Fried Deviled Eggs
when you want to have party fare, but you have issues with textures
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Eggs and I have a complicated relationship. The only egg that I ever enjoyed was my Tamagotchi back in the day. My school banned them, so like any responsible adult, I pawned the duty off on someone else and made my mom take care of it. Tragically, my digital buddy met its pixelated demise (RIP Ducky).
As for real eggs, they haven't won me over entirely. Their taste is one hurdle, but it's their peculiar texture that truly scrambles my brain. Hard-boiled and deviled eggs are some of the worst. They're too soft, lacking any satisfying crunch. Honestly, I can't recall a single deviled egg that made me say, "Damn, these are amazing!" I'd just mumble, "These are good" to avoid offending the cook. It's not their fault—I simply despise the texture and taste. Or so I thought...
I stumbled upon a Thai wonder called kai look keuy, a.k.a. son-in-law eggs. Can't vouch for the taste since I haven't tried them, but they’re fried hard-boiled eggs drenched in tamarind, palm sugar, and fish sauce. Suddenly, I realized "We're halfway to deviled eggs!" I had a hunch it could add that much-needed texture. So, I took the plunge and fried some hard-cooked eggs. Why haven't we Americans deep-fried eggs before? Beats me. We'll deep-fry Twinkies and butter, but eggs? Nah. Anyway, long story short, it worked! That crispy goodness gave those eggs the textural edge they desperately needed. Soft? Not anymore!
Now, if you're not keen on frying, no worries! You can stick to making deviled eggs the usual way. And don't fret—I'm not talking about deep-frying like you would with chicken or fries. Just heat up some oil and fry the outermost layer of the eggs, no batter needed. Sure, it might be a bit unconventional and off-putting to some, but I'm all about the added texture. Then, it's time to mix those divine egg yolks with rich, nutty sesame oil and savory umami-packed miso. Next, the magic touch of rice wine vinegar brings a subtle sweetness and zesty punch. Feel free to use any hot sauce you fancy, but I must confess, I have a soft spot for the vinegar-based variety. Sometimes, I like to top these beauties with pickled onions and crispy lardons. Do whichever makes you happy.
Fried Deviled Eggs
serves 1
Ingredients
4 large eggs
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon mustard powder
½ teaspoon hot sauce, preferably vinegar based
½ teaspoon rice wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon white (shiro) miso paste
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 scallion (optional)
pickled onion, crispy lardons, fried shallots, dusting of smoked paprika, etc for garnish (optional)
Instructions
1. Pour an inch worth of water into a sauce pot that has a lid. Place a steamer basket into the sauce pot. Heat over medium-high heat. Once steaming, place the four eggs into the steamer basket and pop the lid on top. Steam the eggs for 12 minutes. Fill a separate bowl with ice cold water. Once the 12 minutes is up, place the eggs into the bowl of ice water. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
2. While the eggs are cooling off, place the next seven ingredients into a bowl and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
3. Once the eggs are completely cooled, take each egg and slap them with the back side of a spoon to make cracks all over. Start peeling the eggs one by one. They should be easy to peel. Once an egg is peeled, I like to place them back in the bowl that has the cold water in it as it will remove any remaining shards of eggshell left on the eggs.
4. After all the eggs are peeled, remove them from the water if you placed them back in the bowl of ice water and gently pat dry with a paper towel to remove as much excess moisture as possible. Set them aside.
5. Place a sauce pot with an inch of neutral oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, gently place all four eggs into the oil. They will begin to spit and sputter a little as any remaining moisture on the eggs is evaporated off, so stand back a little. Stir the eggs in the oil continuously until they are a nice golden brown color, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the eggs from the oil and place on paper towels or a rack set over some paper towels and allow to cool for 10 minutes more.
6. Once eggs have cooled enough to handle, cut each egg in half and spoon out the egg yolks into a clean bowl. After all the yolks are removed, add the seven ingredients you mixed together from step 2. Mix vigorously so the mixture becomes thick and voluminous. Taste and season with salt.
7. Spoon the yolk mixture into each of the egg halves, or pipe if you’d like. Grind some black pepper on each egg. Cut the scallion into 8 equal pieces and top each prepared egg with one of the slices, or any of the other garnish options if you choose. Place in the fridge until ready to serve.