
Anda Bhurji
Anda bhurji is a soft, spicy scramble of eggs cooked with onions, tomatoes and a warm ground spice mix. It tastes savoury and lightly tangy, with heat from green chilli and lemon.
Ground spices for the onion base
3.2 gStirred into the pan after the green chilli (step 4)Everything else
Method
- Beat 200 g egg with a pinch of salt in a bowl until lightly mixed.
- Set a non-stick frying pan on medium heat and add 27 g vegetable oil. When hot, add 300 g onion, finely chopped, and cook for 6 minutes, until soft.
- Add 4 g green bird’s eye chilli, chopped, and cook for 1 minute more.
- Stir in the masala — 1.5 g ground turmeric, 0.6 g kashmiri chilli powder and 1.1 g cumin seed, ground — and fry for 30 seconds.
- Add 240 g tomato, finely chopped, and salt to taste. Cook for 4 minutes, until starting to soften.
- Tip the beaten egg into the pan and leave undisturbed for 30 seconds. Stir and cook for 2–3 minutes, until just set in soft curds.
- Scatter over 3 g coriander leaves, finely chopped, and squeeze over 10.2 g lemon juice.
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Egg

Chickpea flourFor binding, use about 10 g chickpea flour mixed with 20 ml water per egg and rest for 10 minutes. Denser and nuttier; not suitable for baking or coating in the same way.
Full-fat natural yoghurtUse about 30 g per egg for moisture and binding in koftas or fillings. Adds tang and softness; will not set or glaze like egg.
TofuUse the same weight, mashed, for egg-like bulk in curries. Soft and bland; add extra spices and do not expect it to bind.

Vegetable oil

Peanut oilUse 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.
GheeUse 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.
Mustard oilUse 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Onion


Green bird's eye chilli

Bird's eye green chilliUse the same weight; heat and flavour are very close.
Green chilliUse 1.5 to 2 times the weight; deseed for less heat. Larger chillies are more watery.
Fresh green chilliUse 1.5 to 2 times the weight; chop finely and adjust heat by tasting.

Ground turmeric

Ground gingerUse 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.
SaffronSteep a tiny pinch (0.1 g per 2 g turmeric) in 2 tbsp warm water; use to match the rich golden hue. Contributes an aristocratic, honeyed floral flavour rather than earthy bitterness.

Kashmiri chilli powder or mild paprika

Kashmiri chilli powderUse the same weight; this is the first half of the book's option and gives the best red colour with mild heat.
Mild paprikaUse the same weight; add a pinch of cayenne pepper for warmth. Slightly less colour.
PaprikaUse the same weight and add cayenne pepper to taste; works but is less aromatic.

Cumin seed

Ground cuminUse 70% of the weight; add with ground spices or sauce bases rather than hot oil tempering, where it scorches quickly and turns bitter.
Black cumin seedsUse equal weight for oil tempering. Delivers an earthy profile with an additional musky, smoky, and slightly bitter edge.
Fennel seedUse 60% of the weight for tempering; offers comparable warm aroma, but leans sweet and liquorice-like rather than savoury and earthy.

Tomato

Tomato puréeUse 40% to 50% of the fresh tomato weight mixed with a splash of water. Imparts a deeper red colour, thicker sauce, and slightly sweeter cooked flavour.
Plain yogurtUse 60% of the weight, whisked smooth and added on low heat. Provides rich body and sourness, though the gravy becomes paler and creamier.

Coriander leaves

Coriander (cilantro) or basilUse the same weight, choosing the coriander element if available. If only basil is available, expect a sweeter, more aniseed flavour.
Basil leavesUse the same weight. Basil is sweeter and more aromatic in a different way; add near the end so it keeps its perfume.
Coriander pasteUse 1.5 times the weight and reduce other liquid slightly; it is less fresh and more concentrated, so taste before adding more.

Lemon juice

Lime juiceUse equal volume or weight; delivers almost identical sharp acidity with a faintly more aromatic, bitter-edged profile.
Dried mango powderUse 25% of the weight (about 1 g amchoor for 4 g juice); provides clean fruity tartness without thinning the sauce.
White vinegarUse 75% of the volume; gives direct sourness without any citrus floral fragrance.
Similar dishes

- Same: Masala Omelettes shares eggs, onion, tomato, cumin seed, green bird’s eye chilli, turmeric, Kashmiri chilli powder, coriander leaves, lemon juice, vegetable oil and salt with this dish.
- Different: Masala Omelettes uses more cumin seed and less onion, tomato and lemon juice than this dish, and it is cooked as an omelette with a lightly crisp edge rather than as a soft scramble.

- Same: Andhra Egg Curry shares eggs, onion, tomato, vegetable oil, green bird’s eye chilli, turmeric, kashmiri chilli powder, coriander leaves and salt with this dish.
- Different: Andhra Egg Curry uses halved hard-boiled eggs simmered in gravy, while this dish is a soft scramble; it adds mustard seed, cassia bark, ginger, ground coriander, tamarind paste, curry leaf and coconut milk, and it lacks this dish’s cumin seed and lemon juice.

- Same: Khageena shares eggs, onion, tomato, turmeric, chilli powder, vegetable oil, coriander and salt with this dish, and it is also a soft scrambled egg dish.
- Different: Khageena uses 300 g egg versus 200 g here, has far more green chilli and coriander, adds ginger paste, garlic paste and butter or ghee, lacks cumin seed and lemon juice, and includes handkerchief roti.

- Same: Saas ni Macchi shares vegetable oil, cumin seed, onion, green bird’s eye chilli, tomato and coriander leaves with this dish, and both use egg.
- Different: Saas ni Macchi adds white fish, garlic, butter, plain flour, malt vinegar, caster sugar and cherry tomato, while this dish has turmeric, kashmiri chilli powder and lemon juice and uses egg as the main scrambled ingredient.

























