Chettinad Scrambled Eggs on Toast

Name: Chettinad Scrambled Eggs on Toast
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 22 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: chettinad
Ingredients: 8 pcs egg; 4 slices bread (thick slices); 1 pcs onion (medium, finely chopped); 1 pcs tomato (medium, finely chopped); 2 pcs green chili (finely chopped); 1 inch ginger (finely minced); 4 pcs garlic (cloves, finely minced); 8 pcs curry leaves; 0.5 tsp fennel seeds (lightly crushed); 0.5 tsp black pepper (freshly crushed); 1 pinch turmeric powder; 1 pinch red chili powder; 0.5 tsp salt; 2 tbsp oil; 2 tbsp butter (softened, for toast); 2 tbsp coriander leaves (chopped)

RATING

4.3/5(28)

TASTE SCORE

8/10

Warm buttered toast topped with softly scrambled eggs spiced in Chettinad style. Onion, tomato, curry leaves, black pepper and fennel give it a bold South Indian edge while keeping it quick enough for a weekday breakfast.

PREP

10m

COOK

12m

SERVES

1 PIECE

357 cal

SERVINGS

METHOD · 6 STEPS

prep · ~5 min
Prep the vegetables and crack the eggs.
1.Finely chop the onion, tomato and green chili.
2.Mince the ginger and garlic.
3.Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat until just combined.
saute · ~7 min
Cook the Chettinad base.
1.Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
2.Add fennel seeds and curry leaves and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds.
3.Add onion, green chili, ginger and garlic and cook until the onion turns soft, 3 to 4 minutes.
4.Add tomato, turmeric powder, red chili powder, black pepper and salt.
5.Cook until the tomato softens and the mixture looks slightly jammy, 2 to 3 minutes.
TIPKeep the heat at medium so the garlic and spices do not burn.
saute · ~3 min
Scramble the eggs gently.
Lower the heat and pour in the beaten eggs. Stir slowly, folding the eggs into the masala until softly set and still moist, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off the heat and mix in the coriander leaves.
TIPTake the pan off the heat while the eggs still look a little glossy; they finish cooking from residual heat.
roast · ~3 min
Toast the bread.
Toast the bread slices on a hot tawa or in a toaster until crisp and lightly golden. Spread butter over the hot toast.
assemble
Spoon the eggs over the toast.
Divide the Chettinad scrambled eggs evenly over the 4 buttered toast slices.
serve
Serve hot.

PRO TIPS

What to keep in mind.

6 tips from the recipe — small details that make a real difference to the final dish.

1
Lightly crush the fennel seeds just before tempering so their sweet aroma comes through the eggs.
2
Cook the tomato until the masala looks slightly jammy; watery tomato will make the scramble soggy on toast.
3
Lower the heat before adding the eggs so they stay soft and do not turn grainy.
4
Stop cooking when the eggs are still glossy, since residual heat will finish them in the pan.
5
Toast the bread until properly crisp so it can hold the moist Chettinad eggs without going limp.
6
For make-ahead prep, chop the aromatics in advance, but cook and assemble the eggs just before serving.

RECIPE VARIATIONS