Kanda Papeta per Eda

So little is known about eggs in the Indian cooking repertoire. Be it in curries, stuffed in bread, cooked in pickles or a plate of spicy scrambled eggs. Indians have a way to perk up the humble eggs to no end. My mother would make this for us on a Sunday morning usually. One of the simplest dishes with eggs but yet so very delicious. Kanda Papeta per Eda is a Parsi dish that is made with fried onions (kanda meaning onions), potatoes and eggs. The Parsi variety for dishes with eggs is brilliant including akoori, parsi omelette and even main course curries with eggs.

This recipe is a family favourite and has been for as long as I can remember. Take your time to fry the onions as they lend such a delicious sweet flavour to the final. Also I do say coarsely crushed cumin which adds a warmth to the dish. Reduce the quantity of chillies if you prefer but I think it goes really well with the sweet caramelised onions.

You can eat this with soft bread rolls although flaky parathas is amazing. I reckon it’s the perfect weekend breakfast addition. Just so you know I ate it straight from the pan after taking the images… Enjoy!

Method

In a frying pan heat the oil and add the chillies along with the sliced onions on a medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and fry the onions for 10-12 minutes. They will start to change colour and soften. Add the potatoes and fry for 5 minutes. Add a splash of water (about 2 tbsps) and stir well.
Add the cumin and black pepper and fry for a further 3-4 minutes with a lid on to let the steam cook the potatoes. Season to taste. Now make three small spaces between the potato mix and break the eggs. Cook the eggs on a low heat for 2-3 minutes. Garnish with coriander and sprinkling a little more cumin and black pepper powder over the eggs. Serve with bread roll or parathas.