Anda Bhurji – Scrambled Eggs – Mumbai Street Food Style

 

Anda Bhurji or Scrambled Eggs – Mumbai Street Food Style holds a very special place in my heart. When I started my business about 2 decades ago, our first office was in an area where we had access to very few eateries. One of the dishes that was esily available, apart from Roti & Dal Fry, was Anda Bhurji & Pav.

Another reason, I am so fond of it is that my father makes a mean Anda Bhurji, a skill he learned in the 1960s when he came to Mumbai as a bachelor to take up his first job.

Anda Bhurji of Mumbai has little resemblance to the scrambled eggs that you get in the Western World. Eggs I have had in US and Europe are slightly moist and very lightly seasoned. Anda Bhurji, on the other hand, is well-cooked, well-spice, and dare I say, well-oiled. It also uses onions, fresh coriander, and tomatoes liberally along with green chillies and cumin. 🙂 All these ingredients come together to make a dish that I often have as a meal by itself.

Anda Bhurji is best eaten with rotis or chapatis.

The Parsis of Mumbai call this dish Akoori. Unlike the Anda Bhurji, the Akoori tends to be more moist with the eggs cooked a tad bit less than in the case of the bhurji.

Time: 15 Minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1. Eggs – 4
2. Milk – 1/4 Cup
3. Onion – 1 Large
4. Tomatoes – 2 Medium
5. Finely Chopped Fresh Coriander – 1/4 Cup
6. Roasted Cumin Powder – 1 tsp
7. Pepper Powder – 1/2 tsp
8. Green Chillies – 2 (more if you like the bhurji spicy, like I do)
9. Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
10. Oil – 2 tbsp
11. Salt to Taste

Method

1. Peel and dice the onions.
2. Chop the tomatoes.
3. Chop the green chillies to small pieces.
4. Chop the coriander.
5. Add 1/2 tsp salt, pepper powder, and turmeric to the milk.
6. Mix well.
7. Break the the eggs into the milk and beat well till it just starts to froth.
8. Set aside the beaten eggs.
9. In a wok or kadai, heat the oil.
10. Add the onions and stir-fry till transparent.
11. Add the green chillies and stir-fry for 1 minute.
12. Add the tomato pieces and stir-fry till the tomato is soft.
13. Add roasted cumin powder and stir-fry for a couple of minutes.
14. Add the chopped coriander and mix well.
15. Add the egg mixture.
16. Stir continuously  till the eggs are properly scrambled.
17. Cook till the eggs are done.
18. Season with salt and pepper, if required.
19. Serve hot with bread, pav or rotis.

Tips

• After the eggs are cooked, add about 1/2 tsp of butter and mix well to ensure that the eggs stay moist.
• I add the salt to the milk initially so that it is well-incorporated in the bhurji. If you add salt after cooking, the bhurji tends to taste salty.