Egg ball, as the name suggests, is a food item which resembles a ball and makes use of egg as one of its major ingredients. Egg balls are commonly prepared in many cuisines like American, Indian, and Chinese etc. and are prepared in many different ways.
The egg balls are prepared both dry or with gravy and can be relished as a snack or as part of meal. Usually crunchy from outside and mushy from within, these balls can be baked, fried or steamed.
Preparation Overview of Egg Balls
Ingredients – The ingredients which are commonly used for egg ball recipe include eggs, spices, vegetables, herbs, sauces and seasoning.
The eggs used for making balls can be either in raw form or hard boiled. While using raw, the eggs are either whisked or scrambled. Hard boiled eggs are generally chopped finely and used. Onions, capsicum and peppers are often chopped finely and used for the egg ball recipe. Ginger, garlic, mint, thyme, breadcrumbs, cumin, coriander are some other ingredients used for making the dish. Chicken stock or vegetable also used when the balls are prepared in curry. The choice of ingredients for making egg ball varies in each cuisine.
Method of Preparation – To make the egg balls, the hard boiled eggs or the whisked eggs are mixed with other ingredients. Cornflour or split pea flour is used for binding the dough and shaping the mixture into firm balls. Once prepared, these balls are fried, baked or steamed.
To make curried egg balls, onions, tomatoes and bell peppers are chopped finely and fried. Stock is added to the pan and simmered for a while along with herbs and spices. The balls are prepared separately and added to the curry at the time of serving.
Serving Egg Ball
The egg balls are often served garnished with mint or coriander leaves. When served dry, these balls are accompanied by tomato ketchup, hot sauce or chutney. Crispy onion rings and French fries also pair well with the dish.
Curried egg balls are usually savored as main course meals and are often relished with Indian breads or steamed rice.
Popular Variations to Egg Ball Recipe
Yema Ball –Yema is a popular dessert of Filipino cuisine consisting of custard candy which is prepared from condensed milk and egg yolk. The milk and egg yolks are creamed and slowly cooked on medium flame. Once the mixture is thick, it is shaped as balls and set. Yema balls are served in paper cups or with a decorated stick inserted.
Eggette – Egettes are popular in Macau and Hong Kong region of China and comprise round pancakes or ball waffles. Also known as egg waffle, egg puff, gai daan jai or bubble waffle, these are made from eggs, milk, flour and sugar. Eggettes are relished warm with fruits and chocolate and are popularly known as Hong Kong cakes.
Fried egg and coconut dumplings- These are delicious dumplings similar to egg ball which are prepared with coconut, ginger, garlic, cumin, green chili and split pea dal. Dal is crushed well with the ingredients and whisked eggs are added to the mixture. The balls are shaped and fried in hot oil until golden. Once prepared, these dumplings are served with tomato sauce or tamarind chutney.
