The immense love for eggs in Parsi culture is quite evident through their plethora of egg recipes that are prepared for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The nutritional value of eggs is well-known to all of us and we’re also very familiar with the famous jingle, “Sunday ho ya Monday roz khao ande”. Seems like it was the Parsis who took it very seriously. Their idea of sprucing up a dish to make it taste better is to an add an egg to it. These Parsis are the descendants of the Persian Zoroastrians who settled in India many years ago. They fled their own country due to unruly dictatorship and religious unrest by the Muslims in Persia.
Today, you’ll find Parsis spread across the country, with a lot of them settled in Mumbai. That’s the reason you would find a host of Parsi cafes and restaurants popping up on the streets of Colaba in South Mumbai. The Parsi community is a food-loving community that has a close connection with carbs and meats. Their meals are incomplete without a bheja fry or a meat-intensive dish. No wonder they eat meat for breakfast too. The famous akuri that is cooked for morning meals in Parsi households actually has a meatier cousin too.
The Akuri and It’s Meaty Cousin
For those untouched by the phenomenon, akuri is a dish made of scrambled eggs, seasoned with green chillies, garlic, kothimbir, tomatoes and more. This simple preparation might sound very ordinary to you at first but one bite in and you’ll know why it is so special. The ultra-creamy texture of these Parsi-style scrambled eggs is what highlights the USP of the dish.
The same akuri has undergone experimentation and alterations to bring out the best of flavours. There’s something called Bharoochi Akuri which is a rich eggs preparation, filled with almonds and raisins. Then, for the extra meat lovers, they’ve got Boti Ni Akuri. Boti usually refers to meat. This akuri adds a meaty touch to the entire plate.
This is a lesser-known style of making eggs, wherein the scrambled eggs are mixed with mutton and made into a wholesome dish. For making boti ni akuri, the eggs are scrambled with spices and then boneless mutton is added to it. It is flavoured with dhansak masala, turmeric and salt. The rich, buttery eggs are mixed well with the boneless mutton and eaten with pav.
If you haven’t tried it yet, here’s a Boti ni Akuri recipe that you are going to love.