Senfei (Mustard Eggs)
Photography by Sarah Tuck.
This humble, traditional dish is perfect for a mid-winter weekend lunch. It has a feel-good comfort factor while looking pretty as a picture.
Serves: 4 for lunch
INGREDIENTS
50 grams butter
¼ cup plain flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon American mustard
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
sea salt and white pepper
8 eggs, boiled for 6 minutes, left to cool in cold water then peeled
⅓ cup salmon caviar
To serve
1½ cups baby watercress
½ cup fresh dill, picked into small fronds
mashed potato
METHOD
Melt butter in a medium saucepan and add flour. Cook, stirring, over a medium heat for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of stock and whisk over the heat for 5 minutes until starting to thicken. Add milk, mustards and nutmeg and continue cooking until smooth and thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Bring a pot of water to the boil and drop peeled eggs in for 1 minute. Drain eggs and serve with warm mustard sauce, a spoonful of caviar, the baby watercress and garnish with dill. Accompany with creamy mashed potato.
Cook's tips: To emulate the way this dish is served at La Soupe Populaire (the restaurant this recipe was inspired by), you can add some light potato crisps on the side. I also recommend accompanying it with Beetroot and Apple Chutney.
To ensure easy-peel boiled eggs, pierce the base of the egg with a needle before cooking and after cooking plunge into icy-cold water to chill.

Keep up to date with
dish weekly recipes,
food news, and events.
latest issue:
Issue #120
As the days become shorter, and the nights cooler, the latest issue is perfectly timed to deliver delicious autumn dishes. From recipes using fresh seasonal produce such as feijoas and apples, to spectacular soothing soups and super-quick after-work meals in our Food Fast section, we’ve got you covered. With Easter on the horizon, we feature recipes that will see you through breakfast, lunch and dinner over a leisurely weekend holiday, and whip up chocolatey baking treats sure to please. We round up delicious dinners for two and showcase a hot new Korean cookbook before heading south to Dunedin to check out all that’s new in food and dining.The latest issue of dish is on sale NOW at all good bookstores and supermarkets – don’t miss it!