EGG-CUTLETS

Ingredients

• 4 whole hard-boiled eggs (Already boiled and cooled; each will be sliced into 4 quarters, yielding 16 pieces.)
• 1 cup besam (chickpea flour / besan) (Also called gram flour or besan. Enough to make a very thick, paste-like batter.)
• 0.5 teaspoon powdered turmeric (For the chickpea flour batter.)
• 0.5 teaspoon salt (To season the chickpea flour batter; adjust to taste.)
• 1 cup ghee (Use plenty — enough to shallow-fry the egg pieces generously in a wide pan.)
• 2 whole raw egg (egg-contents), beaten (Cracked and beaten to form the second dipping wash.)
• 0.25 teaspoon powdered turmeric (Mixed into the beaten egg wash.)
• 1 teaspoon ginger juice (Extract by grating fresh ginger and squeezing the pulp through a fine cloth or sieve.)
• 1 teaspoon onion juice (Extract by grating or blending a small piece of onion and squeezing out the liquid.)
• 0.75 cup powdered biscuit or suji (semolina / middlings) (Use finely crushed plain biscuits or fine semolina (suji) for rolling. Either gives a crisp crust.)

Instructions

1. 1Gently tap each hard-boiled egg all over on a firm surface to crack the shell, then peel it away under cold running water to remove any small shell fragments. Pat the eggs dry with a cloth or paper towel. Using a sharp knife, slice each egg into 4 pieces (quarters) lengthways. Set aside on a plate.
2. 2Place the besam (chickpea flour) in a medium bowl. Add the powdered turmeric and salt. Gradually add cold water, a little at a time, stirring constantly with a spoon or whisk, until you have a very thick, smooth paste — it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon heavily and not drip off quickly. Beginner's tip: add water one tablespoon at a time so you do not make it too thin. Set the batter aside.
3. 3Crack the 2 raw eggs into a cup or small bowl and beat them well with a fork until the yolks and whites are fully combined. Stir in the powdered turmeric, the ginger juice, and the onion juice. Mix until everything is evenly blended. Set aside. Beginner's tip: to make ginger juice, finely grate a small knob of fresh ginger and press the grated pulp firmly through a fine-mesh sieve or squeeze it in a piece of cloth — collect the liquid that drips out. Repeat the same process with a small piece of onion to obtain onion juice.
4. 4Spread the powdered biscuit or suji (semolina) on a flat plate in an even layer. Arrange your three components in a row: the thick chickpea flour batter (step 2), the spiced egg wash (step 3), and the powdered biscuit or suji plate. This 'production line' will make the double-coating process easy and neat.
5. 5Pour the ghee into a wide, heavy-based frying pan and place over medium heat. Allow the ghee to melt and heat up for about 2 minutes — it is ready when a tiny drop of batter sizzles immediately upon contact. While the ghee heats, dip each egg quarter into the thick chickpea flour batter, turning it with a spoon or your fingers to make sure the entire surface is thickly coated. Let any excess batter drip back into the bowl. Working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, carefully lower the coated egg pieces into the hot ghee. Fry for about 3–4 minutes per side, gently turning once with a spoon or tongs, until they are golden brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and rest on a plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess ghee. Repeat until all pieces are fried. Beginner's tip: do not move the pieces around too much in the pan — let them sit undisturbed so the batter crust sets firmly before you try to turn them.
6. 6Allow the first-fried egg pieces to cool for 2–3 minutes so they are comfortable to handle. One piece at a time, dip each piece into the spiced egg wash (step 3), letting it soak for a second and turning to coat all sides. Lift it out, letting the excess wash drip off, then immediately roll it in the powdered biscuit or suji on the flat plate, pressing gently so the crumbs adhere evenly all over. Set aside on a clean plate and repeat with the remaining pieces. Check that the ghee remaining in the pan is still hot over medium heat (add a little more ghee if the pan looks dry). Fry the coated pieces in batches as before, for about 3–4 minutes per side, until the outer coating is deeply golden and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on fresh paper towel. Serve hot.