Falafel scotch eggs

One of my chefs came to me with an idea for falafel scotch eggs and I loved it so much it’s going on the menu. This Middle Eastern, vegetarian twist on an old English classic makes perfect picnic food as they’re just as good eaten at room temperature as they are warm. Serve with mayo, tzatziki or pickles.

Credit: china squirrel

• makes

  8

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 8 eggs
• 125 ml (½ cup) vegetable oil for pan frying

Falafel mix

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 400 g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 200 g (1 ⅔ cups) besan (chickpea) flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ small bunch coriander stalks and leaves, rinsed well
• 1 egg
• 40 g (¼ cup) sesame seeds

Instructions

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil and carefully drop in the eggs. Once the water returns to the boil, set the timer for 4 minutes.

Have a bowl of iced water ready, and when the eggs are done, drop into the iced water and stand until cool. Drain and peel the eggs.  

Meanwhile, to make the falafel mixture, place all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz until almost smooth, (I prefer to keep it a little chunky) then season with salt and pepper. Divide the mixture into 8, then shape into patties.  

Working one at a time, lightly dust a boiled egg in besan flour. Place one of the falafel patties in the palm of your hand and press out until about 7 mm-thick. Place an egg in the middle and enclose in the falafel, making sure there are no cracks.

Heat 1 cm of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook the scotch eggs, turning carefully with tongs until golden all over. Drain on paper towel and serve warm or at room temperature.

Photography, styling and food preparation by china squirrel. Recipe courtesy of Joel Kenny of Shouk Cafe, Brisbane.

Tune into the SBS 2 Broadcast of Tropfest at 8:30pm on Sunday December 7.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.