Every city in India has its own egg bhurji, and the best versions tend to come off a tawa on a street corner late at night. What they share is softness. Good bhurji is moist and just set, never dry and crumbly. It is spicy, full of onion and tomato, and it tastes of the fat it was cooked in. Cooking it in ghee is one of the easiest upgrades you can make to a weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1½ tbsp ghee
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 or 2 green chillies, finely chopped
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- ½ tsp pav bhaji masala or garam masala
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander
- A squeeze of lemon
Method
- Beat the eggs lightly. Crack the eggs into a bowl with a pinch of salt and beat just until the yolks and whites are combined. Over-beating is unnecessary.
- Build the masala. Heat the ghee in a pan on medium. Add cumin and let it crackle. Add onion and green chilli and cook until the onion is soft and turning golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Tomato and spices. Add the tomato, turmeric, chilli powder, masala and a little salt. Cook until the tomato breaks down and you see ghee separating at the edges, about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Lower the heat. Turn the flame down to low. This is the step that keeps bhurji soft.
- Add the eggs. Pour in the eggs. Let them sit for 10 seconds, then stir gently and continuously with a spatula, folding the masala through.
- Take it off early. When the eggs are mostly set but still look a little glossy and wet, turn off the heat. They will keep cooking from the heat of the pan. Stir in coriander and lemon.
What makes it street-style
Plenty of masala. Street bhurji has almost as much onion and tomato as egg. Do not skimp.
Pav bhaji masala. Many Mumbai vendors use it, and it gives bhurji that distinctive, slightly sweet spiced flavour.
A finishing spoon of ghee. A small spoon of ghee stirred in right at the end makes the bhurji glossy and rich. On the street it is usually butter. Ghee gives the same richness with a nuttier edge and no risk of burning.
The mistake that makes bhurji rubbery
High heat and too much cooking. Egg proteins tighten and squeeze out water as they overcook, which leaves dry curds sitting in a puddle. Low heat and an early finish give you soft, creamy scrambled eggs every time.
How to eat it
With pav toasted in ghee on a tawa, rolled into a hot paratha or roti, or piled on buttered toast. A few slices of raw onion and a wedge of lemon on the side complete it.
Our everyday cooking ghee for dishes like this is the Desi Cow A2 Ghee.