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British Indian Restaurant Recipes - Starters & Side Dishes => Starters & Side Dishes => Topic started by: mickdabass on May 06, 2015, 08:22 PM

Title: Anda Bhurji (Spicy Indian Scrambled Eggs)
Post by: mickdabass on May 06, 2015, 08:22 PM
A quick and easy meal.
The key ingredient is the fresh methi. They sell this in our local Asda and is readily available in all Asian stores. Dried methi will not work.

Serves four

Ingredients

6 eggs
2 Tbsp veg oil
2 medium onions
1 green chili (or to taste)
Handful of fresh methi leaves without too many stalks
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
Half tsp turmeric
Half tsp chili powder (or to taste)
Half tsp salt
Pinch of Garam Masala

Method

Whisk eggs
Chop the onions into small pieces - not too finely
Finely chop the chili
Finely chop the methi


Fry the onions, chilli, garlic and ginger paste until soft and going brown around the edges
Add all the spices except the Garam Masala and continue to fry on a medium heat for a couple of minutes

Add the eggs and methi and cover. Do not stir them at this point
When half cooked (3-4 mins?) stir and then re-cover

Cook until eggs are cooked through (another 3-4 mins)
Sprinkle with a pinch of Garam Masala and serve

[duplicate ingredient removed]
Title: Re: Anda Bhurji (Spicy Indian Scrambled Eggs)
Post by: livo on May 07, 2015, 12:24 AM
Looks great but fresh methi may be a problem for me.  It will take some investigation and searching around to find, if it is available.  I've certainly never seen any.  Are you aware of anything that may be substituted?

Just read that Celery top leaf can be substituted at a ratio of 1 Tbsp / tsp.  Obviously wont be as good but may have to do.

Apparently sprouts very easily from seed, so I'll be trying that for sure, and also available frozen, maybe.
Title: Re: Anda Bhurji (Spicy Indian Scrambled Eggs)
Post by: Naga on May 07, 2015, 07:38 AM
Looks great but fresh methi may be a problem for me...Apparently sprouts very easily from seed...

I can vouch for that, livo. I've grown it myself in the past from packet seed and it grows like a weed, no problem. It's a bit leggier than the stuff you can buy from the Asian grocers, but that's only to be expected given the seed is sold for consumption rather than cultivation. I'm sure I put photos up a couple of years ago.
Title: Re: Anda Bhurji (Spicy Indian Scrambled Eggs)
Post by: livo on May 07, 2015, 08:37 AM
I live in borderline sub-tropical / temperate zone so I should be OK with it.  Add to that global warming and it can only get better.
Title: Re: Anda Bhurji (Spicy Indian Scrambled Eggs)
Post by: Naga on May 07, 2015, 08:40 AM
I live in borderline sub-tropical / temperate zone so I should be OK with it.  Add to that global warming and it can only get better.

I live in a similar zone. Maybe a wee bit less sub-tropical up here in Scotland, mind you! :)
Title: Re: Anda Bhurji (Spicy Indian Scrambled Eggs)
Post by: mickdabass on May 07, 2015, 08:45 AM
I remember seeing those photos Naga. One of my Asian friends told me that methi is very easy to grow in the UK.
When I first saw the ingredients for this recipe I thought it looked quite uninteresting; but I have to say that when I made it, the flavours really took me by surprise. In my early curry making days I tried fresh methi but found that it didnt contribute anything much to a bir type curry. However in this dish its got a sort of "toffee" tasting moreishness about it.
If you do succeed in growing some Livo, I would recommend that you use mainly the leaves. The thicker stalks have a bitter taste to them and detract from the toffe taste

Regards

Mick
Title: Re: Anda Bhurji (Spicy Indian Scrambled Eggs)
Post by: Naga on May 07, 2015, 09:16 AM
...In my early curry making days I tried fresh methi but found that it didnt contribute anything much to a bir type curry....

Aye! I agree with that. I just tracked down the thread I posted about a version of Methi Chicken (http://www.curry-recipes.co.uk/curry/index.php/topic,12299.msg99011.html#msg99011) I made in 2013 and, although I wrote glowingly about the dish at the time, the dish hasn't made it to my goto list. Having a proper BIR recipe for Methi Chicken might have helped of course. At least my curries (and photography) have improved since then! :)

But I *will* try your recipe, Mick, when I get my hands on some more fresh methi. The combination of eggs and chilli is truly made in paradise! :)
Title: Re: Anda Bhurji (Spicy Indian Scrambled Eggs)
Post by: livo on May 07, 2015, 11:34 AM
Quote
author=Naga link=topic=13894.msg120831#msg120831 date=1430984439

I live in a similar zone. Maybe a wee bit less sub-tropical up here in Scotland, mind you! :)
I recall reading Findhorn in my college days.

Apparently Watercress is another suitable substitute, although obviously not Methi.  I'm just wondering if Polk Salad will do the job.
Title: Re: Anda Bhurji (Spicy Indian Scrambled Eggs)
Post by: fried on May 07, 2015, 12:17 PM
I managed to get hold of a bundle of fresh methi, so I made this for lunch. I used green chillis instead, it  was very nice, I now have to find some ways of using up the rest of the methi....

I see Naga's vahchef recipe, any chance of a link to BB's BIR version, I can't seem to find it.

I might have to do both.
Title: Re: Anda Bhurji (Spicy Indian Scrambled Eggs)
Post by: livo on May 09, 2015, 12:01 AM
Just noticed you have put 1/2 tsp of chilli in the recipe twice.  Not that it matters.  I'm about to give this a go.
Title: Re: Anda Bhurji (Spicy Indian Scrambled Eggs)
Post by: mickdabass on May 09, 2015, 09:57 AM
Thanks for that Livo. I've tried to edit the post but I can't. Not a severe cock up imo but annoying for the op. Chilli power quantity not critical. Depends on your own preferences as is always the case. Hope you enjoy the dish anyway

Regards
Mick
Title: Re: Anda Bhurji (Spicy Indian Scrambled Eggs)
Post by: livo on May 31, 2015, 02:31 AM
I had this again this morning for Sunday breakfast.  If you haven't tried it yet you are really missing out.
I didn't have fresh methi but substituting in celery leaf and a pinch of dried methi is pretty good anyway.
Title: Re: Anda Bhurji (Spicy Indian Scrambled Eggs)
Post by: livo on October 03, 2023, 12:38 AM
I cook this dish regularly as it is now one of Mrs L's favourite weekend breakfasts.  She's on break at the moment so I'm about to cook it for both of us.  We now usually have it accompanied with a nice green Sandwich Chutney.

The purpose of this post is to advise that I have found something that may just add to the dish overall.  Unfortunately, I don't have time to do it this morning.  I've often watched the videos of street vendors cooking hundreds of eggs in different forms and wondered what the spices they use are.  Some things are quite obvious, but I always felt that I was missing something.

Anyway, this morning I found a video for Mumbai Egg Bhurji, and it listed the commonly used street food ingredient Pav Bhaji Masala.  I recall seeing it but have never tried it.  A quick look around the web and I find that MDH make a packet masala, but it is very easy to put together and I have all the ingredients here.  This one could be something for Phil as one recipe I found uses Kala Namak instead of plain sea salt.

Ingredients include Red Chilli (Kashmiri or otherwise), Coriander seed, Cumin seed, Fennel seed, Cloves, Cinnamon or Cassia, Cardamom (usually black but green is option), Amchur (Mango Powder), Kala Namak * (or substitute plain salt) and Turmeric.  Some recipes add other spices which are ground ginger, black pepper, star anise, nutmeg and mace.

I usually use fresh ginger and black pepper in the dish anyway, but I guess I will add it to the mix when I make a batch.  I may already be close to this as I usually serve my own portion with a sprinkle of Chat Masala which includes several of the listed spices anyway.

* Kala Namak or Himalayan Black Salt has a very distinctive sulphur / egg aroma. 
Title: Re: Anda Bhurji (Spicy Indian Scrambled Eggs)
Post by: Peripatetic Phil on October 03, 2023, 08:57 AM
* Kala Namak or Himalayan Black Salt has a very distinctive sulphur / egg aroma.

... which lifts a simple egg mayonnaise to a whole new level :)