Ingredients
The meat
- 4rashers dry-cured back bacon
- 4pork sausages
- 2 slicesblack pudding
- 2 sliceswhite pudding
The breads
- 2soda farls, halved through the middle
- 2 slicespotato bread, fadge
The rest
- 2eggs
- 2tomatoes, halved
- mushrooms, optional
To fry
- bacon fat, lard or a little oil
To serve
- strong tea
- toast and marmalade afterwards, if you can
Directions
- Start with the sausages, which take longest. Cook them over a moderate heat for 12 to 15 minutes, turning regularly. Keep the heat moderate. Sausages need time for the centre to cook, and a fierce pan blackens the skin while the middle stays raw.
- Lay the rashers in the hot fat and cook them 2 to 3 minutes a side. Use dry-cured bacon if you can, since cheap wet-cured bacon releases white liquid into the pan and boils rather than fries.
- Fry the black and white pudding slices gently, 2 to 3 minutes a side. Fry the potato bread and the split soda farls in the accumulated fat, cut side down first. This is not the moment for restraint, and dry-fried griddle bread is a poor thing.
- Cook them 2 to 3 minutes a side until deep golden and crisp at the edges. The outside should be crisp and the inside still soft, which is exactly the contrast that makes them worth having.
- Add a little more lard if the pan has gone dry. Season the tomatoes and let them soften and colour. Fry them in the remaining fat, spooning it over the whites.
- Spoon hot fat over the white rather than turning them, which sets the top while leaving the yolk runny. The runny yolk is what the potato bread is for, so keep it soft.
- Warm the plates. A fry goes cold fast and there is a lot on each plate. Serve it immediately with strong tea. Plenty of cafés serve them anyway, and it is a matter of firm opinion rather than rule.
Technique
- Soda farl and potato bread are what distinguish it from other fries.
- White pudding contains no blood and is oatmeal and pork.
- Baked beans are contested and are not traditional.
Substitutions
- Soda bread cut thick, if farls are unavailable.
- Potato scones, which are the Scottish equivalent of fadge.
Variations
- With mushrooms and beans, as many cafés serve it.
- With soda farl only, without potato bread.
- Served in a soda farl as a sandwich.
History
The Northern Irish cooked breakfast, set apart from other fries by its griddle breads fried in the pan.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ulster fry?
Ulster fry is a breakfast from Ireland: fried bacon, egg, sausage, soda farl and potato bread. The Northern Irish cooked breakfast, set apart from other fries by its griddle breads fried in the pan.
How long does Ulster fry take to make?
Ulster fry takes 15 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 2 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Ulster fry?
Yes, within limits. Soda bread cut thick, if farls are unavailable. Potato scones, which are the Scottish equivalent of fadge.
What is the most important thing to get right in Ulster fry?
Lay the rashers in the hot fat and cook them 2 to 3 minutes a side. Use dry-cured bacon if you can, since cheap wet-cured bacon releases white liquid into the pan and boils rather than fries.
