Balado is a dish that fries up hard boiled eggs and serves them with a spicy chili sauce. This is a popular street food in East Timor, and will definitely bring some unique flavor and spice to your dinner table! Serve as an appetizer or a snack.
Hello Reader! I try my hardest to research recipes as best as I can before posting to ensure I am representing each culture correctly. If this recipe is from your country and I have made a mistake or you have suggestions for how to make it more authentic, I would love to hear! Please leave a comment below letting me know what should be different, and I will rework the recipe. It is always my intention to pay homage and respect to each cultural dish that I cook. Thanks for reading!
Recipe Origins
I originally decided to make this recipe for Deep Fried Hard Boiled Eggs because it is a common street food in East Timor.
Balado, the name of this dish, is a street food made with hard boiled eggs and sauce. The eggs are normally served on a skewer and are deep fried. They are then dipped in a green sauce made with chili peppers, garlic, and Thai basil.
This dish is unique and actually so flavorful! The sauce will keep your taste buds excited. This is a dish you are guaranteed to never have tried before!
Ingredients Needed to Make this Recipe
- Eggs: Your eggs are going to need to be peeled after boiling, which can oftentimes cause a problem if you are using very fresh eggs. Eggs that are a bit older peel easier than fresh eggs. Make sure to use 1 week old eggs instead of farm fresh for this recipe.
- Chilis: You can use whatever type of chili you want. I used serrano pepper, but you can use thai chilis, indonesian chilis, or anything else you want to experiment with.
- Thai Basil: Thai basil is different than regular basil. Thai basil almost tastes like anise seeds, and can be found in your normal grocery store or an Asian grocery store. Read more about the difference between Thai Basil and Basil.
How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: Hard Boil the Eggs
Fill a pot with enough water to cover your eggs. Put the pot on the stove and bring to a rolling boil.
Once the water comes to a boil, remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. Once hard boiled, run the eggs under cold water and remove the shells.
Stick the skewers about ¾ of the way through each egg, lengthwise.
Step 2: Fry the Eggs
Heat the sunflower oil in a large pot. The oil should be hot enough that it begins to bubble within 3-5 seconds of coming in contact with the egg.
Once the oil is hot enough, place the eggs in the oil and allow to fry until the outside of the eggs turn brown.
Step 3: Make the Sauce
Put all sauce ingredients together in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Dip the eggs in the sauce and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- This is a great way to use up old hard boiled eggs. If you do not want to cook new hard boiled eggs, you can always use any leftovers you may have.
- To test the temperature of the oil, you can also use a chopstick! Place the chopstick into the pan and press the chopstick perpendicular against the bottom of the pan. If the oil starts to bubble around the chopstick within 3-5 seconds, your oil is hot enough to use.
- You can use bell peppers to omit the spiciness of the sauce if you’d like
Did you like this recipe for Deep Fried Hard Boiled Eggs? If so, check out these other recipes that I picked out just for you:
Balado (Deep Fried Hard Boiled Eggs)
Equipment
- Kebab Skewers
- Food Processor
- Pot(s)
- Citrus Juicer
Ingredients
Egg Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- Sunflower oil for frying
Sauce Ingredients:
- 5-6 Chilis, I used Serrano peppers
- 1 Shallot
- 1 tsp chopped Garlic
- 1 tsp dried Thai basil
- 1 tsp fresh Ginger
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Fill a pot with enough water to cover your eggs. Put the pot on the stove and bring to a rolling boil. Once the water comes to a boil, remove the pot from the heat, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. Once hard boiled, run the eggs under cold water and remove the shells. Stick the skewers about ¾ of the way through each egg, lengthwise.
- Heat the sunflower oil in a large pot. The oil should be hot enough that it begins to bubble within 3-5 seconds of coming in contact with the egg.
- Once the oil is hot enough, place the eggs in the oil and allow to fry until the outside of the eggs turn brown.
- Put all sauce ingredients together in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Dip the eggs in the sauce and enjoy!
Notes
- Eggs: Your eggs are going to need to be peeled after boiling, which can oftentimes cause a problem if you are using very fresh eggs. Eggs that are a bit older peel easier than fresh eggs. Make sure to use 1 week old eggs instead of farm fresh for this recipe.
- Chilis: You can use whatever type of chili you want. I used serrano pepper, but you can use thai chilis, indonesian chilis, or anything else you want to experiment with.
- Thai Basil: Thai basil is different than regular basil. Thai basil almost tastes like anise seeds, and can be found in your normal grocery store or an Asian grocery store. Read more about the difference between Thai Basil and Basil.
- This is a great way to use up old hard boiled eggs. If you do not want to cook new hard boiled eggs, you can always use any leftovers you may have.
- To test the temperature of the oil, you can also use a chopstick! Place the chopstick into the pan and press the chopstick perpendicular against the bottom of the pan. If the oil starts to bubble around the chopstick within 3-5 seconds, your oil is hot enough to use.
- You can use bell peppers to omit the spiciness of the sauce if you’d like
Glen McCoy says
These eggs look battered & fried but there is no mention of breading in the recipe or instructions, am I just being fooled by the pictures?
The Foreign Fork says
Yes, you’re being fooled by the pictures! They are not battered or fried, that is just what to outer layer of the hard boiled egg does when dipped in hot oil 🙂
Tom says
When I fried my eggs they would not brown evenly. There also is no added flavor to the egg itself. Just a tough skin wrapping the entire egg. You know that brown tough over cooked part of a fried egg around the edges. That’s all you get, is an egg Incased in a brown tough skin, that only tastes like an egg on the inside. Any number of sauces and condiments that go with eggs would work. I guess if you want to stay authentic you use the green sauce here. I didn’t try and make the sauce once I realized the egg was such a disappointment to start with. I will try again, but I’m going to batter the egg before deep frying.