Indian cooking
Indian cooking / Dishes / Khageena
Khageena (Savoury Scrambled Eggs)

Khageena

Savoury Scrambled Eggs
Non-vegetarian●●●Origin HyderabadPrep 15 minutesCook 15 minutes

A vibrant Indian scramble featuring soft-set eggs folded through a spiced onion and tomato base. Rich, savoury, and gently spiced, it makes a satisfying breakfast or quick supper.

Base masala

5 gCooked with the tomatoes and chillies (step 2)
Keep together to add directly to the pan.

Everything else

01
27 g2 tablespoons
oil/fat
02
300 g2 onions
vegetable
03
Tomato · Tamatarfinely chopped
240 g2 tomatoes
vegetable
04
Green chilli · Hari Mirchde-seeded and chopped
18 g3 chillies
vegetable
05
300 g6 eggs
egg
06
14 g1 tablespoon
oil/fat
07
Coriander · Dhanialeaves only, chopped
~50 g½ bunch
herb
08
to taste
salt

Method

  1. Warm 27 g vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add 300 g sliced onion and fry for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring regularly, until golden brown.
  2. Lower the heat. Add 240 g finely chopped tomato, 18 g chopped green chilli, and the base masala. Cook over low heat for roughly 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the juices have evaporated.
  3. In a separate pan over low heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter or ghee. Pour in 6 beaten eggs and 50 g chopped coriander, then season with salt to taste. Scramble briskly for 3 to 4 minutes until curds form but remain soft and moist.
  4. Tip the onion and tomato mixture into the eggs. Stir gently for 1 minute to heat through, then take off the heat and serve with roti.

Don't have something?

Vegetable oil
  • Peanut oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Handles high-heat frying identically and introduces a very subtle, pleasant nuttiness.

  • Ghee

    Use 1:1 by weight. Yields a much richer, authentic aroma and a glossy, heavier mouthfeel.

  • Mustard oil

    Use 1:1 by weight. Heat until smoking, then cool slightly before cooking to temper its intensely pungent, sharp mustard kick.

Onion
  • Shallot

    Use equal weight, finely sliced. Shallots soften and brown faster, giving a slightly sweeter and more delicate base to curries.

  • Cabbage

    Use 80% of the weight, finely shredded and browned slowly with a pinch of asafoetida. Replicates the bulk and natural sweetness in gravies without allium.

Tomato
  • Tomato purée

    Use 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 yogurt

    Use 60% of the weight, whisked smooth and added on low heat. Provides rich body and sourness, though the gravy becomes paler and creamier.

Green chilli
  • Chilli powder

    Use 10 to 15% of the weight (about 1/4 teaspoon per chilli); imparts dry pungent heat and reddens the dish without the grassy crunch.

  • Dried red chilli

    Use 1 dried pod per fresh green chilli; snap in half and temper in hot oil for a deeper, toastier heat.

Ground turmeric
  • Ground ginger

    Use 50% of the weight. Mimics turmeric's warm, earthy, rhizome background, but provides none of the golden-yellow colour.

  • Saffron

    Steep 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.

Chilli powder
  • Red chilli powder

    Use 100% of the weight. Provides direct, sharp heat and red colour in equal measure.

  • Kashmiri chilli powder

    Use 150% to 200% of the weight if matching colour, but add a pinch of black pepper or hot chilli if you need equivalent fiery heat.

  • Cayenne pepper

    Use 75% to 100% of the weight. Offers a sharp, clean heat with slightly less earthy depth and less crimson colour.

Ginger paste
  • Fresh ginger

    Use equal weight; peel and grate very finely on a microplane or pound to a fine paste in a mortar.

  • Ginger

    Use equal weight; mince finely and crush with the flat of a knife before frying.

  • Ground ginger

    Use 20% of the weight; add directly with the dry spice powders, though it yields an earthier, less pungent profile.

Garlic paste
  • Garlic

    Use equal weight; crush or finely grate to a smooth pulp to replicate the same fresh, pungent moisture in your base gravy.

  • Garlic powder

    Use 20 to 25% of the weight; mix with a teaspoon of water before adding to oil so it does not burn, noting it lacks the fresh bite.

Egg
  • Chickpea flour

    For 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 yoghurt

    Use about 30 g per egg for moisture and binding in koftas or fillings. Adds tang and softness; will not set or glaze like egg.

  • Tofu

    Use the same weight, mashed, for egg-like bulk in curries. Soft and bland; add extra spices and do not expect it to bind.

Ghee or butter
  • Ghee

    Use the same weight. Gives a richer aroma and nuttier taste; if the dish already uses butter for finishing, ghee can make it slightly heavier.

  • Butter

    Use the same weight. Lower smoke point than ghee, so keep the heat moderate; if unsalted, add a small pinch of salt.

  • Vegetable oil or ghee

    Use about 90% of the weight. Less rich flavour; good when you want a lighter result.

Coriander
  • Coriander leaf

    Use equal weight, chopped fresh and stirred in off the heat or used as garnish. Matches the citrus-herbal profile identically.

  • Mint

    Use 40% to 50% of the weight; chop finely and add at the very end. Adds fresh herbal brightness, but shifts the aroma toward cool menthol.

Handkerchief roti
  • Handkerchief bread

    Use the same weight; effectively the same thing. Warm before folding.

  • Chapati

    Use the same weight. Thicker and less foldable; warm before serving.

  • Paratha or naan

    Use the same weight. Richer and heavier; cut back on extra ghee or butter.

Similar dishes

Masala Omelettes
Masala Omelettes tastes warmer from cumin and more sour from lemon, with a sharper chilli bite, while this dish tastes richer and more savoury from ginger, garlic and butter or ghee.
  • Same: Masala Omelettes shares eggs, onion, tomato, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander, salt and cooking fat with this dish.
  • Different: Masala Omelettes adds cumin seed and lemon juice and uses bird’s eye chilli, while it lacks the ginger paste, garlic paste and extra butter or ghee in this dish; it uses less onion, tomato and egg and is cooked as an omelette rather than a soft scramble.
Anda Bhurji
Spicy Scrambled Eggs
Anda Bhurji tastes spicier and more tangy from bird’s eye chilli and lemon, and less rich than this dish because it has no butter or ghee.
  • Same: Anda Bhurji shares eggs scrambled through an onion and tomato base with this dish, and both use vegetable oil, turmeric, green chilli, salt and coriander.
  • Different: Anda Bhurji adds cumin seed, kashmiri chilli powder and lemon juice, while this dish has ginger paste, garlic paste, butter or ghee and handkerchief roti; Anda Bhurji uses 200 g egg, 4 g bird’s eye chilli and 3 g coriander, while this dish uses 300 g egg, 18 g green chilli and 50 g coriander.
Baida Paratha
Shallow-fried Bread with Egg
Baida Paratha tastes crisp and flaky outside with a soft egg filling, while this dish tastes soft, tomatoey, and gently spiced.
  • Same: Baida Paratha shares eggs, onion, green chilli, and salt with this dish.
  • Different: Baida Paratha adds wholemeal flour and ghee and is shallow-fried as a stuffed flatbread, while this dish has tomato, turmeric, chilli powder, ginger paste, garlic paste, and butter or ghee folded into scrambled eggs.
Muttai Thokku
Spiced Egg Curry with Fennel & Chilli
Muttai Thokku tastes tangy and gently sweet with fennel and mild chilli, while this dish is rich, savoury and gently spiced with soft-set eggs.
  • Same: Muttai Thokku shares eggs, onion, tomato, turmeric, chilli powder, coriander, vegetable oil and salt with this dish.
  • Different: Muttai Thokku is a thick curry with boiled eggs added near the end, and it uses dried red chilli, curry leaf, fennel, sugar, tomato purée and water; this dish scrambles eggs into the base and adds butter or ghee, green chilli, ginger paste and garlic paste.