Colm O'Gorman's spicy scrambled Eggs Bhurji are perfect for brunch

This classic street food dish is served at motorway rest stops and street food stalls across the country, usually with slices of white bread, or toasted white bread rolls.

These spiced scrambled eggs are a popular street food in Northern and Western India, commonly eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. 

This classic street food dish is served at motorway rest stops and street food stalls across the country, usually with slices of white bread, or toasted white bread rolls.

It is a fabulous brunch dish, perfect for a lazy weekend, but I often have it for supper when I fancy something comforting and full of flavour. 

It might seem simple, and it is very quick and easy to cook, but it has a wonderful complexity of flavour and is both very filling and deeply satisfying.

Like many Indian dishes, Eggs Bhurji appears to have its origins in Persian cuisine. It is very similar to a Parsi dish called Akoori. 

Parsi cuisine is the traditional cuisine of the Parsi people who migrated from Persia to the Indian subcontinent and are today to be found across both India and Pakistan. 

Even if you have not heard of Parsi food before, you will have definitely come across it as it features on most Indian restaurant menus here in Ireland; dhansak for example is a Parsi dish.

Akoori differs a little from Eggs Bhurji in that it uses a few less spices, often features cream or milk and is cooked to be wetter in texture than Bhurji. 

Both are delicious, but if I had to choose, I favour the more complex flavours of Eggs Bhurji.

A few notes on the recipe below. This dish is spiced but should not be too hot. You do not want the chilli heat to overpower the beautiful fragrant spices in the dish. 

Use a mild chilli powder such as Kashmiri chilli powder which you can find in most Asian supermarkets, and make sure to remove the seeds and pith from the green chillies before you chop them. 

If you cannot find Kashmiri chilli powder, halve the amount given in the recipe below.

You can make the base for Egg Bhurji well in advance, taking the dish to the point just before I add the eggs in my recipe. 

The base will store well in the fridge, so if you are cooking for a gang, you could easily make it the day before and then finish the dish in just a few minutes when your guests arrive.

Eggs Bhurji

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

"...a fabulous brunch dish, perfect for a lazy weekend, but I often have it for supper when I fancy something comforting and full of flavour"

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 25 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 2tbsp olive oil or ghee

• 1/2 red onion

• 1/2 tsp mustard seed

• 1/2 tsp cumin seed

• 1 plump clove of garlic

• 3cm fresh ginger root

• 1 green chilli

• 1/2 tsp turmeric

• 1/2 tsp coriander

• 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder

• 150g sweet cherry plum tomatoes

• 8 large eggs

• 1 tsp flaky sea salt

• 3 spring onions

• 1/2 tsp garam masala

• Large handful of fresh coriander

Method

1. Peel and grate the garlic and the ginger. Peel and chop the red onion. Finely chop the green chilli, discarding the pith and seeds. Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them into quarters.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick frying pan over high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the fennel and mustard seeds and cook for a minute or so until the seeds start to pop. Lower the heat to medium and add chopped onions. Cook for a few minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions start to soften and then add the grated garlic and ginger and the chopped green chilli. Cook for another minute until the raw smell of the garlic and the ginger turns fragrant.

3. Add the ground coriander, the turmeric and the Kashmiri chill powder. Stir those in and cook for just another minute. Add the chopped cherry tomatoes and a few tablespoons of cold water. Stir and bring to the boil, add a lid and reduce the heat to medium/low and cook for about five minutes until the tomatoes start to break down.

4. Crack the eggs into a bowl, add a teaspoon of flaky sea salt and use a hand whisk to combine the egg white and yolks. Wash, trim and chop the spring onions. Wash and roughly chop the coriander, discarding any thick stems. It is fine to leave the finer stems in, but the thick ones have quite an overpowering flavour that will throw out the balance of this dish, so best not to use them.

5. By now your tomatoes should have cooked down and you will have a lovely, fragrant, thick base for the Eggs Bhurji. Pour in the eggs, add half of the chopped spring onions and stir gently using a spatula to combine the eggs with the spiced tomatoes and onions. Keep stirring the eggs until they have cooked through, about five to six minutes will do it. I like my Eggs Bhurji a little loose in texture and not too dry; a bit closer to the Parsi Akoori mentioned above but you can of course cook the eggs to your own liking.

6. When the eggs are done, stir in lots of chopped coriander and the garam masala. Serve your Eggs Bhurji right away on warm plates with the rest of the chopped spring onions and some more chopped coriander scattered across the top and toasted sourdough bread on the side.

7. If you fancy it, have some of your favourite brunch sides with the Eggs Bhurji, some crispy streaky bacon might be good, or some roasted tomatoes and mushrooms would be very lovely.