Irresistible Indian Breakfast Recipeshttps://www.indianhealthyrecipes.com/recipes/indian-breakfast/
so i open the fridge, eggs, good, i always have eggs, eggs are life, without eggs i don’t know what i would eat, cereal maybe, but cereal is not dinner, so eggs,
i take out the eggs, then i look for onion, i have half an onion, it’s in a little bowl, covered with plastic wrap, the cut side is a little dry but it’s fine, i sniff it, smells like onion, not bad, good,
tomato, i have one tomato, it’s a little soft, you know when tomatoes get that soft spot? like it’s not rotten but it’s not firm either, yeah, i cut that part off, the rest is fine,
chili, i have one chili, it’s been in the fridge for a while, it’s a little wrinkly, but still green, still good, i poke it, it’s not mushy, fine,
ok so i take everything to the counter’s
then i realize my pan is dirty, cuz i made eggs yesterday morning and i didn’t wash the pan, i just left it on the stove, lazy, i know, so i have to wash it, i run it under hot water, use a sponge, the eggs come off easy cuz nonstick, good,
pan is clean. i put it on the stove. turn the heat on. high. full high. my stove is gas. the flame is blue. loud. i like that sound. it sounds like something is happening.
while the pan is heating up i chop the onion. fast. not careful. pieces are all different sizes. i don’t care. it’s bhurji. not a salad. i put the onion on a plate.
then i chop the tomato. same thing. fast. messy. pieces different sizes. i put it on the same plate as the onion. i don’t care if they mix. they’re going in the pan together anyway.
then i take the chili. slit it down the middle. don’t cut all the way through. just one cut. i leave the seeds in. i always leave the seeds in. i put the chili on the plate too.
ok so now i need oil. i pour oil into the pan. vegetable oil. just pour. no measuring. glug glug. enough to cover the bottom. maybe a little more. i don’t know.
now i wait for the oil to get hot. how do i know? i flick water. just a little drop from my fingers. it sizzles and pops. ok good.
onion goes in.
sizzle. loud sizzle. that’s the sound you want. if you don’t hear that your pan wasn’t hot enough. next time wait longer.
ok so now i’m standing there. watching the onion. i’m not stirring too much. i let it sit. stir once. let it sit again. you want the edges to get brown. not soft. not see-through. brown. like a paper bag. that’s where the flavor is.
while the onion is cooking… wait. i forgot to tell you something. before i started cooking, i was on my phone. scrolling. you know. just wasting time. and i saw this video of someone making bhurji. and they put ginger garlic paste in it. ginger garlic paste! in bhurji! that’s not bhurji. that’s something else. i don’t know what. but it’s not bhurji. bhurji doesn’t need ginger garlic. it’s eggs. simple. you know? anyway. it bothered me. so i’m telling you. no ginger garlic. ok. back to the story.
so the onion is getting brown. good. i throw in the chili. slit down the middle. seeds and all.
then i throw in the tomato.
now here’s the thing. i was hungry. really hungry. like my stomach was making noises. and i wanted to add the eggs right away. but i know. i know. you have to let the tomato cook. if you add the eggs too early, your bhurji will be watery. i’ve done it so many times. so i made myself wait.
i stirred the tomato. let it sit. stirred again. let it sit. the tomato started breaking down. getting mushy. i could see the oil starting to come to the edges. little orange pools. that’s the sign. that means the water is cooked out.
while i was waiting, i looked at my phone. my mom texted me. “did you eat?” i didn’t reply. i’ll reply later.
ok so the tomato is ready. i turn the heat down to medium. not low. medium.
then i realize i forgot to get my spices out. so i open the cabinet. turmeric. where is it? behind the cumin. ok got it. red chili powder. ok. coriander powder. ok. i put them on the counter.
turmeric. half a teaspoon. the small spoon. not the big one. half a teaspoon. it doesn’t look like enough but it is. too much turmeric makes everything bitter.
red chili powder. how much? i don’t know. i just shake it in. maybe one teaspoon. maybe a little more. i don’t measure.
coriander powder. one teaspoon. don’t skip this. coriander powder is what makes bhurji taste like bhurji. without it, it’s just scrambled eggs with stuff.
ok now stir. stir for about ten seconds. smell it. that warm spicy smell. that’s the spices blooming. that’s good. if you smell burning, turn off the stove. throw everything away. start over. i’m serious. burnt spices taste like dirt. you can’t fix it.
ok now crack the eggs. four eggs. into a bowl. always into a bowl. never into the pan. cuz if a piece of shell falls in, you can see it and take it out. if you crack it directly into the pan and a piece of shell falls in, you’re trying to find it with a spoon while the eggs are cooking and you’re burning your fingers and it’s a whole mess. just use a bowl.
beat the eggs with a fork. not a whisk. a fork. just break the yolks. leave some streaks of white and yellow. that’s texture.
do not add salt. i said do not add salt. salt draws water out of eggs. we just spent all that time cooking the water out of the tomato. don’t put water back in. add salt at the end. i’ll remind you.
pour the eggs into the pan.
now here’s the hard part. don’t stir. i know you want to stir. don’t. wait. count to fifteen. one two three four five six seven eight nine ten eleven twelve thirteen fourteen fifteen.
why? cuz the eggs need to set on the bottom. if you stir right away, everything mixes together into one wet mess. if you wait, the bottom layer cooks and then when you stir, you get nice little pieces.
ok now stir. stir hard. stir fast. break everything into small pieces. keep the heat on medium. keep moving the eggs. don’t stop. don’t look at your phone. don’t answer the door. keep stirring.
you want the pieces to be small. like the size of rice grains. or a little bigger. not big fluffy curds. small dry curds. that’s bhurji.
this takes about ninety seconds. maybe less. watch the pan. the moment you don’t see any liquid left, turn off the heat. right then. cuz the pan is still hot and the eggs will keep cooking. so stop before you think you’re done.
if you cook too long, the eggs become dry and rubbery. if you don’t cook enough, they’re wet and gross. you’ll mess this up. everyone does. try again.
now taste it. i’m serious. put some in a spoon and put it in your mouth. taste it.
is it bland? add a pinch of salt. stir. taste again. still bland? add another pinch. keep going until it tastes right.
is it salty? you added too much. next time add less. that’s how you learn.
i once made bhurji for my friends. four people. i served it. nobody said anything. just quiet eating. too quiet. i knew something was wrong. i tasted it. no salt. completely bland. i felt like an idiot. now i taste everything. every single time.
ok now add fresh coriander if you have it. chop it up. leaves and stems. sprinkle on top. stir once. if you don’t have coriander, it’s fine. use nothing. it’s still bhurji.
eat it. straight from the pan if you want. i do that all the time. less dishes to wash.
what do you eat it with? bread. toast. roti. rice. leftover chapati. i don’t care. one time i ate it with potato chips. cuz i was too lazy to make bread. another time i put it in a tortilla. another time i just ate it with a fork standing in front of the fridge. all of that is fine.
ok now let me tell you about the mistakes. cuz you’re gonna make them.
if your bhurji is watery, you didn’t cook the tomato enough. next time let it cook longer until the oil separates.
that’s it. that’s all i have.
and don’t rush the tomato. i’m serious. don’t rush it.
and if you mess up, try again. that’s cooking.
