Nigerian Scotch Eggs

Content… A Match Made in Heaven Recipe Ingredients How to Make It Recipe Variations Tips and Tricks Make-Ahead Instructions Serving and Storage Instructions What to Serve More Amazing African Recipes to Try Watch How to Make It

Nigerian Scotch Eggs and African Pepper Sauce: A Match Made in Heaven

If there is one thing that you must serve with scotch eggs in Nigeria, it’s African pepper sauce. The spicy sauce enhances the buttery, savory boiled egg and slightly sweet, crunchy outer shell like nothing you’ve ever tasted. Just one bite will have you hooked.

Best of all, you can chop the ingredients, and let them simmer while your eggs boil. Blend it with a touch of oil before frying the dough-wrapped eggs. And now you’ve got a homemade sauce that only costs you about five extra minutes. 😅

Recipe Ingredients

1. Eggs – Half a dozen eggs are perfect for this recipe, but feel free to double or triple it if feeding a crowd. 
2. Dough – Milk, sugar, yeast, flour, butter, and a little water create this recipe’s dough. 
3. Seasonings – Get together salt, garlic powder, paprika, and white pepper to season the dough.
4. Oil – Neutral-flavored oil that can withstand a high temperature works best for deep frying your scotch eggs. 

How to Make Nigerian Scotch Eggs

Boil the Eggs

• Boil – Gently place the eggs in a pot of water. Boil them for 10-15 minutes. 
• Cool – Remove the eggs and place them in a bowl of ice water for 3-5 minutes to cool.
• Peel – Carefully remove the shells, pat dry, and set aside.

Make the Dough

• Activate Yeast – In a medium bowl, mix the warm water and yeast and set aside for 5 minutes. The yeast should start foaming.
• Make the Dough – Then add the milk, sugar, and salt. Mix in the flour, garlic powder, white pepper, and paprika with a stand mixer or by hand. Next, add the butter and mix well.
• Knead – Turn the wrapper dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
• Make Wrappers – Place the dough on a well-floured surface and roll it out to about an inch thick. Cut out circles by gently pressing a wide-mouthed glass or bowl (4″-5″) into the dough and releasing it. Continue until cutting all dough. You’ll need six circles for six eggs.
• Wrap – Gently wrap the dough around the egg as evenly as possible and pinch the bottom, making sure there are no cracks or openings. Repeat until all eggs are wrapped and set aside.
• Rest – Cover them and let them rest for 30 minutes.

Deep Fry the Scotch Eggs

• Heat about 2 inches of oil in a large, cast iron skillet over medium-high heat to 350℉ (180℃). It should be hot but not smoking.
• Fry – Gently lower the Scotch eggs into the oil with a slotted spoon. Fry in batches and turn once until golden brown, 5-8 minutes. 
• Drain – Remove the Scotch eggs with a slotted spoon and drain them on paper towels.
• Serve warm or at room temperature with African pepper sauce.

Recipe Variations

1. Bake them. Pop these bad boys in a 350℉ (180℃) oven and bake until golden brown. You can also air fry Nigerian scotch eggs.
2. Adjust seasonings. Customize the dough’s seasonings with a little nutmeg or other warm spice. Or add something spicy, like cayenne or Creole seasoning. 
3. Add an extra layer. Traditional scotch eggs add a sausage layer. Almost any ground sausage works to encase the egg before wrapping and frying.

Tips and Tricks

1. Don’t overcrowd the pan to avoid lowering the oil temperature too much for soggy Scotch eggs. 💔
2. Don’t skip the resting period. It delivers the crunchiest, fluffiest Scotch egg shells.
3. Put your eggs in cool water and let the eggs and water come to a boil together. That promotes even cooking and keeps them from cracking.

Make-Ahead Instructions

Feel free to make Scotch eggs a day or two ahead. Refrigerate them in an airtight container until reheating them to serve. 

Serving and Storage Instructions

Serve freshly fried Nigerian scotch eggs warm or at room temperature.

Refrigerate leftover African egg rolls in an airtight container for 3-5 days. To reheat, air fry Scotch eggs for a few minutes or bake them in a 350℉ (180℃) oven. You could microwave them, but you won’t recuperate the crunch of the fried outer shell, which is the best part, IMO. 

What Goes With Nigerian Scotch Eggs

Nigerian Scotch eggs, as a snack, need some flavor-packed sauces. African pepper sauce is my go-to as you’ve probably noticed. But they also go beautifully with Caribbean pepper sauce or Peruvian green sauce.

My son even loves them with my homemade burger sauce. But for a complete meal, serve them with some steamy jasmine rice or put them atop a chef’s salad.  

More Amazing African Recipes to Try

1. African Peanut Stew
2. Nigerian Fried Rice
3. Mandazi (East African Doughnuts)
4. Spicy Oxtail Stew
5. Nigerian Buns

Watch How to Make It

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”zX6e3mcd” upload-date=”Tue Aug 07 2018 11:48:32 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”African Egg Roll” description=”African Egg Roll / Scotch Eggs – Crunchy, spicy, tasty and meat-free. Portable, easy to make and great anytime!”]

This blog post was originally published in March 2014 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video