Devilled eggs with tangerine rayu

Canape / Party food Starter

6 people

Prep 25 mins

Cook 25 mins

Infuse 2 hrs

Rayu is a Japanese chilli oil that goes with everything from rice and noodles to dumplings and steamed vegetables. You will have some left over here, but by all means make even more. It will keep in a jar in the fridge for up to two weeks. Thanks to Gabe Pryce and Missy Flynn of Rita’s in London, whose unforgettable hot bean devilled eggs inspired this recipe.

Ingredients

6	large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
30g	good-quality mayonnaise
1½ tsp	rice vinegar
1 tbsp	chives, finely chopped
FOR THE RAYU:
90ml	vegetable oil
3	spring onions, very finely chopped
4cm	piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced
3	garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
	salt
1½ tsp	aleppo chilli flakes (or ¾ tsp regular chilli flakes)
1½ tbsp	red bell pepper flakes
1¾ tbsp	sesame seeds, toasted
1¼ tbsp	black sesame seeds, toasted
2	tangerines – zest finely grated, to get 2½ tsp, and juiced, to get 1 tsp
2½ tbsp	soy sauce

Method

For the rayu, put half the oil in a medium saute pan on a medium heat with the spring onions, ginger, garlic and an eighth of a teaspoon of salt. Fry for 10 minutes, stirring often, until soft and aromatic (turn down the heat if it starts to colour too much).
Add the remaining oil, warm through for a minute, then turn off the heat and stir in the remaining rayu ingredients, reserving a quarter-teaspoon of each type of sesame seed for later. Transfer to a clean jar, seal and leave to sit for at least two hours, to deepen in colour.
Cut the hard-boiled eggs in half, carefully remove the yolks so you don’t break up the whites, and put in a medium bowl. Crush with a fork until smooth, then add 100g of the rayu solids – avoid adding any oil as much as possible. Add the mayonnaise, then whip the mixture with a spatula until there are no lumps. Spoon into a piping or sandwich bag.
Arrange the egg white halves cut side up on a platter. Snip a 2cm hole in the corner of the piping bag, then pipe the mayo mixture evenly into the cavity of each half-egg, rounding off the edges with a spoon. Spoon a quarter-teaspoon of rayu over each egg, making sure some of the red oil drizzles over the sides. Drizzle with the vinegar, top with the chives, reserved sesame seeds and a pinch of salt, and serve.