Banquet Scotch Egg
The humble, yet decadent scotch egg isn’t (as one would imagine) from Scotland. It is called a scotch egg because the process of mincing the meat to go around the egg is known as ‘scotching’.
Rumour has it that the scotch egg was created by the London department store Fortnum & Mason of Piccadilly in 1738 and inspired by the Mughlai meatball dish, ‘nargisi kofta’. It was conceived as a luxury food for the upper classes to snack on when travelling.
Enid Blyton aptly described this wonderful delight as a ‘wholesome snack of choice’ and indeed it is great to take on an adventure and share with friends.
Traditionally, it is a boiled egg, coated in pork sausage meat with an outer crust of seasoned breadcrumbs, deep fried or baked (or both). Nowadays, the ingredients are often switched up to suit one’s taste and diet and there are seasonal varieties too.
Rather than opt for a hen egg, I’ve chosen the smaller quail egg, covered it in venison and pork mince and flavoured with onion, garlic, chilli, white pepper and fresh herbs. Coated in panko breadcrumbs for extra crunch, it is then deep fried then baked.
With a nod back to its Asian origin, I have served it with a dab of HP sauce, formerly known as The Banquet Sauce. This is a British brown sauce, the main ingredients being tomatoes and tamarind. On the front of the bottle is an image of the Houses of Parliament but it’s a bit of a chicken and egg story as no-one knows if one is named after the other. #ChristmasGift
Banquet Scotch Egg
The humble, yet decadent scotch egg isn’t (as one would imagine) from Scotland. It is called a scotch egg because the process of mincing the meat to go around the egg is known as ‘scotching’.
Rumour has it that the scotch egg was created by the London department store Fortnum & Mason of Piccadilly in 1738 and inspired by the Mughlai meatball dish, ‘nargisi kofta’. It was conceived as a luxury food for the upper classes to snack on when travelling.
Enid Blyton aptly described this wonderful delight as a ‘wholesome snack of choice’ and indeed it is great to take on an adventure and share with friends.
Traditionally, it is a boiled egg, coated in pork sausage meat with an outer crust of seasoned breadcrumbs, deep fried or baked (or both). Nowadays, the ingredients are often switched up to suit one’s taste and diet and there are seasonal varieties too.
Rather than opt for a hen egg, I’ve chosen the smaller quail egg, covered it in venison and pork mince and flavoured with onion, garlic, chilli, white pepper and fresh herbs. Coated in panko breadcrumbs for extra crunch, it is then deep fried then baked.
With a nod back to its Asian origin, I have served it with a dab of HP sauce, formerly known as The Banquet Sauce. This is a British brown sauce, the main ingredients being tomatoes and tamarind. On the front of the bottle is an image of the Houses of Parliament but it’s a bit of a chicken and egg story as no-one knows if one is named after the other. #ChristmasGift
Open in Cookpad AppSteps
- 1
Place some ice cubes and water in a dish. Bring a pan of water to the boil and gently place the eggs in. Cook for 2 minutes, 20 seconds then remove and plunge into the iced water. Once cool, carefully remove the shell. I gently roll the eggs on their sides on a hard surface to break up the shell then start to peel by picking some shell off from the fat end where there is an air pocket. Wash off any remaining shell and set aside.
- 2
Using your hands squish the two mince meats with the remaining flavourings until fully combined. You can use any flavourings that take your fancy. The venison has a strong flavour so can take a kick of spice.
- 3
With wet hands take a piece of mince approximately 50g in weight and flatten into a disc. Place one of the eggs in the centre and fold the mince around it. Roll between your two palms to make a ball, ensuring that there are no holes in the mince. Continue wrapping the remaining eggs in the mince.
- 4
Heat oil in a deep pan to 180 degrees C. Heat the oven to 180 degree C.
Take 3 flattish bowls and place the flour in one, egg in the next and the breadcrumbs in the last one. Roll each ball of mixture into the flour, dusting off any excess, then roll in the egg then the breadcrumbs and place on a tray. Repeat for other eggs. Note: use one hand for the dry and one hand for the wet ingredients.
- 5
Deep fry in batches until golden brown then drain and place in the oven for 5 minutes to ensure the mince is cooked through. Serve with lettuce and HP sauce.
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