Anda/Egg Bhurji - Indian Style Scrambled Eggs




A quick and easy and utterly delicious breakfast dish that you can eat for lunch and dinner - that's Anda (Egg) Bhurji for me. It is made every other weekend for breakfast, it's a staple in Sam's lunch box and a dinnertime favorite on hurried weeknights. Me and Sam are in awe and in love with this versatile dish since we were kids. It was also my Mom's go to dish on hurried mornings too.





Anda (Egg) Bhurji is essentially a distant Indian cousin of Scrambled Eggs. I say distant because though the resultant dish looks similar, the cooking process is completely different.

The Western style Scrambles Egg is all about the fluffy texture and cooking it low and slow. You need to whisk the heck out of the eggs (with a splash of milk) to incorporate as much air as possible. Then it is cooked on a buttered skillet over gentle heat till it is barely set. A creamy, dreamy fluff ball that absolutely melts in your mouth. A divinely delicious concoction in it own right.

The Indian cousin, the Anda Bhurji, is a riotous mix of colors, spices and a distinct character echoing the city it is made in. Anything from cumin seed to mustard seed; coriander powder to garam masala; with tomatoes or without tomatoes; curry leaves to coriander leaves, anything and everything can go into your Bhurji and each version is as delicious as the next.

The onions and the spices are cooked first, followed by lightly whisked eggs , all of which, is tossed and turned over high heat with rapid strokes, till it the eggs are cooked through and resembles small crumbs. It is usually finished with a handful of fresh Cilantro and a pat of butter.





Though the most of the Anda Bhurji recipes has some or the other spices, the version I grew up on is on the milder side. No overpowering flavor of coriander or red chili or garam masala powder in my recipe. The eggs takes the center stage along with the aroma from the minced ginger and garlic, aptly supported by the crunchy bell peppers and onions. The heat comes from the finely minced green chilies. A handful of Cilantro (coriander leaves) brings a burst of freshness and a pat of butter seals the deal. Simple, elegant and wholesome.




Anda Bhurji is traditionally eaten for breakfast with a side of buttered toast or bread. If I'm making it for breakfast, I love having it just on its own. Sam loves sandwiching it between slices of bread and grilling it. For lunch or dinner, we love having it with fresh hot rotis, just off the stove.
And now for the recipe.

Recipe Snapshot: Aanda/Egg Bhurji - Indian Style Scrambled Eggs


Serves: 2 serving
(1 serving = 1/2cup)

What I used:
Egg - 4

Onion - About 2 tablespoons, finely chopped (1 small sized or 1/2 of a medium sized or 1/4 of a large one)

Bell Peppers (any color) - 1/4 cup, diced (1 medium sized or 1/2 of a large one) ( I used a little of red, green, yellow and orange)

Ginger - 1 tsp, finely minced (1 small knob)

Garlic - 1 fat or 2 regular sized cloves, finely minced

Green Chilies - 2, finely chopped

Turmeric Powder - just a pinch, about 1/8 tsp (optional, but it gives a nice golden glow)

Milk - just a splash, about 1 tablespoon (optional)

Cilantro/Coriander leaves - 1 generous handful, finely chopped

Salt and Black Pepper to taste

A dab of salted butter (optional but so worth it!)


What I did:
1. Crack 4 eggs in a large bowl. Add a splash of milk if you want. Add a fat pinch of salt and black pepper and whisk it till smooth and frothy. Keep aside.

2. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. For a more scrumptious version heat up some good salted butter. Add the finely minced ginger and garlic. No paste just super finely minced.

3. Once the ginger and garlic are aromatic, add the onions and chopped green chilies and saute till soft. Add a pinch of turmeric at this point.

4. Add your veggies of choice. I prefer only bell peppers (green or in any array of colors) in my bhurji. But you can add finely diced carrots, mushroom, tomatoes etc. too.

5. Once all the veggies are slightly soft, check for seasoning and adjust. Remember the eggs are also seasoned, so go light.

6. Now add the whisked eggs. Combine the eggs with the onion-bell pepper masala, stirring the mix gently but continuously, till small crumbs are formed. Keep stirring and whisking till the eggs are coagulated and thoroughly cooked.

7. Take it off the flames and add a lot of chopped coriander leaves/cilantro for that bust of freshness. The cilantro livens up the bhurji.

8. Add a dab of "Amul butter" or any salted butter. It just takes the dish to a whole new level. This is an optional step but totally worth it. Serve hot with bread of choice. It mostly homemade chapati/rotis for us.

Notes/Tip: Do not restrict this delicious Aanda/Egg Bhurji as a side dish to roti or chapati. Stuff it in a sandwich or wrap it in a tortilla for a quick, filling and delicious lunch.


Diabetic Platter:
Eggs have long been recognized as a source of high-quality protein. The World Health Organization (WHO) and other public health authorities actually use eggs as their reference standard for evaluating the protein quality in all other foods. Egg protein is usually referred to as "HBV" protein, meaning protein with High Biological Value. Since eggs are used as the reference standard for food protein, they score 100% on the HBV chart. The high quality of egg protein is based on the mixture of amino acids it contains. (Amino acids are the building blocks for making proteins.) Eggs provide a complete range of amino acids, including branched chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine), sulfur-containing amino acids (methionine, cysteine), lysine, tryptophan, and all other essential amino acids. Their protein is sometimes referred to as a "complete protein" for this reason.

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