A very easy, simple recipe which I happened to see on an Instagram reel. I saw it and liked the concept — the ingredients weren’t mentioned, but I sort of guessed, and the outcome was pretty good: a good Chinese twist on our simple hard-boiled eggs. Here I haven’t used the egg yolks — I used them for another recipe and gave some to my pet African grey parrot, who enjoys eating eggs. I’ve used minced chicken to fill up the hard-boiled shells. Do try this simple side dish.
Base
5 eggs, boiled, peeled and halved (we won’t use the yolks). To enable the halved eggs to sit without wobbling, I took off a sliver from the bottom.
Filling
- 125 gms finely chopped underside of chicken breast
- 1 red chilli, chopped
- 1 spring onion, white part only
- ½ tsp white pepper powder
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- 1 tbsp chopped garlic
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ½ tsp ajinomoto, optional
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
Put all of the above in a food processor and blitz till well mixed.
Method
- Make 10 balls with wet hands.
- Put each ball into a boiled egg shell and place in a slightly greased frying pan.
- Pour over the sauce, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Done. Serve hot or cold.
Sauce
- 1 tbsp chilli oil
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1 sprig minced curry leaves
- 1 tbsp finely minced garlic
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 spring onion, finely minced
- 1 tbsp chilli sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
- 1 green chilli, cut into thin rings
- 1 red chilli, cut into thin rings
- A pinch of salt
- In a bowl, add the chilli oil, vinegar, chilli sauce, soy sauce, garlic, sugar, salt, spring onion, coriander leaves, and green and red chillies. Mix well.
- Pour hot sesame oil on top, along with ¼ cup hot water. Mix.
- Heat sesame oil plus 1 tbsp normal oil in a small tadka pan, add minced curry leaves, and pour into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients.
