I didn't grow up eating deviled eggs, so I don't have a sense of nostalgia for any one particular version of them. To be honest, I actually have to be in just the right mood to even want to eat them at all. But the first time I had this version, from Niloufer Ichaporia King, I was a goner. As Patty Unterman first wrote in the SF Examiner, Niloufer found this recipe in a book published in Bombay in the 1940s, with the confounding title of "Italian Eggs." The flavors, though, aren't Italian at all--they're much more reminiscent of India, Thailand, Vietnam or Mexico. Make these, and soon they will be your preferred version of deviled eggs, too, no matter what you want to call them!

Ingredients

6 large eggs, hard-cooked
Juice of 1-2 limes
1 teaspoon honey
Salt
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Cilantro leaves for garnish

Directions

Shell the eggs, cut them in half, and put the yolks in small bowl. Set the egg whites aside.

Add all of the remaining ingredients, apart from the mayonnaise, to the yolks and mash with a fork until well combined. Make sure the honey is well distributed.

Stir in the mayonnaise and taste. Adjust lime and salt as needed.

Spoon the mixture into the egg whites, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

To serve, let the eggs return to room temperature and garnish with cilantro leaves.