The Parsi community has a small but unique cuisine which is the perfect blend of yours and ours. It’s got influences from its roots in Persia and adopted a lot from its home in India. I’m not entirely sure if the ancient Persians were eggatarians and I’m fairly certain the Gujarati kings weren’t interested so where the community for its undying love for all things eggs is still a mystery.
We love our eggs or as we fondly say ‘ Eedu ‘ when it’s one egg and ‘ Eeda’ when there’s more. We have a strange affinity for making dishes called Per Edu which means Eggs on. So essentially eggs are cooked on something – the repertoire ranges from vegetables to potatoes to crispy crunchy snacks, minced meat and in this case tomatoes.
Tamota Per Eeda is the classic Parsi style shakshooka which is eggs on tomatoes. I can’t tell you the number of stories I’ve heard of dear Parsi friends travelling abroad excitedly ordering the very exotic sounding Shakshooka only to gasp in disbelief and utter disappointment when it’s served – “oh god this is tamota per eeda! I could have made this at home! “
So, it’s a simple recipe no doubt, but a wholesome one. There’s no zatar or sumac or dill or aleppo peppers but just good ol desi masalas from your kitchen and a whole lotta love.
Recipe
Ingredients –
4 eggs
6 chopped tomatoes
1 chopped onion
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Chopped coriander for garnish
Method –
In a pan or skillet add the oil and chopped onions, cook for 2 minutes and add the ginger garlic paste. Cook for 3 minutes and then add the chopped tomato and mix well.
To the mixture add all the spices along with salt and pepper, optionally you can add some chopped coriander stems. Add a little water quarter to half cup and mix it all well so the spices blend into the tomato onion mixture.
Cover an cook for 6 to 8 minutes. You can let some of the water burn off but don’t let the mixture get too dry. Once the mixture has cooked well, make a small well into the mixture and add the cracked eggs on top of the tomato mix. Season each egg with some salt. Cover and cook for approximately 2 minutes or so till the eggs cook. You can cook longer if you want the yolk to be firmer.
Remove the lid and if the eggs are cooked to your liking garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot.
Note that the eggs are usually served in the pan or skillet itself.
How To Serve
The best way to eat Tamota Per Eda is with toast or crusty bed or even chapati. You can also eat it as is without any carb accompaniment. It’s difficult to re plate the dish so it is best served in the pan in which it’s cooked.
Can I Store Or Re Heat It?
It’s not advisible to do either because if you re heat the eggs they will over cook and the yolk will harden. It doesn’t stay well over night but if you’re ok with a hard yolk and rubbery eggs for a quick leftover meal it can refrigerate for upto 2 days. It is best to eat them freshly made.
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