Traditional Scotch Eggs Recipe with a Thai Pad Kra Pao Twist (2024)

Jump to Recipe

This traditional Scotch eggs recipe for the classic British picnic snack has a Thai-influenced twist inspired by the Thai stir-fry favourite, pad kra pao or pad gaprao. Scotch eggs are traditionally made with a boiled egg wrapped in seasoned sausage meat, which is crumbed and deep-fried. Here, I’ve given the minced pork a pad kra pao flavour.

My original Thai-style Scotch eggs recipe is essentially a traditional Scotch eggs recipe for the popular British picnic snack, which I’ve given a Thai-inspired makeover by infusing the ground pork with the flavours of Thailand’s favourite stir-fry pad kra pao or pad gaprao.

If you’re a fan of traditional Thai pad kra pao you’re going to love this dish, but I also recommend you try our original Thai pad krapow omelette rice bowl recipefor our idea of a Thai style donburi or Japanese rice bowl, andour pad kra pao udon noodles recipe, which we shared in our long-running series Weekend Eggs, on egg dishes from around the world.

But back to my Thai-style Scotch eggs recipe. If you’re new to this dish, Scotch eggs are made from a boiled egg that’s been wrapped in seasoned ground meat that is crumbed and deep-fried. I’ve done the same thing with my Thai inspired Scotch eggs, however, I’ve added the flavours of Thai pad kra pao to the minced pork.

While mass-produced Scotch eggs are still sold in supermarkets and service stations in the UK, the gastro-pub revolution saw the humble snack elevated to such an extent that Scotch eggs even graced the menus of Michelin-starred restaurants.

Those posh Scotch eggs have long been a source of inspiration. I’ve always wanted to experiment with a traditional Scotch eggs recipe for our Weekend Eggs series, so I decided to give it a Southeast Asian twist for our revitalised series on quintessential eggs dishes from around the world.

We’ve been a little obsessed with the popular Thai dish pad kra pao for a while, and given that it’s essentially seasoned minced meat that’s typically topped with a fried egg, it was the perfect candidate for this traditional Scotch eggs recipe with a Thai twist.

If you haven’t dropped by in a while, we recently rebooted our Weekend Eggs recipe series which we launched with Grantourismo over a decade ago. Recipes published so far include Russian devilled eggs, Turkish poached eggs called çılbır, Turkish menemen scrambled eggs, Calabria’s take on ‘eggs in purgatory’ with spicy ’nduja, Thailand’s son-in-law eggs, the puffy Thai omelette kai jiaw, Cambodian steamed eggs, and Singapore and Malaysia’s half-boiled eggs with kaya jam and toast.

Before I tell you about my Thai-inspired traditional Scotch eggs recipe, we have a favour to ask. Grantourismo is reader-funded. If you’ve enjoyed our recipes, please consider supporting Grantourismo by using our links to book accommodation, rent a car, buy travel insurance, or book a tour onGet Your Guide. We may earn a small commission but you won’t pay extra.

You can also shop our Grantourismo storefor gifts for foodiesdesigned with Terence’s images, contribute to our epic Cambodian cuisine history and cookbook on Patreon, or purchase something on Amazon, such as these James Beard award-winning cookbooks, cookbooks by Australian chefs, classic cookbooks for serious cooks, cookbooks for culinary travellers, orgifts for Asian food lovers and picnic lovers. Again, we might earn a commission but you won’t pay more.

Now let me tell you about this traditional Scotch eggs recipe with a Thai-inspired twist.

Traditional Scotch Eggs Recipe with a Thai Inspired Pad Kra Pao Twist

The base recipe for pad kra pao is minced meat – this can be beef, pork or chicken – mixed with a paste of chillies and garlic, and seasoned with both light soy sauce and dark soy sauce, fish sauce, and in many recipes, oyster sauce. There is a long backstory to the use of oyster sauce in this dish, but that’s another research project.

Some Thai pad kra pao recipes include other ingredients, such as long beans, onions, sugar, and stock, but it’s really up to the cook what they include in this street food classic. At the last minute, holy basil is tossed in, and, at some stalls, a fried egg cooked over high heat is plopped on top.

At other stalls, a fried egg is an extra on the menu that has to be ordered. More basil is added, and as you tuck in, you can add some prik nam pla, a classic dipping sauce that is a mix of fish sauce, lime juice, chopped bird’s eye chilies, and garlic.

Given the very different cooking methods between pad kra pao and Scotch eggs, it was a challenge to add the right amount of flavour, mainly coming from the soy and fish sauces.

What I did was add half the amount of each sauce to the mince, and the other half to the egg mixture coating the Scotch eggs before they are rolled in the panko breadcrumbs.

The final flavour is a mild version of pad kra pao, but dipping the Scotch eggs into some prik nam pla brings the flavours together.

Tips for Making This Traditional Scotch Eggs Recipe with a Thai Pad Kra Pao Flavour

Just a few tips to making this traditional Scotch eggs recipe with a Thai-inspired twist. We like to boil our eggs to a time of 5-6 minutes. Refer to my guide for boiling eggs in this post.

If you try and keep the yolk super runny, the eggs can be a little too fragile for the coating and mince mixture to stick without breaking the eggs. The eggs in the photo above were boiled to six minutes.

A chef with a sous vide machine could make these all day with a runny yolk, which is why a Scotch egg when elevated is a thing of beauty.

Some classic Scotch eggs recipes use plastic wrap to lay the mince mixture on and wrap the egg. I find this redundant. Moulding the mince mixture between your hands is far easier.

Another tip is to not use tongs for handling the eggs, as the coating may crack or break off. I use a large slotted spoon to insert and remove the eggs, as well as for rolling the eggs around in the oil if using a frying pan.

If you don’t want to use a whole lot of oil for this recipe, you can fill a deep frying pan to just more than halfway up the height of the eggs and fry the eggs on one side and then on the other.

I like to time it so that each side gets a minute each, and then reassess the colour of the eggs. We like the eggs a dark golden brown as they have more crunch. You can reuse the oil, but it needs a very good strain.

We made the traditional sauce, prik nam pla, which is a mix of fish sauce, a squeeze of lime juice, chopped bird’s eye chilies, and chopped garlic.

However, I wanted to thicken it up a little with some oyster sauce. Lara said she did not need it – until she ate the second, more refined batch – but I loved it. You could also go the mayo and mustard route if you like.

Traditional Scotch Eggs Recipe with Thai Pad Kra Pao Flavour

Traditional Scotch Eggs Recipe with a Thai Pad Kra Pao Twist (1)

Scotch Eggs with Thai Pad Kra Pao Recipe

AuthorTraditional Scotch Eggs Recipe with a Thai Pad Kra Pao Twist (2)Terence Carter

This traditional Scotch eggs recipe for the classic British picnic snack has a Thai-influenced twist inspired by the Thai stir-fry favourite, pad kra pao or pad gaprao. Scotch eggs are traditionally made with a boiled egg wrapped in seasoned sausage meat, which is crumbed and deep-fried. Here, I’ve given the minced pork a pad kra pao flavour.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 6 minutes mins

Fridge Resting Time 30 minutes mins

Course Breakfast, brunch, snack, street food

Cuisine British/Thai

Servings made with recipeServings 3 Pieces

Calories 384 kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 boiled eggs - soft (5 minute boil)
  • 300 g pork mince - 15% fat
  • 4 bird's eye chillis - seeds removed & chopped finely
  • 1 long red chilli - seeds removed & chopped finely
  • 3 cloves of garlic - minced
  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 handful holy basil

For the coating

  • plain flour - seasoned with a little salt
  • eggs - beaten
  • panko bread crumbs

Instructions

  • In a mortar and pestle, pound the bird's eye chillis. Add the long chilli and then the garlic to form a paste.

  • In a large bowl, thoroughly combine the pork mince, the chilli and garlic paste and half each of the oyster sauce, soy sauce and fish sauce.

  • Divide this mixture into three even portions, one for each egg. On a baking sheet, form each portion into a ball and then flatten.

  • Dry the eggs off with a paper towel. Place an egg at the centre of one of the flattened pork mixtures. Using wet hands (this stops the mixture sticking to your hands), fold the minced pork mixture over the egg. Lift the egg off the baking sheet and evenly layer the mixture around the egg, moving the egg from hand to hand. Repeat with the other eggs and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes to firm up.

  • Prepare 3 bowls. Add flour to the first and sprinkle with salt and mix. In the second bowl, break 2 eggs, mix and add the remaining soy, fish and oyster sauce. Stir to combine. In the third bowl, add the breadcrumbs.

  • Flour, egg and crumb the eggs.

  • When the eggs are ready, preheat a deep-fryer or deep frying pan to 180°C. Have a sheet pan with a rack and kitchen towels ready.

  • Gently lower the scotch eggs into the fryer or deep frying pan and cook until golden and crisp. This should take about 5–6 minutes.

  • Drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 384kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 26gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 259mgSodium: 1095mgPotassium: 637mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 989IUVitamin C: 109mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 2mg

Pleasedo let us know if you make my traditional Scotch eggs recipe with a Thai-inspired twist in the comments below. We’d love to hear how it turns out for you and if it does go well we’d greatly appreciate a rating.

Traditional Scotch Eggs Recipe with a Thai Pad Kra Pao Twist (3)

SHARE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Traditional Scotch Eggs Recipe with a Thai Pad Kra Pao Twist (4)

Related Posts You Might Like

Traditional Scotch Eggs Recipe with a Thai Pad Kra Pao Twist (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep Scotch eggs from splitting? ›

Place the egg in the middle and wrap the egg with the meat. Pinch the edges together and smooth the ball so that there are no gaps or bumps. (If the covering isn't even, the Scotch egg will split during cooking.)

What makes a Scotch egg a Scotch egg? ›

Scotch eggs were originally spiked with cloves and highly spiced in an attempt to sweeten the often putrefying meat. The term itself is obscure but may come, though I doubt it, from a corruption of the word 'scorch' (which in Elizabethan times had ribald associations).

What is the difference between egg roll and Scotch egg? ›

For those asking for the difference: Scotch egg is boiled egg that is wrapped in sausage, rolled in breadcrumbs and is deep-fried or baked. Eggroll (Nigerian) is made from boiled egg covered in doughnut-like flour dough and is deep-fried.

Should you keep Scotch eggs in the fridge? ›

Cooked Scotch Eggs will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. If you are preparing Scotch Eggs in advance and want to store them until you're ready to cook, you can store Uncooked Scotch Eggs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can freeze Scotch eggs for around three months.

What country are Scotch eggs from? ›

According to Culinary Delights of Yorkshire, they originated in Whitby, Yorkshire, England, in the 19th century, and were originally covered in fish paste rather than sausage meat. They were supposedly named after William J. Scott & Sons, a well-known eatery which sold them.

Why can't you freeze Scotch eggs? ›

We wouldn't recommend freezing these, as the texture of the egg will likely be affected.

Are Scotch eggs supposed to be cold? ›

Scotch eggs can be served cold or hot. The Scotch egg was created in London, England, not Scotland. It was initially created as an on-the-go meal as people from London would travel to their countryside homes. The simple recipe has since been revived and is now a staple at pubs and farmers' markets.

Do I need to heat Scotch eggs? ›

A room-temperature scotch egg can be enjoyable, but a warm egg will express itself in an altogether more elevated way.

How unhealthy are Scotch eggs? ›

“Eggs also offer protein and fat but negligible carbohydrates and fibre. The addition of sausage meat and breadcrumbs adds more protein but minimal fibre and carbs.” Surprisingly, in terms of daily intakes, you're mostly fine with a two scotch egg meal.

What is the outside of a Scotch egg called? ›

A traditional Scotch Egg is a boiled egg coated in pork sausage meat, with an outer crust of breadcumbs. The deep fried snack is called a Scotch Egg because the process of mincing the meat to go around the egg is known as scotching.

What is a Dutch Scotch egg? ›

Eierbal (egg ball), or aaierbal in the Groningen dialect, is a treat like no other. It's similar in looks to the Scotch egg, but whereas a Scotch egg has a wrapping of ground meat or sausage, the eierbal has a thick gravy coat, seasoned with curry spices and fresh parsley.

What is traditionally served with Scotch eggs? ›

Traditionally, a mustard sauce is offered on the side. For this recipe, hard-boiled eggs are wrapped in a layer of ground sausage and then coated in breadcrumbs, an egg and mustard mixture, and then breadcrumbs again.

What does a Scotch egg taste like? ›

Scotch eggs have a savory interior with a surprisingly crisp and airy exterior. They seem like they would be heavy, but they're actually very light on the palate.

What are egg rolls called in England? ›

I know what Americans call an egg roll as served in Chinese restaurants and carry-outs is a spring roll or pancake roll here. In Scotland an egg roll would be a fried egg in a Morton's morning roll. In England it might be a fried egg in a barmcake/bap/bread roll according to location.

What are the accompaniments of eggs? ›

12 Vegetables That Go With Eggs
  • Spinach. There are many ways to incorporate spinach into your egg dishes, from mixing spinach into your scrambled eggs to making a delicious leafy green frittata. ...
  • Tomatoes. ...
  • Green Onions. ...
  • Peppers. ...
  • Avocado. ...
  • Sweet Potatoes. ...
  • Potatoes. ...
  • Asparagus.
Jun 21, 2022

What do you serve with Scotch? ›

If you enjoy a Scotch whisky, orange-flavoured chocolate can go down a treat. Fresh fruit can also bring out the complexities of whisky. Slices of apple and ripe pears pair well with Scotch while dried fruit such as figs and dates can complement a Tennessee whiskey and other caramel-flavoured varieties.

Do you eat Scotch eggs for breakfast? ›

If you're a savory breakfast person like me, a Scotch egg is a perfect food. The U.K. dish consists of a boiled egg that's been peeled, covered in breakfast sausage, then breaded and deep-fried. It's the perfect high-protein breakfast or snack.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Fr. Dewey Fisher

Last Updated:

Views: 5788

Rating: 4.1 / 5 (42 voted)

Reviews: 81% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Fr. Dewey Fisher

Birthday: 1993-03-26

Address: 917 Hyun Views, Rogahnmouth, KY 91013-8827

Phone: +5938540192553

Job: Administration Developer

Hobby: Embroidery, Horseback riding, Juggling, Urban exploration, Skiing, Cycling, Handball

Introduction: My name is Fr. Dewey Fisher, I am a powerful, open, faithful, combative, spotless, faithful, fair person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.