Recipe of the Month - February
It's February, and you think it should be getting warmer but it never is. And you think you should have spring foods, but nothing is growing yet. It's still potatoes and eggs and heartier winter fare, 'cause it's cold! This is lightened up with lots of cilantro and chili and is the sort of thing you could eat for brunch or supper or midnight snack.
Cyrus Todiwahla, chef owner of London's Cafe Spice Namaste recently made it for me. It is his version of a Parsee Indian dish, and this is my version of his version. "We Parsees love eggs and we also could not live without potatoes," he cried. "I could not live without potatoes," he continued. And then, "See that woman over there," pointing to his wife, "she could not live without potatoes!"
Papeta Pur Eeda
Parsee Spiced Potatoes Topped with Eggs
- 2–3 tablespoons vegetable oil, or combination oil and butter (I often use olive oil, a trend amongst chic modern Indians)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 very large baking potatoes or 3 medium ones, 4 small to medium ones, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick, then blanched
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 to 1 mildish green chili, chopped
- 3–5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- 3 to 5 tablespoons chopped cilantro, or to taste
- Salt to taste
- 4 eggs
- 1 green onion, thinly sliced
Heat a tablespoon or so of the oil then add the cumin seeds and sizzle them in the hot oil for a few seconds. Push to one side and add the onion, letting that cook until a bit softened, a few minutes, then add the chili, garlic, and remaining oil/butter. Cook overly for about 4 minutes, tossing once or twice, then season with salt.
Add enough water to just below the level of the potatoes, etc., cover the pan, and on a low heat cook until the potatoes are just tender but firm enough not to get mushy, 5 to 10 minutes.
Sprinkle half the cilantro in, turn the potatoes around in it, then using a whole egg make indentations in four locations where you will then open each egg and plop right in.
Crack open the eggs, each one into one of the indentations. If you are very hungry, have two eggs.
Cover the pan and let the eggs cook in the steam of the simmering potatoes. Cook until the whites are opaque and firmish, the yolks are still soft but perhaps very lightly veiled.
Sprinkle with the rest of the cilantro and the green onion, and cut into four portions, each one with an egg.
Serve with fresh chutney and Tabasco or other vinegar based hot sauce. I like the vinegar sourness of Tabasco and recommend serving both a fresh chutney such as mint chutney, and a few shakes of ol' faithful Tabasco. For a fresh chutney, simply whirl or crush a few cloves of garlic with fresh ginger and chili to taste; season with salt, pinch of sugar, pinch of ground cumin, jolt of lime juice, then add a handful of fresh mint and cilantro. Serve right away.
© Marlena Spieler 2004