Akuri
My father is not only Parsi but a fantastic cook, which means I have grown up eating some of the most delicious Parsi food. In fact I am yet to eat Parsi food better than my fathers. Since, this is my first recipe on the blog I thought I would start with something as easy as Akuri. Also I tend to discard measurements and recipes and usually cook full indian style "andaaz se", where all measurements are based on my whims and fancies. So good luck to you all! Akuri is essentially parsi scrambled eggs. Best eaten with some pao, I like either very lightly toasted bread or absolutely plain.
Here goes:
INGREDIENTS
- Vegetable Oil
- 1/2 Tspn Ginger Paste
- 1/2 Tspn Garlic Paste
- 3 Onions - Finely Diced
- 3 Tomatoes - Finely Diced
- 4 Green Chillies - mine were not too sharp. Adjust according to preference and hotness of chilly.
- Fresh Coriander Leaves - Half a fist - finely chopped
- 1/2 Tspn Dhanajiru - Dhanajiru is used in a lot of Parsi cooking. If you can't find it ready made simply weigh equal amounts of cumin and coriander seeds (1/4 cup and 1/2 cup respectively). Toast but careful not to burn. And pound with a mortar and pestle.
- 1/2 Red Tspn Chilly Powder. For all our Parsi food we use a very fragrant chilly powder from Bombay by Mangal Masalas. Makes a big difference!
- 3 Eggs - I like mine with lots of the tomato-onion masala you could always add more eggs but dont blame me if it tastes diluted!
- Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
- In a wok or pan heat some oil. Add Ginger and Garlic Paste. Stir a couple of times and add Onions. Cook till nicely brown. Make sure there is enough oil for it to become a nice caramelized brown rather than it start burning.
- Then add Tomatoes. Stir a bit. Add Green Chillies, Fresh Coriander, Dhanajiru and Red chilly Powder. Cook till tomatoes are completely soft and broken down.
- Once you have a nicely browned mix - Crack in your 3 eggs. Stir a couple of times add Salt and turn off the gas. I prefer it a little runny. Nothing worse than over cooked eggs.