What’s not to love about scotch eggs? They’re simple but feel elaborate; historic, and span nations. Traditionally, they are hard-boiled eggs nestled inside a tasty beef cover, coated with breadcrumbs and deep-fried until crispy.
South Asia has its own version: the glorious nargisi kofta. Similar to the Scotch egg, sans breadcrumbs, served in a gravy boat of spicy curry. There has long been debate over who came up with it first – South Asians or the British. While we may never know its origins, both versions are delicious.
For the home cook, the idea of deep-frying or making multiple elements just for a single dish can be intimidating. So I make a remixed, cross-cultural, shortcut scotch egg for when the craving strikes me.
Scotch Egg (The Remix):
- What corners did I cut?
- No coating – I rarely have the attention span to deep fry anything.
- I chopped most of the ingredients in the food processor.
- No curry base. In my opinion, scotch eggs/nargisi koftay pair well with a number of curry bases.
Time: approx. 45 min.
Recipe
Tools:
- Large mixing bowl
- Oven safe tray, about 2” deep
- Medium pot to boil eggs
- Food processor
- Parchment paper, Silpat, or any non-stick baking liner
Ingredients:
- 1 – 1.5 lbs ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 small onion
- 1 small chilli of choice (optional)
- ⅓ cup milk
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs – Italian seasoned are tastiest
- 1 egg for the beef mixture
- 4 eggs for the scotch eggs
- 80-100g. cheese of choice – a mix of parmesan and cheddar works best
- Handful parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Any other seasonings to taste – beef takes on flavours really well
Directions
Medium boil 4 eggs. Depending on the stove, this is approximately 5-6 mins. They should be cooked enough to be workable when wrapping with the ground beef mixture, but not hard-boiled as they will cook further in the oven. Set aside to cool.
Soak the breadcrumbs and milk together in a large bowl. Set aside for about 10 mins.
Process the onion, garlic, chilli, parsley, and cheese in the food processor until coarse ground. Add to the breadcrumb mixture and mix. Add ground beef, 1 egg, and seasoning into the same bowl and mix extremely well, until all the ingredients are combined. This is best done with your hands!
Peel your eggs. Wrap them gently with the beef mixture, following the egg shape entirely around the egg.
Line your baking sheet, and place the scotch eggs about ½ inch apart. Bake at 375 for 20 mins (until brown).
Remove from the oven – they are ready to eat! They pair best with gravy, curry, or even on their own with a side salad.
Notes:
- If you are feeling brave, you can under-boil the eggs. The best scotch eggs have a runny middle, but this can be hard to perfect.
- These keep and freeze really well. Can be reheated on the stove or at 350 degrees (25-30 mins after they are defrosted).
- Scotch eggs make a great travel snack for short distances as they are handheld.
- This recipe is super customizable depending on your gravy or curry preference.
More on Sania’s Work:
Not Your Nani’s Qorma (Issue 6)
The Little Side Dish That Could (Issue 7)
Don’t Mind if I Kaddoo By Sania Saeed
Sania is a Pakistani freelance writer and editor who is passionate about seasoning her food, the Oxford comma, and creating painfully curated Spotify playlists. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Lit with a focus in race and post-colonial studies, and wants to fill the gaps where she doesn’t see herself represented in writing and media.