Sunday, March 27, 2005

EoMEoTE#5: Pateta-par-Eeda

I first stumbled upon the End of Month Egg on Toast Extravaganza ( whew...that's a mouthful) a few days ago while reading a post on Who wants seconds and was quite sad that I missed the first 4 eggstravaganzas! Well, I'm not missing this one, being hosted by Johanna, the Passionate Cook and I decided to make my favorite brunch recipe.

It is a Parsee recipe called Pateta par Eeda. "Pateta" as in potato, "Eeda" as in eggs and "par" as in "upon which" (approximately). So it is basically eggs on top of potatoes.

The Parsees are a small but vibrant community that fled from Persia and settled in India several centuries ago. They are followers of Zoroasterianism and worshippers of fire. Their tiny community is astonishingly successful and much-admired for its philanthropic spirit. Parsee food is rich in meats and eggs and represents an amalgamation of Persian and South-Asian cooking styles. One of the favorite Parsee styles of breakfast foods includes pan-frying a variety of vegetables (leftovers work fine), pressing them down in the pan, then making wells and cracking eggs into it for a quick brunch dish. This one is my absolute favorite.

Pateta Par Eeda


pateta1
For 2 hungry souls, you need...

Ingredients:
3-4 eggs
3 medium-large potatoes, shredded (by hand or using a food processor)
1 small onion
1/2 tsp minced ginger
1/2 tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp minced cilantro
pinch of turmeric
pinch of chili powder
1 tbsp vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Heat oil in a non-stick skillet and fry the onions, ginger and garlic till lightly browned.
2. Season with salt and pepper, turmeric and chili powder if using.
3. Press any excess water out of the shredded potatoes and add them to the pan.
4. Add the cilantro and toss everything together and pat it down in the pan. Cook on medium heat till the potato cake is browned at the bottom.
5. Flip it over (easily done by flipping first onto a plate, then slide into pan). Break the eggs over the potato cake and season them.
6. Cover and cook till the eggs are set the way you like them and the bottom gets browned and crispy.

This breakfast casserole looks and smells so good! The straw potato cake is delicious...it is like serving eggs and hash browns all at once. You can serve it in wedges and enjoy it just like it is, or serve it with toast and offer ketchup on the side.


pateta2

Variations- 

  1. Beat the eggs lightly and pour them on the potatoes instead of cracking whole eggs. This is for people who don't care for the taste of yolks. 
  2. Garnish with cilantro instead of adding cilantro to the base. This results in pretty green flecks. 
  3. Sprinkle with cheese for added flavor.
  4. Sprinkle with paprika for a pretty touch of red.
  5. Cut the pateta par eeda into wedges or squares to serve as an appetizer. 

17 comments:

  1. Fried eggs over potato rosti, is what it is :-) Hi, yours is the second Indian food blog I've seen that's really good. I've added your blog to my favourite links... partly so that others can have a dekko too, but mainly so that I can have quick access to your blog. Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love recipes like this, but I love the history behind yours even more!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Nupur,

    Love the recipe and the blog! Will keep visiting.

    Love,
    Tan
    http://tancancook.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I loved the recipes and the preceding titbits u write ..
    added the blog in my fav.
    Mon

    ReplyDelete
  5. HI Nupur,

    Assal marathi menu net ver pahoon khup bara watala.
    i will sure forward this link to my many netfriends.
    And keep increasing ur Zakkas recipes again and again.

    Anwar Mulani
    an_km@rediffmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dear Nupur,

    I must commend you for your writing style, Keep up your good work. I always read your blog no matter how busy I am and this parsee dish looks really tasty, I must try it!!!

    Cheers
    Smitha

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh yes, this is my kind of food. Gotta give this one a try.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I tried this last weekend for breakfast. Both me and my husband loved it. Next egg biryani is on the plan. Thanks for the wonderful recipes that you keep posting.

    ReplyDelete
  9. hi.....i love your recipes....this recipe is actually what parsis call "sali par eeda".

    Pateta par eeda is made with round flat sliced or very finely diced potatoes. Just an important visual detail to the recipe.

    Salli par eeda is the correct name for the parsi recipe made with shredded potato.

    An easier version is made by using ready potato salli available as
    "potato shoestrings" in the supermarket.
    All you need to do is add salli at the point when you add shredded potato, add water to soften it and cook till done. Continue the rest of the recipe as directed.

    ReplyDelete
  10. sounds yummy!!! will try it ASAP!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Nupur,

    I tried this recipe today and the taste was amazing..:D will post mine tomorrow for this month's MBP.

    Thanks for sharing such a lovely recipe!

    Siri

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hey Nupur,
    I am a bachelor living in PA. I have found your blog very helpful in my sole cooking expeditions.
    This recipe looks very delicious plus easy. If u have time can u please clear a doubt. Do we need to boil potatos, before grating it?
    - Manish

    ReplyDelete
  13. Manish, it is nice to hear from you. This recipe is quite filling and one of my very favorites.
    No, you do not have to boil potatoes before grating...they are grated when raw and cooked in the pan itself. They are spread in quite a thin layer in the pan while cooking, so they cook pretty fast and form a cripsy golden layer. If at all you find that the bottom layer is browning too much before the potatoes are cooked, cover the pan for a few minutes and they will cook faster. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hey Nupur..
    It is Manish. I tried it yesterday and totally loved it. It was crispy.
    Thanks again for this wonderful recipe. It is going to be a regular in my kitchen..
    Have a great day.
    - Manish

    ReplyDelete
  15. Tried it out ourselves! Was fun and tasty!

    Made it for dinner instead! Really enjoyed it!

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Nupur,

    We tried this for a light dinner! We loved it so much that hubby wants it again this week..
    Thanks for such a lovely recipe..

    ReplyDelete
  17. I learnt this recipe from my sister-in-law just 2 weeks back and i tried it last nite...came out great...i added sauteed spinach and mushrooms to make it heartier and more filling...i like the idea of shredding the potatoes though..i used wedges, but i think it becomes too potatoeeyy(if that's a word :)))

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for leaving a comment- I try to respond to every single one.