Snacks of the World: Don’t Leave Singapore Without a Bag of Irvins Salted Egg Potato Chips

When Singaporean restaurateur Irvin Gunawan started experimenting with salted egg-flavoured snacks back in 2014, he probably didn’t think WAP rapper Cardi B would be a fan almost a decade later. But he had an inkling it would do well: salted egg crab was already a popular signature dish in his seafood joint, so he figured customers would probably appreciate salted egg in other forms, too. Of those early experiments, potato chips and fish skin were the winning combos.

Voila, the snack brand Irvins was born.

First available as an over-the-counter item in his now-closed restaurants, Gunawan’s moreish snacks have since sparked a global craze, with dedicated retail locations in more than 12 countries. The brand’s 2018 Hong Kong pop-up – its first stab at international expansion – was met with snaking queues. Retailers in the Philippines had to impose sales limits to manage the demand. And the ultimate flattery: an influx of copycat brands, all vying to be the next big thing.

Today, Irvins snacks are a beloved product of Singapore, the kind of thing you buy as a souvenir if you visit the island. And while it’s possible to track them down at Asian grocers in Australia, Irvins is still a rare bird. The brand’s rich, buttery and intensely savoury snacks – spiced with bird’s eye chilli and dried curry leaves – aren’t just scarcely distributed, they’re just coveted as they are in Singapore.

But aside from the cost of importing them, there’s another reason why a 105-gram packet of Irvins snacks can fetch up to $18: the brand is famously particular about its hero ingredient. It only uses preserved duck eggs – which are richer in flavour compared to chicken eggs – brined up to a month in salted soil until the yolks are crumbly and set.

This method of preservation can be traced back to China as a way to extend the lifespan of eggs. And, thanks to centuries of Chinese trade and migration, salted eggs are prevalent in other Asian cuisines, too. In Thailand, khai khem eggs are fermented in a mixture of sea salt, water and ultra-fine soil from toppled termite mounds. In the Philippines, where they’re known as itlog na maalat, eggs are brined with salted mud, boiled and then dyed red to distinguish them from regular eggs.

In Chinese cuisine, salted eggs are usually deployed as a flavour-punching accompaniment in mild-tasting rice dishes. Congee topped with salted egg? A classic. Meanwhile, Hokkien-style bak chang sees a glob of salted egg encased in chewy glutinous rice. In Malaysia, Hong Kong and Irvin’s home of Singapore, it provides a creamy and textural sauce to dress seafood in.

Salted egg’s custardy, buttery taste also makes it ideal in desserts like liu sha bao (those steamed buns you get from the dim sum trolley) and mooncakes. Elsewhere, you might see it piped into doughnuts and croissants for a lava-like ooze.

As someone who will happily eat salted egg anything, I welcome its growing availability in the Australian food landscape. Now, if only we could get Irvins to go viral here, too.

This is the first edition of Snacks of the World, a series about snacks you can find at your local international grocer.