OBSESSIONS
22 FEBRUARY 2021
CHYUM FOODS
After relying on
friends’ visits to
Asia for egg yolk
fish skin snacks,
San Francisco–
based chYum
Foods’ founders
developed their
own version. ($10,
chyumfoods.com)GOODFISH
For flavors like
barbecue, chili lime,
and tart cranberry,
Goodfish partners
with sustainable
fisheries for wild-
caught sockeye
salmon skin chips.
($25 for a pack of 8,
goodfish.com)THE GOLDEN
DUCK
We’re obsessed
with Golden Duck’s
rich, smoky snacks
that use 21-day-
cured egg yolks
and have a hint of
roasted coconut.
($50 for a pack of 5,
thegoldenduck.co)TOCHI SNACKS
Tochi Snacks sells
salted egg yolk
popcorn and potato
chips inspired by
the buttery, umami
flavors two of the
cofounders grew
up with. ($32 for a
pack of 3, tochi
snacks.com)IRVINS
Singaporean sea-
food restaurant
Irvins exports salted
egg–coated chips,
salted egg sauce,
and the fan-favorite
salted egg fish
skins. ($27 for a
pack of 3, irvin
saltedegg.com)TRENDSPOTTINGEast Asian Snacks Head Stateside Lean into
those crunchy, sweet, salty cravings.
By Antara Sinha
ChYum Foods layers on
the umami in their salted
egg–coated, super-crisp
fish skin snacks.They’re seasoned with
curry leaves, which lend a
delectable peppery note.Salted egg, a beloved flavor
in Southeast and East Asian
countries, is simultaneously
buttery, savory, and hearty.
It’s typically made from curing
duck eggs in salt, which draws
water out from the yolk and
brings out complex richness.
Abroad, they’re ubiquitous in
mooncakes, in stir-fries, and
on congee. For our favorite
salted egg snacks in the U.S.,
see below.EGGING US ON
Srikaya, or kaya,
a sweet, creamy
coconut-egg jam, has
long been a popular
breakfast and street
food confection in Sin-
gapore, Malaysia, and
much of Southeast
Asia. Vanilla-esque
pandan and java palm
sugar are traditional
flavors, but in the U.S.,
entrepreneurs and
chefs are experiment-
ing with out-of-the-box
takes. From Nigel
Sielegar’s Moon
Man, you can order
traditional flavors like
pandan, java palm
sugar, and ube (purple
yam). His jams are
especially aromatic
due to his method
of extracting scents
from botanicals,
which he learned while
working for a client in
the perfume industry
($10, hellomoonman
.co m). Meanwhile,
pandan kaya jam
has garnered a cult
following at NYC’s
Kopitiam, where it’s
served slathered on
buttered toast and
can be paired with
a side of soft-boiled
eggs and soy sauce
(kopitiamnyc.com).
Looking for summer
in a jar? Coconut-
mango kaya jam from
Hey Boo Jams is the
closest you’ll get to
the beach from your
kitchen ($13, heyboo
jams.com).LET’S JAM
ILLUSTRATION: RACHEL CARNEY