Kwek-Kwek

One of the most popular street food is Kwek-Kwek. It’s quail egg wrapped in a crispy, orange-coating. Being Filipino, it’s one of my favorite meryenda (snack). For the longest time, I thought it’s food coloring that gives the Kwek-Kwek it’s color. I finally searched for the recipe of this popular snack and found out that it’s in fact Atsuete (Annatto) that gives the color. 

Here’s the recipe taken for Panlasang Pinoy:

Ingredients:

12 to 18 pieces boiled quail eggs

1 cup flour

3 tbsp. cornstarch

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp. annatto powder (pinulbos na atsuete)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

2 cups cooking oil

Cooking procedure:

1. Place the cornstarch in a container and dredge the boiled quail eggs. Set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper then mix thoroughly.

3. Dilute the annatto powder in warm water then pour-in the mixing bowl with the other ingredients. Mix well.

4. Place all the quail eggs in the mixing bowl and coat with the batter.

5. Heat the pan and pour the cooking oil.

6. When the oil is hot enough, deep-fry the quail eggs by scooping them from the mixing bowl using a spoon. Make sure that each is coated with batter.

7. After a few minutes, remove the fried quail eggs from the pan and place in a serving plate.

8. Serve with vinegar or fish ball sauce while still crispy. Share and Enjoy!

Miku, a guest from Panlasang Pinoy, also provided this recipe for the sauce:

Liwayway (gawgaw isang piraso …yung nasa papel ang packaging)
4 cups of water
5 tbsp. of Toyo (datu puti para dark talaga ang color)
Pepper
Sugar
Salt kung kulang pa sa alat.

Mix mo muna lahat yan sa saucepan. Pag na halo mo na ay saka mo painitan sa kalan at patuloy na haluin. Bago pa man kumulo iyan ay lalapot na yan. Patuloy na haluin hanggang sa makuha ang nais na lapot.

Lagyan ng sili bago patayin ang kalan kung gusto mong maging maanghang. Kung gusto mo ng medyo may lasa pa ay maglagay ng magic sarap.

Yan ang basic na recipe ng mga nakikita mo sa kalye.

*Liwayway is a brand of corn starch

*Datu Puti is a brand of soy sauce

(Mix all the ingredients first in the sauce pan. Once all the ingredients are mixed, heat up the pan and continue stirring. Even before it boils up, the sauce will thicken. Continue stirring until the desired thickness is achieved.

Put some chili pepper before turning off the stove if you want a hot sauce. If you want to add some flavor, put some Maggi Magic Sarap (a brand of seasoning).

That’s the basic recipe (of the sauce) that you’ll find on the street.)

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