RAG Demo

Tag: Eggetarian

  • Parsi Akuri

    Akuri is the Parsi version of scrambled eggs, a breakfast staple in Parsi homes and the Irani cafes of Mumbai and Pune. Eggs are cooked slowly with onion, tomato, green chilli, ginger, turmeric and coriander until just set but still creamy and slightly runny. The texture should be soft and loose, never dry.

    The flavour is savoury, spiced and fresh, with the sweetness of slowly cooked onions and heat from green chilli. Parsis are famously fond of eggs, and akuri is one of many egg dishes in their cuisine. A richer version, Bharuchi akuri, adds cashews, raisins and cream. The base version is everyday food.

    Akuri is served on toast or with soft pav, along with a cup of sweet chai. It also makes a quick weeknight dinner. Kyani and Britannia in Mumbai are among the old Irani cafes that serve it. The trick is to take the pan off the heat while the eggs still look wet, so they finish cooking gently on the plate.

    At a glance

    RegionMaharashtra
    CuisineParsi
    DietEggetarian
    CourseBreakfast
    Prep time10 minutes
    Cook time10 minutes
    Total time20 minutes
    Serves2
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientseggs / onion / tomato / green chilli

    Ingredients

    • 4 eggs
    • 2 tbsp milk
    • 1 1/2 tbsp butter
    • 1 small onion, finely chopped
    • 1 tsp grated ginger
    • 1-2 green chillies, finely chopped
    • 1 small tomato, finely chopped
    • 1/4 tsp turmeric
    • 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander

    Method

    1. Whisk the eggs with milk and salt until frothy.
    2. Melt butter in a non-stick pan on medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until soft and pale golden.
    3. Add ginger and green chillies and cook for 1 minute.
    4. Add tomato, turmeric and chilli powder and cook for 2 minutes until the tomato softens.
    5. Lower the heat to the minimum and pour in the eggs. Stir slowly and continuously with a spatula, pushing from the edges to the centre.
    6. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the eggs are softly set but still creamy and slightly runny. Turn off the heat; they will continue cooking.
    7. Stir in coriander and serve immediately.

    Tips

    • Low heat is key; high heat makes the eggs dry and rubbery.
    • Take the pan off the heat while the eggs still look slightly wet.
    • Add a few drops of cream for extra richness.

    Serve with

    Buttered toast or soft pav and Irani chai.

  • Bebinca

    Bebinca is the most celebrated Goan dessert, made for Christmas, Easter, weddings and other feasts. Legend says it was created by a nun in Old Goa who wanted to make a dessert with seven layers, representing the seven hills of Lisbon and Old Goa. Traditional bebinca has many more, often sixteen layers, built up one at a time.

    Each layer is a thin pour of a batter of coconut milk, egg yolks, sugar and a little flour, flavoured with nutmeg and cardamom. It is cooked under a top heat until golden, then brushed with ghee before the next layer is added. The result is a dense, rich, caramelised cake with distinct brown and pale stripes.

    Bebinca is served in thin slices, sometimes warm with vanilla ice cream. It keeps well for a week, making it a good dessert to prepare ahead for a feast. Goan households often take pride in their own bebinca, and many families still bake it in a clay oven with coconut husk embers on top, as their grandmothers did.

    At a glance

    RegionGoa
    CuisineGoan
    DietEggetarian
    CourseDessert
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time120 minutes
    Total time150 minutes
    Serves10
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientscoconut milk / egg yolks / sugar / ghee

    Ingredients

    • 10 egg yolks
    • 2 cups (400 ml) thick coconut milk
    • 1 1/4 cups (250 g) sugar
    • 1 cup (125 g) maida
    • 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
    • 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
    • A pinch of salt
    • 1/2 cup (100 g) ghee, melted, plus more for greasing

    Method

    1. Stir the sugar into the coconut milk until it dissolves completely, warming gently if needed. Cool.
    2. Whisk the egg yolks until smooth and pale. Add the coconut milk gradually, whisking.
    3. Sift in the maida with nutmeg, cardamom and salt, whisking until there are no lumps. Strain the batter.
    4. Preheat the oven grill to high (around 220 C) with the rack in the upper third. Grease a 7-inch round tin with ghee.
    5. Pour 1 tbsp melted ghee into the tin and heat under the grill for 2 minutes. Pour in about 1/2 cup batter to form a thin layer. Grill for 8-10 minutes until the top is set and golden brown.
    6. Remove, brush with 1 tsp ghee, pour in another 1/2 cup batter and grill again until golden. Repeat until all the batter is used, about 12-14 layers.
    7. After the final layer, bake for 5 more minutes. Cool completely in the tin, then invert onto a plate and slice thinly.

    Tips

    • Patience is key; each layer must be golden before adding the next.
    • Use thick, fresh coconut milk for the richest flavour.
    • Rotate the tin halfway through each layer for even browning.

    Serve with

    Thin slices on their own or warm with vanilla ice cream.

  • Anda Curry

    Anda curry is the weeknight standby of hostel kitchens, railway canteens and roadside dhabas, and in many homes it is the curry made when there is no time to shop. Every region has its own spin: Bengali dimer dalna adds potatoes, Kerala mutta curry uses coconut, while the north Indian style here is built on onion, tomato and ginger-garlic.

    The eggs are boiled, scored and quickly fried in turmeric and chilli so they develop a golden skin that soaks up the gravy. The masala is cooked down until the oil separates, giving a thick, medium-hot curry with a tangy tomato base and a warm finish of garam masala and kasuri methi.

    At a glance

    RegionPan-Indian
    CuisineNorth Indian
    DietEggetarian
    CourseMain course
    Prep time15 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time45 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMedium
    DifficultyEasy
    Gluten-freeYes
    Key ingredientsegg / onion / tomato / ginger-garlic paste

    Ingredients

    For the eggs

    • 6 eggs
    • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1 tbsp oil

    For the gravy

    • 3 tbsp oil
    • 1 tsp cumin seeds
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 2 green cardamoms
    • 2 medium onions, finely chopped
    • 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
    • 2 green chillies, slit
    • 3 medium tomatoes, puréed
    • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
    • 1 1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
    • 2 tsp coriander powder
    • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
    • 1 1/2 cups hot water
    • 3/4 tsp garam masala
    • 1 tsp kasuri methi, crushed
    • Salt to taste
    • 2 tbsp chopped coriander

    Method

    1. Boil the eggs for 10 minutes, cool in cold water and peel. Make 3-4 shallow slits on each egg.
    2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan on medium heat, add turmeric, chilli powder and salt, then roll the eggs in it for 2-3 minutes until a light golden skin forms. Remove.
    3. In the same pan heat 3 tbsp oil. Add cumin, bay leaf and cardamom and let them sizzle.
    4. Add the onions and fry on medium heat for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.
    5. Add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies and fry for 1 minute. Add the tomato purée, turmeric, chilli, coriander and cumin powders and salt.
    6. Cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring, until the masala thickens and the oil separates at the edges.
    7. Pour in the hot water and bring to a boil. Add the eggs and simmer on low heat for 5-6 minutes until the gravy reaches the desired thickness.
    8. Stir in garam masala and kasuri methi, garnish with coriander and serve.

    Tips

    • Slitting and frying the eggs helps the gravy flavour reach the inside instead of sliding off the white.
    • Add 2 boiled, halved potatoes along with the eggs for a heartier curry.
    • For a creamier finish, stir in 2 tbsp beaten curd off the heat before adding the water.

    Serve with

    Plain rice, jeera rice or hot phulkas, with sliced onion.

  • Kerala Parotta

    Porotta, as it is usually spelt in Kerala, is the bread of the state's roadside thattukadas and hotels, eaten at any hour with beef fry, chicken curry or egg roast. It is thought to have arrived via Sri Lankan and Tamil migrant cooks and has since become a Kerala icon, so popular that its nutrition has been debated in public for years.

    A good parotta has dozens of thin, flaky layers that pull apart easily, crisp at the edges and soft inside. The secret is a soft, well-rested dough, plenty of oil, and stretching the dough until it is almost transparent before pleating and coiling it. After cooking, the parottas are stacked and clapped between the palms to loosen the layers.

    At a glance

    RegionKerala
    CuisineKerala
    DietEggetarian
    CourseBread
    Prep time30 minutes
    Cook time30 minutes
    Total time60 minutes
    Serves4
    Spice levelMild
    DifficultyHard
    Gluten-freeNo
    Key ingredientsmaida / egg / milk / oil

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups maida (all-purpose flour)
    • 1 egg
    • 1 tbsp sugar
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1/2 cup milk
    • about 1/2 cup water
    • 2 tbsp oil for the dough
    • 1/2 cup oil for oiling and stretching
    • ghee or oil for cooking

    Method

    1. Mix the maida, sugar and salt. Add the egg, milk and 2 tbsp oil, then add water gradually and knead for 10 minutes into a very soft, smooth, elastic dough, softer than chapati dough.
    2. Coat the dough with oil, cover and rest for at least 2 hours, or up to 4 hours. Resting is what lets it stretch thin.
    3. Divide into 8 balls, coat each in oil and rest covered for another 30 minutes.
    4. On an oiled counter, flatten a ball and roll or press it out as thin as possible. Lift and stretch it with your hands, or toss it, until it is translucent and paper thin. Small tears are fine.
    5. Drizzle a little oil over the sheet. Gather it from one edge into loose pleats, like a fan, forming a long rope. Coil the rope into a spiral and tuck the end underneath. Repeat for all, and rest the coils for 10 minutes.
    6. Gently press each coil into a disc about 15 cm across, using your fingers rather than a rolling pin so the layers stay intact.
    7. Cook on a hot tawa on medium heat for 1.5-2 minutes per side, drizzling ghee or oil, until golden brown spots appear on both sides and the parotta is cooked through.
    8. Stack 2-3 hot parottas, and clap them firmly between your palms from the sides a few times to open up the layers. Serve hot.

    Tips

    • A soft dough and a long rest are non-negotiable; stiff dough tears and will not layer.
    • For an egg-free version replace the egg with 2 tbsp curd and a little extra milk.
    • Cooked parottas freeze well; reheat on a tawa and clap again.

    Serve with

    Beef fry, Kerala chicken curry, egg roast or vegetable kurma.