Töltött Tojás
Hungary's stuffed eggs: hard-boiled, halved, the yolks mashed with butter, mustard, sour cream and a generous amount of sweet paprika, then piped back into the whites and dusted with more paprika. The cold platter staple of name-days, Easter, and any gathering with bottles of pálinka on the table.
Overview
Eggs hard-boil for 9 minutes, cool fast in iced water, peel cleanly. The yolks get mashed with soft butter, sour cream, Dijon-style mustard and Hungarian sweet paprika to a smooth, glossy paste, seasoned with salt, pepper and a little lemon. Piped or spooned back into the whites; dusted with paprika and finished with chives or parsley.
Ingredients
- 6 eggs (large, as fresh as practical; very fresh eggs are hard to peel, 1-week-old is ideal)
- 40 g unsalted butter (soft)
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (or 1 teaspoon Hungarian mustard if you have it)
- 1 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika, plus extra to dust
- A pinch of Hungarian hot paprika (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Black pepper
- A few drops of lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chives (or flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped, to finish)
Method
Stage 1 - Boil and cool
- Lower the eggs into a pan of just-simmering water using a slotted spoon.
- Adjust the heat so the water bubbles gently (vigorous boiling cracks the shells).
- Cook 9 minutes for fully set yolks with no chalky grey ring.
- Lift straight into a bowl of iced water; rest 5 minutes. The shock makes peeling easier and stops the cooking.
Stage 2 - Peel and halve
- Crack each egg gently all over on the worktop, then peel under cold running water. The shell should come away cleanly.
- Pat dry. Slice each egg lengthways with a thin sharp knife (wipe the blade between cuts for clean halves).
- Pop the yolks out into a bowl; place the whites cut-side up on a serving plate.
Stage 3 - Filling
- Mash the yolks with a fork until crumbly.
- Add the butter, sour cream, mustard, sweet paprika (and hot if using), salt and pepper.
- Mash and stir to a smooth, glossy paste. If it's stiff, add a teaspoon of sour cream; if it's loose, mash a little more.
- Taste; sharpen with a drop or two of lemon juice. The filling should taste rich, savoury and clearly paprika-flavoured.
Stage 4 - Fill and finish
- Spoon the filling into a piping bag with a star nozzle, or use a teaspoon.
- Pipe or mound the filling generously back into the whites.
- Dust the tops with extra sweet paprika.
- Scatter chives or parsley over.
- Chill 20 minutes before serving so the filling firms slightly.
Notes
- 9 minutes: Gives fully cooked yolks with no chalky grey ring around the edge and no jammy centre. Adjust by 30 seconds for very large or very small eggs.
- Iced water: Not optional. Eggs that cool in the pan keep cooking and the yolks turn grey.
- Hungarian sweet paprika: This is what makes the dish read as Hungarian rather than generic deviled eggs. Don't substitute smoked paprika; the flavour is wrong.
- Soft butter, not melted: Melted butter splits the filling. Take the butter out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead.
Variations
With pickle (csemegekovászos): Stir 1 tablespoon finely chopped Hungarian gherkin into the filling. With anchovy: Mash 2 anchovy fillets into the yolks for a saltier, deeper version (eaten with rye bread). With smoked paprika (modern): Use ½ teaspoon sweet smoked paprika in addition to the sweet Hungarian for a touch of smoke. Not traditional, but good.
Serving
Serve as part of a cold platter (hideg tál) with cured meats, pickles, rye bread and cheese, or as a single snack with pálinka or beer.
Storage
- Best the day they're made.
- Keep covered in the fridge up to 24 hours; pipe at the last moment if making ahead.
- Don't freeze.
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