Subtitles section Play video
-
Narrator: There are 200 eggs in every batch
-
of this famous Indian street food.
-
Chef Mohammad Nasir can make up to 10 batches per day.
-
That's 2,000 eggs.
-
Egg bhurji is India's take on spicy scrambled eggs.
-
It's a specialty of the Indian state of Maharashtra.
-
We visited Pav Bhaji and Bhurji Center in Mumbai
-
to find out how this dish is made
-
and see just what it takes to make such big batches.
-
It begins by finely dicing tomatoes, onions, and cilantro.
-
For a daily portion of egg bhurji,
-
this stall uses and chops
-
approximately 88 to 110 pounds of tomatoes,
-
66 to 88 pounds of onions,
-
and 10 to 15 bunches of cilantro.
-
Next, oil is added to a tava, or griddle,
-
followed by a mountain of chopped onions,
-
which are fried for a few minutes
-
before green chilies and tomatoes are added.
-
Narrator: Next, a medley of spices is added.
-
The vegetables are cooked and smashed using a masher
-
until the tomatoes and onions melt
-
and form a thick emulsion of all the flavors.
-
Once the tomato-onion emulsion is nearly cooked through,
-
each egg is slowly cracked by hand in the center
-
and added onto the heat.
-
The eggs are scrambled with a spatula,
-
and the outer layer of the tomato-onion emulsion
-
is slowly incorporated.
-
Next, the fully cooked egg bhurji
-
is pushed to the perimeter.
-
In the center of the tava, butter is melted,
-
followed by finely chopped green chilies
-
and large spoonfuls of multiple spices.
-
This process is called tadka,
-
a common Indian cooking technique
-
that allows for the tempering of whole or ground spices
-
in oil, butter, or ghee.
-
This process enhances the flavor and aroma
-
and creates a richly spiced dish.
-
The final dish is garnished with cilantro
-
and portioned into plates for each customer to enjoy.
-
It is served with a buttered, toasted piece of pav
-
and an onion-tomato salad.
-
If the spice is too much to handle,
-
you can request a side of yogurt.
-
Unlike scrambled eggs,
-
egg bhurji isn't limited to breakfast.
-
It can be eaten throughout the day.
-
In fact, this stall attracts its largest crowds
-
between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m.
-
Narrator: A single batch with 200 eggs
-
takes three hours to make, from chopping the vegetables,
-
cracking all the eggs, and frying
-
to serving the final dish.
-
A single batch is sold within one hour,
-
feeding 60 to 70 people.
-
Mohammad Nasir is an expert at making the dish.
-
His street stall is now famous in Mumbai.
-
Pav Bhaji and Bhurji Center
-
has been attracting crowds for over 10 years.
-
About 500 people visit a day
-
to watch vendors make this high-volume dish.