suggestion by Helen Johannesen
Notes