071 / 75 · Small Meals and Simple Snacks
Hummus Egg and Radish Snack Plate
2 substantial snack plates, each 2 eggs,60 g hummus,80 g radishes and 1/2 small pita · Active 20 min · Total 45 min
Print recipe · PDFA snack plate can be deliberately portioned without becoming a complicated recipe. Here two hard-cooked eggs sit beside hummus, thin radishes and a small share of pita for dipping. Cooking and cooling the eggs is the main skill; the rest is careful assembly. The radishes add a crisp contrast without turning the plate into a large salad, and every part shown belongs to the measured serving.
Firm eggs are the goal
Start the eggs in a single layer with enough cold drinking water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil, then cover and take the pan off the heat for the stated standing stage. At the end, both white and yolk should be firm. If your eggs are unusually large or your pan loses heat quickly, check one before packing the others. A glossy liquid center is not the intended result. Chilling promptly in ice water stops carryover heat and makes handling more comfortable.
Measure the dip as well as the bread
Commercial hummus varies considerably in oil and sesame content. The estimate uses a named generic commercial USDA entry and the actual weighed quantity, not a homemade mixture with a lower assumed oil amount. Read the tub for ingredients, storage instructions and its opened use-by limit. Weigh pita before cutting and share it evenly between the plates. A large bakery pita can contain much more bread than the small pita used here, even when both are described as one piece.
Keep crisp components separate for packing
Scrub radishes, trim their ends and cut thin slices or wedges that are easy to scoop alongside hummus. Dry them before packing so they do not release water into the dip. Keep the eggs, hummus and prepared vegetables refrigerated until eating, then carry them with enough ice packs if refrigeration will not be available. A lunch bag alone does not provide cold storage. The original hummus opening date still matters, and an earlier safe use-by limit takes priority over the assembled plate’s suggested storage time.
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs (200 g edible contents before cooking)
- About 4 cups drinking water to cover eggs (1 liter), plus clean cold water and ice for chilling
- 1/2 cup commercial plain hummus (120 g)
- About 1 bunch radishes, washed and trimmed (160 g edible radishes)
- 1 small whole-wheat pita (60 g)
Set out
Small saucepan with lid, Bowl for ice water, Slotted spoon, Knife and board, Kitchen scale, 2 plates or divided food containers
Allergens
Egg, Wheat, Sesame is commonly present in hummus; check the actual tub for this and other allergens. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Place eggs in one layer in the saucepan and cover with cold drinking water by about 1 inch/2.5 cm. Bring to a full boil. Cover, remove from the heat and leave for 12 minutes for large eggs; adjust if necessary so yolks and whites are both firm.
- Transfer eggs immediately to clean ice water and chill for 10 minutes. Peel with clean hands. Halve one to confirm a firm yolk and white; if it is not fully firm, do not use this timing to pack the others. Use reliably fully hard-cooked eggs for the plates.
- Wash and trim radishes, cut into thin slices or small wedges and pat dry. Cut pita into wedges and divide it equally between 2 plates.
- Give each plate 2 eggs,60 g hummus,80 g radishes and half the pita. Serve promptly or refrigerate in divided containers and keep cold during transport.
A useful kitchen skill
Hard-cook eggs to firm centers, cool promptly and measure the dip and bread as part of the actual portion.
A useful detail
The 45-minute total includes bringing cold water to a boil, the 12-minute covered standing stage,10-minute ice-water cooling and assembly. This plate has no extra oil, salt or decorative seeds.
Another way
- Use 160 g cucumber sticks instead of radishes, patting them dry and updating the estimate.
- Use 120 g a clearly labeled sesame-free bean dip only if suitable for the eater; do not assume ordinary hummus is sesame-free, and revise the estimate.
Keep it well
Refrigerate assembled plates at 40°F/4°C or below and use within 2 days, or sooner if the hummus label or its original opening date requires. Carry with ice packs and keep cold. Discard perishables left unrefrigerated for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C. Freezing the assembled plates is not recommended.