The supermarket shelves are far from plentiful right now, and our weekly big shops have been stripped back to basics. That's why we've started a new series, Simple Recipes from Top Chefs, where we're going to be regularly providing you with... simple recipes from top chefs.

In this instalment, Will Bowlby – head chef and co-owner of Kricket – walks us through his egg bhurji with berkswell & shallots. Check out his cookbooks here, and support Hospitality Action here.

INGREDIENTS

12 local, large free-range brown eggs
1 large red onion, finely chopped
3 green chillies, finely chopped
1 bunch of fresh coriander, finely chopped
200g (7oz/scant 1 cup) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 handful of fresh curry leaves
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 slices of sourdough bread
12 slices of lardo
400g (14 oz) Berkswell cheese, finely grated
Sea salt, to taste
Micro coriander to garnish (optional)

For the pickled shallots:

500g (1 lb 2 oz) banana shallots, thinly sliced into rings
200ml (7 fl oz/scant 1 cup) pickling liquor

Note: This recipe makes more pickled shallots than required for 4 people, but it is well-worth making up a batch for you to use as you like. Just store in a sterilised jar and keep in the fridge. It will keep for a few months.

Dish, Food, Cuisine, Ingredient, Bruschetta, Finger food, Recipe, Baked goods, Produce, Hors d'oeuvre,
Hugh Johnson

"The dish was created almost by accident after we started making staff breakfast meals in our Soho restaurant. The first time I ate Indian scrambled eggs (or ‘egg bhurji’ in Mumbai) I remember thinking how superior it was to how we eat them at home – I found the Indian spices far more exciting. I have created my own version for you to try, but have stuck to the traditional way of preparing the eggs, using lots of butter, and cooking over a low heat, to retain the melt-in-the-mouth texture. With the lardo (cured pig fat), melting over the hot eggs, topped with salty Berkswell sheep’s cheese and sweet and sour shallots, this is the perfect balance of flavours. If you can’t get Berkswell, you can use parmesan, pecorino, aged cheddar, comté or gruyère. Leave out the lardo if you’re vegetarian – the result is still delicious."

METHOD

  1. To make the pickled shallots, steep the shallots in the pickling liquor for 1-2 hours at room temperature, then keep in the refrigerator until needed.
  2. Whisk the eggs in a bowl with the red onion, green chillies and coriander.
  3. Reserve a little of the butter for the toast and melt the remainder gently in a frying pan (skillet). Add the cumin seeds, curry leaves and turmeric and cook over a medium heat for 30 seconds or so, stirring, until the spices are fragrant.
  4. Add the egg mixture, reduce the heat and cook very gently, stirring continuously with a spatula or a wooden spoon, for about 3-4 minutes until the eggs are just cooked but still soft. Season to taste with salt and remove from the heat.
  5. Toast the sourdough bread and spread with the reserved butter. Spoon the egg mixture on the toast, top with a slice of lardo, a sprinkle of grated cheese, a few slices of the pickled shallots and garnish with micro coriander leaves (if using)

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