stuffed egg fry

Japanese call deep-fried panko coated food "fry" (fu-ra-i). I wanted to use eggs and this was the end result. :) It turned out better than I expected. It's easy and fun to prepare, so you can have your kids help out in the kitchen, too. It looks really cute (egg-shaped deep-fried food - so cute!), it'll definitely be a hit at potluck or party. 

Ingredients: 

(Makes 12 fried eggs)

Eggs - 6 (hard boiled)

Onion - 1/2 (chopped)
Carrots - 1 med (finely chopped)
Ham, Sausage, Bacon or SPAM - 1 cup full **see TIPS

Mayonnaise (Japanese) - 2 TBS
Corn starch - 1/2 TBS
Garlic salt - 1/2 tsp 

[Panko coating]
Flour - 1/2 cup
Egg - 2 (beaten)
Bread crumbs (panko) - 2-3 cups

Prep:

1. Boil eggs for 10-12 minutes. Take it out and set is aside or run it through cold water. Shell the eggs. Set it aside.
2. Chop onion, carrots and your choice of meat into small pieces. 

Cook:

1. Cut the eggs in half. Take the cooked yolk out and put it in a medium bowl.
2. Heat 1 TBS of olive oil the frying pan. Fry onion and carrots until carrots are nice and tender. a
3. Add in meat. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add in mayonnaise, corn starch and salt. The taste should be a little bit salty. Dish out the meat mixture into yolk bowl. 
5. Mix using spoon until it's easy to work with. 
6. In each egg white shell, take about 1 big tablespoonful of meat. Press it down using your hands like you're making a ball (or onigiri, if you know how to make it). Make sure you press it tightly. Repeat for the rest of the eggs. 
7. Coat each egg with flour, eggs and panko. The filling might drop off, so be gentle and hold the middle part as you coat them. 
8. Deep fry in vegetable oil (or half deep-fry and turn, to use less oil) until golden brown. **see TIPS 

 Serve:

1. Salad or pickled vegetables go well with this dish. Don't forget nice, hearty miso soup -- personally, it's a must-have for Japanese meals. :) 
2. Serve with tonkatsu (fruit & vegetable) sauce, or kojujyan sauce (from calamari salad recipe), or mayonnaise. 

TIPS:

• You can use one type of meat, or combination of meat. You just need 1 cup of chopped meat. If you don't have any of the mentioned meat, you can also use ground beef or pork. 
• When deep frying, make sure the oil is hot enough. Test it by sprinkling some panko in the oil. If it sizzles and floats, it's ready. If it sinks, wait a little longer. If the food is already cooked, you don't need long time to deep-fry. 
• Also, when deep frying at home, use smaller pots and less oil. Half deep-fried works great. Fill the pot 1-2 inch high.