Egg ball

Ingredients

Cassava

• 1 kgcassava, sweet variety
• water, for boiling
• 1 teaspoonsalt

To season

• 3spring onions, finely chopped
• 3garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper
• 1wiri wiri pepper, finely chopped
• or half a scotch bonnet
• 2 sprigsthyme, leaves picked
• 1 tablespoonbutter
• 1 teaspoonsalt

Eggs

• 6eggs, hard boiled and peeled

To coat and fry

• 1egg, beaten
• 100 gbreadcrumbs, optional
• oil, for deep frying

To serve

• sour, mango or tamarind sauce
• pepper sauce

Directions

1. Peel away the whole pink layer under the bark. Never taste the raw root at any point. Cut the root into manageable lengths. Stand each length up on the board. Slice the skin off downwards in strips. A vegetable peeler is not strong enough.
2. Take off the whole pink layer beneath the bark. That core is fibrous and never softens. Put the cassava in a pot of salted water. Bring the whole pot to a boil. Let it cook for about twenty-five minutes. It should be completely soft throughout.
3. Drain it thoroughly afterwards. Let it steam dry for a moment. Mashing it must be done while hot. Mash the cassava while it is still very hot. Work fast with a heavy masher. Pull out any woody strands you find. It should become a smooth stiff dough.
4. Add the spring onions and crushed garlic. Add the chopped pepper and thyme leaves. Add the butter, salt and black pepper. Work it all through thoroughly. Taste it and adjust the seasoning. It should be well seasoned on its own.
5. Boil the eggs for about nine minutes. That gives a firm fully set yolk. Cool them in cold water immediately. Peel them carefully afterwards. Pat them dry with kitchen paper. Take a handful of the cassava dough. Flatten it into a disc in your palm. Set a peeled egg in the centre. Fold the dough up around the egg. Work it around until the egg is enclosed.
6. Seal any cracks with your fingers. The layer should be about one centimetre thick. Roll it smooth between your palms. Frying them needs the right heat. Pour oil into a deep pan to eight centimetres. Never fill a pan more than halfway with oil. Heat the oil to about 175C for frying. A scrap of dough should sizzle up at once.
7. Fry them for about five minutes. Turn them over as they colour. They should be deep golden all over. Lift them out onto kitchen paper. Serving them is done piping hot. Cut each ball in half to show the egg. Spoon sour over them generously. Put pepper sauce on the table. They are best warm from the pan.

Technique

• Sour is the Guyanese dipping sauce made from green mango or tamarind with garlic and pepper, and an egg ball without it is regarded as incomplete.
• The boiled cassava must be mashed while still very hot, since it goes hard and unworkable as soon as it cools.
• Wiri wiri is the small round Guyanese pepper, about the size of a cherry, very hot and distinctly fruity.

Substitutions

• Scotch bonnet is the closest substitute for wiri wiri pepper.
• Breadcrumbs give a crisper outside, though frying them plain is more traditional.

Variations

• Some cooks coat them in egg and breadcrumbs and others fry them plain.
• A version made with mashed plantain rather than cassava is also sold.
• Cassava balls without the egg are made the same way.

History

Boiled egg wrapped in seasoned cassava and deep-fried, a fixture of the Guyanese snack box.

Frequently asked questions

What is Egg ball?

Egg ball is a street food from Guyana: boiled egg wrapped in seasoned cassava, fried; eaten with sour. Boiled egg wrapped in seasoned cassava and deep-fried, a fixture of the Guyanese snack box.

How long does Egg ball take to make?

Egg ball takes 40 minutes of preparation and 25 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes 6 egg balls. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Egg ball?

Yes, within limits. Scotch bonnet is the closest substitute for wiri wiri pepper. Breadcrumbs give a crisper outside, though frying them plain is more traditional.

What is the most important thing to get right in Egg ball?

Peel away the whole pink layer under the bark. Never taste the raw root at any point. Cut the root into manageable lengths. Stand each length up on the board. Slice the skin off downwards in strips. A vegetable peeler is not strong enough.