Recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi.

Notes

Ottolenghi’s method did not properly cook the eggs, and even after they were cooked they were quite difficult to peel. I took Ashley’s suggestion and did the following (which worked out lovely):

• Put eggs in a pot and fill with enough water to submerge them, adding a drizzle of distilled white vinegar to the water
• Bring the water to a rolling boil
• Set a timer for 2 minutes
• Cover the pot, turn the heat off, then remove the pot from the hot burner
• After the 2 minutes drain the hot water, then re-fill the pot with cold water (to the top)
• To ensure the centers were properly cooked, I then put the eggs in a water bath and set an immersion circulator to 146.5°F for 60 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sesame seeds (white and black)
• 1 tsp Maldon sea salt (I used Celtic sea salt)
• 24 quail eggs (I used 30)
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Scatter the sesame seeds inside a nonstick pan and place it on medium heat. Jiggle them around for four minutes or so, until toasted evenly, then remove from the heat. Once cool, tip into a food processor (I used a spice grinder), add the salt and blitz in a few pulses, to break up the seeds just a little.
2. Fill a medium pan with water and bring to a boil. Place the eggs inside and simmer for two minutes for soft-boiled (leave for another minute if you like them harder). Remove, refresh in cold water and peel. Mix the soy and oil in a bowl, add the eggs, coating them in the mixture, and marinade for 30 minutes.
3. Place a griddle pan on a medium to high flame and leave until hot. Lift the eggs out of their marinade and place on the griddle. After 20 seconds, turn them and leave for another 20 seconds, to get char marks on all sides. Remove, stick each egg on a wooden skewer and serve warm, or at room temperature, with the sesame salt alongside for dipping into.