This has been a week of delicious breakfasts and brunches and my favorite meal was the dim-sum brunch we partook at the China Garden restaurant in neighboring Rosslyn. We pretty much gorged ourselves while savoring a wide variety of dim-sum served fresh off little carts that passed by our table. It is so hard to control yourself when there are so many amazing and fascinating flavors, shapes, and colors to try and that was our excuse to overeat. If you are ever in the D.C. area, this is definitely a place worth trying. Just make sure you get there at least 45 minutes before the restaurant opens, the waiting lines are generally long, though they do move pretty quickly.
With all this talk of breakfast and brunch, it would be only be fitting that I share this recipe with you. This is perhaps one of my favorite North Indian breakfast recipes that we ate quite often at home. To me this is also probably a fun and flavorful way to begin the morning with a delicious plate of hot scrambled eggs served on fresh flatbread or toast. On occasion when I am in the mood for a quick and easy meal for lunch or dinner, I will prepare a batch of these scrambled eggs and polish them off with a little toast. For a lighter fare, I frequently exclude the yolks and only use the egg whites. The turmeric will give the egg whites a deep yellow color making up for the yolks’ absence. You can also use tofu as an egg substitute, just be sure to use an extra-firm to firm grade of tofu that has been drained of its packaging water.
There are several complex notes and flavors in this simple dish. Ghee is a common dairy based fat that is a staple of Indian cooking. It is made by heating cream collected from milk till the fat and solids separate. The fat is collected and cooled and used as ghee. Since it is a source of saturated fat, I rarely use it while cooking and if I do I tend to cut back quite bit and just add a tiny amount to the dish to impart its characteristic nutty flavor. Of course, there are some other wonderful spices and herbs in this recipe that lend these eggs their bold flavor. The freshly chopped chilies and cilantro leaves along with the dash of turmeric give the eggs a bright color and flavor. I recommend serving the scrambled eggs hot with a side of fresh feta cheese.
north indian-style scrambled eggs
servings: 4
ingredients
6 large eggs
1 teaspoon ghee or butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, peeled and finely sliced
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 tablespoon ginger root, peeled and cut into thin 1inch strip
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes or chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 green thai chili peppers, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro
1. Carefully crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl and whisk with a fork till they are uniformly combined. Keep the eggs aside.
2. Heat a large cast-iron or non-stick skillet on a medium flame. Melt the ghee with the olive oil in the skillet. Add the onion and sauté for about 2 minutes till they are soft.
3. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir constantly to prevent the garlic and ginger from burning.
4. Add the turmeric, garam masala, chili flakes, and salt to the pan. Cook for another minute with constant stirring.
5. Reduce the flame and pour the whisked eggs into the hot skillet. The eggs will begin to cook immediately, gently stir the eggs as you would for regular scrambled eggs. Scrape the eggs from the bottom and sides of the pan as the eggs begin to cook and get creamy. As soon as the eggs are creamy, turn the flame off.
6. Toss in the chopped thai chili peppers and garnish with the chopped cilantro leaves. Serve hot with paratha, roti, or bread and a side of fresh feta cheese.
32 Responses
This sounds fantastic…would never have considered curried scrambled eggs, but I definitely have to try it now!
You always have the most delicious-sounding recipes. For real! And such gorgeous pics. I loooove indian food but have never thought to integrate it into breakfast/brunch – what a clever idea. These sound fantastic!
Quite a coincidence, I always make my eggs with all these ingredients – bioth omlettes n scarmbled…never knew it was a north indian style 🙂 Beautiful clicks!
Regards,
Manju
http://manjuseatingdelights.blogspot.com
Wow, this looks amazing…it looks so comforting!
I often make scrambled eggs for breakfast and these flavours would be a tasty addition. Tumeric is great for that added flash of colour.
I have never queued for a restaurant. Is that common over there?
Ooh, this looks fantastic! What a delicious take on scrambled eggs!
Hi there,
I have a quick question about your blog. Please email me when you get a chance…thank you! 🙂
Thank you Tony, this is a very common breakfast dish in India.
Amy, you are very kind. Thanks!
Thanks Manju, garam masala has its origins from North India and is a predominant ingredient in many recipes of the region, though now it is used more frequently in the rest of the country.
Thank you Julie.
Suzanne, turmeric is a great substitute if you decide to kick the yolks out. It depends on the popularity of the restaurant, it is pretty common in the larger cities.
Thanks Cathleen! Glad to meet you.
Kendra, you can email me at nikarama [at] abrowntable [dot] com. My contact information is listed under the contact tab on the top of the blog. I could not find your email.
I was reading your spice round up and felt myself nodding…yes, yes, yes! =)
(Gorgeous photos) Yummy, and Imho, this is too special — I need those spices, I must have one ultimate egg recipe and this could be it. Wish me luck.
I am a big fan of indian spiced eggs and just recently, I discovered a method to make it fluffy and overcooked- which i what i normally do. Btw, i loved that plate – the texture in it is just so beautiful 🙂
Thank you Lisa. Good luck and let me know how it turns out!
Thanks Dixya! It is amazing what a little bit of spice can do sometimes to the simplest of meals!
Thank you , this is a very common dish.
What a lovely north indian scrambled egg and to have it with paratha makes it an out of the world combination.
I know what I'm cooking for lunch. I love how simple this is, and yet how the flavors take scrambled eggs in a completely new direction. I'm always looking for new ideas like this to make the old standbys in my kitchen feel fresh.
We're rounding up egg recipes for this month's Shine Supper Club, and this would be a perfect contribution. I hope you'll join us!
LOVE this way of preparing eggs. Trying asap!
I am going to make this tomorrow for breakast. It will be a nice change from the usual scrambled eggs!
my dad adds pan fried diced potatoes! tastes delish!
dreamy! and with farm fresh eggs, this will be awesome.
This is yummy…want to make for my wonderful Punjab in-laws; they have always cook for me, now it’s my turn. Need a good aloo recipe. And a saag recipe LOL…I want it all. Made saag the other evening but it didn’t get quite as smooth as mother in-law’s. Flavor was right just not as smooth…maybe my method was off. Anyway thanks for a lovely breakfast!
Had this for breakfast this morning. We love Indian food and this was a welcome change from the regular scrambled eggs. And to serve with naan and the feta cheese… Perfect combination. You are amazing!
Yay! I’m so happy you tried and liked the eggs. It’s such a fun way to flavor up eggs.
This meal was delicious! My go to eggs to make now when I want something quick on the weekend but have time to sit and enjoy. The spices mix deliciously well and I suggest to not substitute the red onions as they give a nice sweetness to the meal! Thank you for sharing!
– Sandra http://www.travelsonder.com
I LOVE this recipe, brings memories of home back! I’m making some this weekend – thanks for the inspiration 🙂
what is the difference between scrambled eggs and egg bhurji