How To Make Classic Scotch Eggs For Easter

There’s a great deal of debate over the origins of this salty snack, with tales of the very first Scotch egg appearing everywhere from Whitby to the polished streets of the capital. One thing is for sure though – they’re definitely not Scottish!

If the Fortnum & Mason tale is to be believed, Scotch eggs were once a luxury food only available for the upper classes. Conceived as a travelling snack, the delicacies were available around Piccadilly for the rich to purchase as a light refreshment to enjoy on their way to their country houses. They were designed to be neater and more discreetly scented than traditional hard-boiled eggs, offering a convenient snack for the wealthy.

Contrary to this tale, many others believe that the egg’s origins are in fact rooted in the coastal Yorkshire town of Whitby. Named after the establishment that invented them, William J Scott & Sons are said to have invented the ‘Scotties’ – the original eggs were covered in a creamy fish paste rather than sausage meat, before being covered in breadcrumbs. The sausage meat replaced the fish when the eggs began to be sold in big food shops, as it was easier to package. Variations of the original fish-covered eggs can still be purchased on the East Yorkshire coast.

Another contradictory tale suggests that the recipe of the egg is rooted in Indian cuisine exported from the British Raj. Nargisi kofta is essentially a spicy meatball containing boiled eggs inside; a dish not too dissimilar to the Scotch egg. If this story is to be believed, however, then it has to be asked why all of the spices were taken out of the recipe.

In celebration of Easter, Chef Ranjan Rajani, from Hotel Sahara Star has shared his secret recipe for Scotch Egss.

Classic Scotch Eggs

Ingredients

(serves 4)

  • 5 eggs
  • 200 grams minced chicken
  • 1/4teaspoon chopped coriander leaves
  • Black pepper powder a pinch
  • 1/4 teaspoon chopped parsley
  • Salt as required
  • 2 tablespoon milk
  • 50 grams all refined flour
  • 1 tablespoon English mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon mace powder
  • 100 grams panko breadcrumbs
  • Vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

Put a large pan on high flame and add water in it, bring it to a boil. After a boil, add 4 eggs in the pan and boil them for about 5 min.

Take a large bowl and mix together the minced chicken, coriander leaves, parsley, rosemary, mace powder and English mustard. Season this with salt and pepper as per your taste. Knead it like dough.

Peel them and keep aside. Next, crack the remaining two raw eggs in a bowl with the milk and season with a little salt, beat them together until everything is mixed well. In another bowl, place the flour along with a little salt and pepper powder.

Divide the mince in four, take the chicken mixture and spread it with your fingers until it is large enough to encase a single egg. Make sure to spread the flour on your working space so that the chicken mixture doesn’t stick.

To assemble the eggs one by one, roll one egg on the flour bowl and place it at the center of the flattened minced chicken mixture. Gently encase the egg so that it is covered completely with the minced chicken. Then dip this covered egg in the flour, and then the egg-milk mixture, and finally with the breadcrumbs.

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium flame. When the oil is hot enough, add the eggs separately one by one. Fry these eggs till golden brown in color. Served with your favourite sauce.