Street food / North Indian · Recipe
Egg Bhurji — The 3-Egg Version That Actually Fills You Up
30g protein. Under 300 calories. Ready in 7 minutes. The Indian scrambled eggs recipe you actually want to eat every day.
Mumbai street bhurji is cooked in a pool of oil on a tawa so hot it browns the eggs before they're set. The home version doesn't need to go that far. Three eggs, the right spice sequence, and a very hot pan gets you something that tastes like the real thing — 30 grams of protein, done in under 10 minutes, with no specialty equipment.
295Calories
30gProtein
8gCarbs
17gFat
2gFibre
Ingredients
Main
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tsp oil
- 1/2 small onion, finely diced
- 1 medium tomato, finely chopped
- 1 green chilli, finely chopped
Spices
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/3 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- Salt to taste
Finish
- Fresh coriander leaves
- Lemon wedge
Method
- Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt just until the yolk and white combine — 15 seconds, no more. Over-beating makes the bhurji rubbery.
- Heat oil in a non-stick pan over high heat. Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 5 seconds.
- Add onion and cook for 90 seconds on high — you want some browning, not translucent. Add green chilli and cook 30 more seconds.
- Add tomato and all the spices. Cook on high for 2 minutes, pressing the tomato down with the spatula, until it looks semi-dry. This is the most important step — wet tomato makes bhurji watery and bland.
- Reduce to medium. Pour in the eggs. Do not stir immediately. Wait 20 seconds for the bottom to just set, then fold — not scramble — with a spatula, pulling the cooked edges inward.
- Take off the heat while the eggs are still slightly underdone. The residual heat will finish them. Over-cooked bhurji is dry bhurji.
- Top with fresh coriander. Eat immediately with 2 toasted multigrain bread slices or 1 roti.
Pro tips
- The difference between great bhurji and average bhurji is a very hot pan and tomatoes that are cooked all the way down before the eggs go in.
- If you like the street-food char, use a cast iron or carbon steel pan and let the eggs catch very slightly on the bottom before you fold.
- For a richer version, replace 1 whole egg with 2 egg whites — keeps protein the same, drops fat and calories.
Variations
Paneer bhurji: Replace 1 egg with 50g crumbled paneer. Add after the tomatoes are cooked down. Different texture, similar protein.
South Indian: Add 1/4 tsp mustard seeds before the cumin, and curry leaves with the chilli. Top with grated coconut. Changes the flavour entirely.
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