Name: Vegetarian Scotch Eggs
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 8 large eggs, plus an extra egg for binding the chickpea mixture; 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 3 French shallots, diced; 2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 tsp ground cumin; ½ tsp ground coriander; ¼ tsp ground cardamom; ¼ tsp iodised salt; 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed; ½ cup wholemeal flour, plus extra to dust eggs; Black pepper; ¼ cup fresh parsley or coriander, finely chopped; ¾ cup dry wholemeal breadcrumbs*; ¼ cup sesame seeds; Extra virgin olive oil to cook

Vegetarian Scotch Eggs

Preparation time 40 mins
Serves 4 people
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Publication 14 July 2021
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Ingredients

8 large eggs, plus an extra egg for binding the chickpea mixture
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 French shallots, diced
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp iodised salt
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup wholemeal flour, plus extra to dust eggs
Black pepper
¼ cup fresh parsley or coriander, finely chopped
¾ cup dry wholemeal breadcrumbs*
¼ cup sesame seeds
Extra virgin olive oil to cook

Method

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add the eggs and cook for 6 minutes. Drain and cover with cold water to cool and prevent further cooking. Peel and set aside.
Heat a frying pan and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Sauté the shallots and garlic over moderate heat until softened, taking care not to burn. Add the cumin, coriander, cardamom, and salt. Cook for a further minute until fragrant.
Tip into a food processor along with the chickpeas and pulse until just broken up. You want the mixture to retain some texture rather than be too smooth, so don’t over-process. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the extra egg, flour, fresh herb of choice and ¼ cup of the breadcrumbs. Mix to combine with a fork, roughly mashing any chickpeas that escaped processing.
Put out two plates and tip some additional flour onto one and the remaining breadcrumbs on the other. Mix the sesame seeds into the breadcrumbs.
Take a boiled egg and roll in the flour to dust. Then take a spoonful of the chickpea mixture and flatten it on the palm of your hand (it helps to dust your hands with flour so the mixture doesn't stick to your hand). Place the egg in the middle and then wrap the egg in the mixture, squeezing the mixture around the egg until it is completely covered and the mixture is evenly coated. Then, roll the wrapped egg in the breadcrumbs and sesame seeds to coat, pressing gently to ensure they stick. Lay on a plate and repeat with the other eggs.
You can choose to either deep fry the eggs or air fry them.
1. To deep fry, fill a saucepan with enough extra virgin olive oil to cover the eggs. Heat until the oil sizzles when you drop in a crumb. Using a slotted spoon slide in the eggs, cooking in batches so that you don’t overcrowd the pan and lower the heat of the oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes, gently rolling the egg occasionally to ensure even cooking. Remove from the pan and place on paper towel on a plate in a warm oven while you cook the remaining eggs.
2. To air fry, put the extra virgin olive oil into a pump bottle and spray the eggs all over. Place in the air fryer and cook for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy on the outside.
Serve with tomato chutney and a lovely mixed salad.

Notes

*It’s hard to find whole meal breadcrumbs commercially, but really easy to make yourself at home. Plus, it’s a great way to use up bread that is a few days old. Simply blitz to a fine crumb in a blender or food processor, then spread out on a baking tray. Heat the oven to 140°C and bake the crumbs for 20 minutes or so, stirring them around occasionally. Once completely dried out and crunchy, leave to cool and then store in an airtight container in the pantry.