Masala Egg Scramble - Anda Bhurji

I sat on the staircase cuddling the bundle of clothes I had tied in my mom's dupatta (a multi purpose long scarf worn by South Asian women). The scent of my mom's on the dupatta was reassuring that I wasn't far from home. Far as much as a couple of metres feel like when you are a 10 year old. Dad and I had got into an argument over the volume of the television which disturbed his precious afternoon nap. I protested as I always did until dad went ahead the unplugged the wire. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I went to my room.

I tied my favorite dresses into a neat little bundle and declared I was going to leave the house never to come back. Confidently I stepped outside the house while mom stood on the door hiding her beautiful smile, her only giveaway being her deep dimples. I climbed up a few floors of the building and sat on the stairs, my favorite hideaway my parents knew.

Half an hour later I saw dad coming my way with a plate of food in his hand.  I could smell the freshly made scrambled eggs with hint of pav bhaji masala, my favorite type. Through the corner of my eyes I eyed the buttered white toast spread with ketchup while dad silently sat next to me. He knew my way back home has to involve food.

The other day when dad was visiting us, he gave us dozens of farm fresh eggs from his friend's farm. He smiled while narrating the above story to M. Fifteen years since and nothing has changed M said smiling back.

Masala Egg Scramble - Anda Bhurji

Serves 2-3

Ingredients 

4-5 eggs

1/3 cup onions, finely chopped

2 -3 tbsp tomatoes, finely chopped

1 green chilly, finely chopped

1 tbsp ghee or olive oil

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

2 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped

1 tsp pav bhaji masala/garam masala*

Salt and pepper to taste

Note

* Pav bhaji masala is a spice blend (found in Indian stores) used for a specific recipe called Pav bhaji where  the mashed vegetables are served with buttered buns. Adding it to scrambled eggs is something I have picked up from my mom but adding garam masala is absolutely perfect too.

Method

Whisk the eggs with the salt and keep aside.

Heat oil in a frying pan or wok  and add the onions. Cook till translucent.

Add the green chilly, tomatoes and spices.

Once the tomatoes become soft add the coriander leaves and  eggs mixture.

Whisk and cook till the desired scramble egg consistency is achieved.

Squeeze a little ketchup on top if you like.

Serve with roti, paratha or toasted bread.

Variations

Few of my favorites are:

- Add curry leaves after the oil is heated.

- Add 1 tsp of ginger paste after the oil is heated.

- Add handful crumbled paneer along with the tomatoes.

- You could also add any cooked vegetable to make a meal out of it.
- Roll the scrambled eggs into a roti, paratha or tortilla with coriander chutney