Punjabi singer, actor Diljit Dosanjh is a man of many talents. With some of last decade’s biggest chartbusters under his belt, Diljit ventured out as an actor in Punjabi film industry and made a name for himself there as well. He made his Bollywood debut with ‘Udta Punjab’ in the year 2016, and bagged a Filmfare award too for his part. After a long time, Diljit is back on stage, with multiple concerts planned across globe, Diljit, the singer is ready to enthrall his fans with his booming voice. If you happen to follow Diljit on Instagram, you are also probably privy to one of his other talents too. Diljit is an excellent cook, from paneer curries to cakes, he cooks them all with his signature, witty Punjabi commentary that almost always has us in splits.
On Saturday night, we got a sneak peek into ‘Diljit’s kitchen’ yet again. And this time, he was cooking the popular middle-eastern dish Shakshouka. He posted a video on his Instagram stories. “After a long time, Shakshouka”, Diljit can be heard saying in the background. “Look at this beauty, I need my spoon right now, look at this beauty”, he added. And then he said in Punjabi, “God knows how did I become such a good chef”.
For the uninitiated, Shakshouka is the same poached egg dish that became a rage in the first lockdown. The Maghrebi dish, is also known by various other names such as ‘shakshuka’ or ‘chakchouka’. Here, eggs are poached in a sauce of tomatoes, olive oil, peppers, onion and garlic. The dish is commonly spiced with cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper.
While the origin of the dish is often debated, it is said that Shakshouka originated in Ottoman North Africa in the mid-16th century after the region was introduced to tomatoes by Hernan Cortés as part of the Columbian exchange. Tomatoes became quite a rage, and dishes like shakshouka became everyday staples.
The word ‘Shakshouka’ is a Maghrebi Arabic term for "a mixture". Like the terms of many Maghrebi dishes, the term is said to be derived from the language of the Amazigh (or Berber), which was the local language spoken by the indigenous population. In the Western Maghreb, however, the dish is referred to as bīd wu matiša which simply means egg and tomatoes.
If you are making Shakshouka at home, here are some tips you may want to keep in mind. In a large pan, heat oil and saute onions, garlic, capsicum. Make sure you cook it until the soften. Then add diced tomatoes and ketchup, cook for another 5 minutes, add all spices and seasonings after this point. Then crack the eggs in the pan, one at a time over the mixture. Cover the pan, allow to cook. Cook until the sauce is done, make sure it does not burn or reduce in quantity. Garnish with coriander and serve hot.