An eggs-tra special spread

Easter is here, it’s time for dazzling eggs, our readers and reporters, hunt down the very best of egg delicacies and memories

1.Frilly Eggs

1

Frilly Eggs Izaya, Mumbai — When a menu says Frilly Eggs and the restaurant, albeit pan Asian, belongs to a Parsi, Farrokh Khambata, one immediately thinks of the ubiquitous Parsi dish, frilly cutlets: a frilly border around a meat patty on account of it having been dunked in beaten eggs, and fried. But Izaya’s creation, the Frilly Eggs come in a little leaf bowl, a mass of inordinate brown gravy with speckles of green on it. You wonder where the eggs are, but there they are, two fried eggs squished together, yolks flowing out lustily when poked with a fork. The first mouthful took us straight to breakfast, zipping into a happy-hour evening snack at a Chinese takeout and left us happily confused, because it’s like nothing we’d tasted before. As we savoured it, the fried eggs nestled comfortably in a pool of honey vinegar, with a generous sprinkling of green onions, a bite of jalapeno and some magic that the chef will never reveal. So if your mouth’s watering, you’ll have to go to Izaya, order your own Frilly Eggs and enjoy the experience. –Amy Fernandes

2.Shakshuka

2

Shakshuka, BoomShankar Cafe, Pulga (Himachal Pradhesh) — The whole of Parvati valley, where Pulga is, sees a lot of Israeli tourists, many of whom prefer to escape to this lap of nature in the Himalayas after their mandatory military term. And so, overtime, restaurants here have begun catering to their taste with an authentic Israeli fare with falafel, lafa, etc. A few, in fact, are fully dedicated to Iraeli food. I tried shakshuka at one such place called BoomShankar Cafe. Served with slices of bread, it was a tangy dish with a semi-wet gravy of tomatoes, capsicum, cabbage (yes, it’s been Indianised) and onion, tossed with scrambled eggs and topped with half-fried eggs. Not so spicy, it’s a flavourful change from our regular, very-eggy, greasy tasting preparations. –Ateeq Shaikh

3.Eggs Kejriwal

3

Eggs Kejriwal, Willingdon Club, Mumbai — It’s such a simple dish, but so goood – a piece of toast, slice of cheese and fried egg, topped with mirchi and then cut in six squares. I tried it first about 20 years ago, but it’s probably been around since the 1950’s/60’s. I recently learnt that someone by the name of Devi Prasad Kejriwal always wanted his eggs that way and would request the staff at Willingdon club to prepare it as he came from a vegetarian household that didn’t allow eggs at home. Though it’s now available at several other places, Willingdon and Yacht club make it best. They get the consistency right – the egg’s neither too hard nor too runny. Other places grate the cheese or add chopped, raw onions, but it doesn’t work. Eggs Kejriwal tastes best in its simple form. –Nasreen Nasser

4.Shakshuka, Tel Aviv

4

Dr Shakshuka, Tel Aviv — The old city of Jaffa is known for its walking tours and one of our best discoveries on it was shakshuka – basically eggs dunked in an arabiata-like sauce. Available all over Tel Aviv, it’s now world famous. Ours came in an enchilada tray at Dr Shakshuka, an open-air restaurant belonging to award-winning chef Bino Gabso. The tomato gravy was mildly spiced, with garlic and seasoning for flavour; we’re told two eggs are broken on it, but looked kind of boiled because the dish is baked. The texture is really nice and smooth; not too runny. It’s was so good that I wanted to wipe the plate clean, but so heavy, I just couldn’t finish it! –Vruti Mehta

5.Lasaniya Ghotala

5

Lasaniya Ghotala, Laaris of Surat — The famous saying ‘Surat nu jaman ne Kashi nu maran’ (eat in Surat, die in Kashi so your soul can experience bliss) comes true in this foodies’ paradise that has a unique menu for eggs. The best of the varieties are served on laaris (street carts) and smaller joints, lining the streets. One of the most memorable dishes I’ve eaten there is ‘Lasaniya Ghotala’. The ‘ghotala’ part of the name didn’t exactly give me an insight as to what I should expect, but what was dished out was a green curry spread over a flat, circular plate and peeping out in the centre were boiled egg whites, neatly chopped in half and a sprinkling of green garlic leaves for garnish. The curry took up the entire space and so the salad of small chopped tomatoes and onions, and pav grilled in butter, to be eaten with the curry, came in another place. I took a piece of the pav, dipped it in the curry and devoured it, topping it with the tomato-onion salad at the end of every bite. The best part? This moderately spicy curry tickles your tastebuds, but the spice overpower the taste of green garlic, allowing you to savour every bit of this delicacy. So, if you’re looking for a fuss free, desi egg variety, head to the laaris in Surat to satiate your egg-loving soul! –Shivani Pathak

6.Butter Half Fry

6

Butter Half Fry, Raju Omelet Centre, Vadodra — If you’re in Gujarat, you won’t find too many non-vegetarian outlets, except in Muslim areas. But the owner (Chandrakant Bhogilal Rana) has started Raju Omelet Centre on VIP road largely populated by by Gujarati Hindus. When I was there, four years ago, it was over crowded with cars and bikes lined up and customers like us waiting to fetch their orders. In Mumbai, bhurji, omelette or any egg dish is prepared in oil, but my half-fry that arrived was made in butter, loaded with cheese and sprinkled with mirch (hara). At Raju, you get butter mein omelette, not omelette mein butter. Very tempting. It’s just amazing! Served with two to three butter-soaked pavs, once you have the dish, you’re done for the day. You won’t even ask for water. Just watching the way they were preparing it, I couldn’t resist trying the anda curry (called Butter Boil Tikka on the menu). There’s no cheese and the brownish-red gravy is really different. (Made with tomatoes, onions, ginger-garlic paste, salt, a special masala and not-so-spicy soorti chillis). But again, it’s full of butter and reminds you of Mumbai’s famous Sardar Pav Bhaji. Gujjus love their butter and cheese, and it really works. –Shirish Singh Rawat

7.Deem’er Devil

7

Deem’er Devil, Streets of Kolkata — Festive occasions at home when I was growing up meant deem’er devil, or eggs devil. Few make it at home these days – it’s too painstaking, I guess – but it’s readily available at street-side food stalls and Durga puja pandals, served with kasundi – the pungent local mustard – and thin slivers of onion and cucumber. So, other than being devilishly tasty, why is it called deem’er devil? The ‘devil’ here, says Wikipedia, comes from ‘devilled eggs’, the popular European dish, made of a hard-boiled egg, halved and its yolk scooped out, mixed with mayonnaise, mustard and vinegar and heaped back into the yolk cavity. Deem’er devil, clearly, is a version of this – different, yet similar. There’s the boiled egg cut in half, but it’s covered with boiled potato mash, mixed with the egg yolk and other condiments – jeera, red chilli, onion, ginger, kheema, or what you will – shaped into a neat oval discs, coated with breadcrumbs and finally, deep fried. –Gargi Gupta

8.Easter Bonnets

8

Easter Bonnets, Mumbai — When you think ‘Easter bonnets’, an image of hats with Easter themed decor pops up in your mind. Every year, retired HR personnel Ingrid D’souza, who runs a little home-order business in Bandra, has been tweaking her mother's recipe, offering a spin on the traditional family delicacy. The original, she reminisces always feat-ured alongside a spread of pork and chicken platters for Easter lunch. When I first saw these little egg-shaped hats they looked too pretty to eat and simple enough to replicate. But when I started munching on the bite-sized savoury, I realised it was a work of art! At the bottom lies a cheesy potato patty fried in bread crumbs, a mix that adds a salty punch to the boiled egg, which makes the top of the hat. Sandwiched between the egg and patty lies a thin slice of fried pork salami for crispiness, giving the bonnets another complementing texture. And to lend it a cowboy look, a slice of tomato encircles the egg, which is sprinkled with pepper, giving each bite a hint of juicy, spiced flavour. Sometimes to add more colour, the bonnets also get capsicum rings or if you like a ‘feather in your cap’, auntie Ingrid will place a single coriander leaf between the tomato and salami layer. Salute! –Yoshita Rao

9.Eggs & Chicken Liver

9

After-party: Eggs & Chicken Liver — Successful house parties often spill over into the next morning, especially during weekends and I’ve often found myself at a loss when faced with hungry folks to cook breakfast for. One such morning, faced with sparse supplies, I decided to experiment. A single, miserly onion, three eggs, a pack of bread and some uncooked chicken liver left over after last evening’s chicken preparation (my roomies are far from thrilled about cooking with the liver), was all we had in the fridge. I had to cook up a dish that could serve five, so I didn’t have much choice, but to use the liver. Obviously, it had to be a covert operation that masked the liver’s pungence, so I chopped it finely, fried it till crispy and marinated it in soy sauce. Fried with capsicum and onion, it became the omelette’s filling. Imagine my anticipation when everyone forked it. But it became an instant hit. ‘Liver, what liver?’ Most wondered. Now it’s our new party dish. –Dyuti Basu Recipe: Ingredients 100gm chicken liver, finely chopped 1 red onion, diced 1/2 capsicum, diced 2 tbsp vegetable oil 3 eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt 1 tsp dark soy sauce Method: Marinate the chopped liver in soy sauce for 20 mins. In a frying pan, heat 1tbsp of vegetable oil and fry the onions till translucent. Next, add the liver and stir till it is halfway done. Add capsicum and stir some more till all of it is cooked through and then set it aside. Heat 1 tbsp of oil and pour in the egg mix. Wait for it to set, then pour the fried mix of capsicum, liver and onions along the centre. Roll up the omelette and flip a couple of times before serving. 

10.Homemade: Eggs Fritatta

10

Homemade: Eggs Fritatta — This one dish has been a hit at my home (except with my father, a fan of the traditional Indian fare for whom I had to improvise with spices), and after marriage even with my in-laws. My husband wants it several times a week. Seven to eight years ago, a close friend living in the US told me about this dish of eggs frittata her husband had cooked for breakfast There, restaurants serve it too. Curious as I’d never heard of it, I asked for the recipe. Very different from the regular omelette, it’s like a yummy, cheesey, thick and filling dosa with a certain crispness. It’s main ingredients are eggs, potato, coriander or spinach, cheese, salt, pepper and olive oil. I plate it out whole with well-cooked eggs; but fold it like an omelette for my husband, who prefers the eggs runny. It was really helpful in my keto diet, for which I was avoiding carbs and taking more of good fats and protein. The best part? You can put it together so quickly! –Almas Khan Gaibee Recipe: Ingredients 1 tbsp oil  1 medium potato 2 eggs 1 cup grated cheese 1 cup finely cut spinach leaves Salt and pepper as per taste Method: Grate potato, put it in bowl of cold water, strain, spread the potato on a clean towel and pat it dry. Heat oil in pan on medium heat, when it sizzles, spread the potato, forming a thin bed. Turn flame to low, till you can overturn the potato layer. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, add salt and pepper, and it spread onto potatoes. Next, spread the spinach, let it cook for 2 mins, keeping the pan open and add grated cheese. Cover it with a lid. Cook till the cheese melts. Remove from heat and serve with a sauce of your choice.