‘Ande ka funda’: A deep dive into the history and popularity of eggs in India; try this Devilled egg recipe too

Over the years, after visiting countless local kitchens and observing the culinary habits and traditions of different cultures, I’ve discovered the most unique historical and cultural influences on the choice of ingredients and dishes which are considered staples in India.

This column aims to share some of these discoveries and answer questions like: Is tea more British than Indian? Why do most communities not cook with yoghurt? Were tomatoes, onions, and eggs always eaten in India? Why does Bengal (how could I possibly keep Bengal out!) alone use paneer in desserts, and when did we even learn to make paneer?

Each week, I’ll touch on a different commonplace ingredient or dish––from eggs to tea, garam masalas to the difference between biryanis and pulaos––and share interesting trivia, historical facts, and a favorite recipe of mine.

I thought the perfect start to this series would be with an ingredient considered ideal for breakfast worldwide: the egg. While an egg a day might not keep the cholesterol away, it is a complete meal, packed with nutrients and protein. I personally am not a fan of eggs, but I remember being fascinated by savory desi-style French toast with chilis and coriander at my tutor’s home. My generation (when there was only one television channel) will recall the National Egg Coordination Committee’s campaign, “Sunday ho ya Monday, roz khao ande (Sunday or Monday, have egg every day).” Michael Phelps, who famously eats three fried eggs, might have listened to this. From sunny side up to Eggs Benedict, it’s hard to escape eggs in any city. In Bombay, where I went to college, you could buy Anda Pav––a masala omelette in a local bun––for Rs 5, to keep you charged throughout the day.

Of course, not everything is sunny when it comes to eggs, given the regularity with which state governments ban eggs from school mid-day meal schemes claiming eggs are non-vegetarian. This makes you wonder, were eggs always a staple in India? After all, we always had poultry in India, which meant a constant supply of eggs.

As recently as the mid-seventeenth century, eggs were not commonly eaten in Bengal, according to Father Sebastian Manrique, a Portuguese Augustinian missionary and traveller who travelled and lived in Asia from 1628–1643. In keeping with the taboo against eating eggs in Hindu India, geographer and traveller Al-Masudi in 716 AD noted “the prohibition of all kinds of eggs among the people.” As per the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra, Buddha permitted his followers to eat eggs, indicating their availability.

However, it seems that when Indians started consuming eggs, they embraced it wholeheartedly. The 16th-century Ain-i-Akbari mentions a minced meat dish with eggs called mussaman, a precursor to the Bohri Muslim baked minced meat topped with eggs. The Hyderabadi Nargisi Kofta uses similar ingredients, where a soft-boiled egg is covered in mince and deep-fried, and gets its name from its resemblance to the white and yellow Nargis (narcissus) flower when cut in half. Even an egg chop can be poetic.

In my research for my book, I came across two interesting egg-based desserts. One is the egg halwa (Ande Ka Halwa), a take on a custard, made by cooking eggs with ghee, milk, sugar, and dried fruits until a thick custard forms, then sprinkling it with saffron. The Moplahs of Kerala make “muttamala” which translates to “egg garland”. I first read of it in KT Achaya’s writing where he noted a chain-like string of egg yolks cooked in sugar syrup, and served with a white pudding––prepared by whipping up egg whites with remaining sugar syrup––and then allowed to set. This is then cut into diamond-shaped pieces. No wastage here.

One of my favourite egg preparations in India is the Eggs Kejriwal. It is named after a Marwari gentleman, Mr Kejriwal, who used to go to the Willingdon Club in Bombay, requesting this breakfast to die for. It has an egg, sunny-side-up, placed on a toast slathered with spicy green chutney and topped with sauteed mushrooms with chilis. The egg is sprinkled with grated Amul cheese. The dish became so popular with other members that the club put it on their menu and named it after the man. You can find it across multiple restaurants in India now.

Parsis love adding boiled eggs and fried eggs to everything from chicken preparations to potatoes. (Photo: Pixabay)

I’d be remiss to not mention the biggest admirers of egg in their cuisine – the Parsis. While there are many Parsi delicacies without egg, there are many more with eggs. Called “par eeda” translating to ‘topped by egg’, Parsis love adding boiled eggs and fried eggs to everything from chicken preparations to potatoes. Not to forget the Parsi spicy scrambled eggs, akuri. If you haven’t had it yet, you really should.

Bengal loves eggs. We have a preparation called the “Dimer Devil”, featuring a hard-boiled egg wrapped in spiced mashed potato, coated in breadcrumbs and then deep-fried. The Kabiraji cutlet has your meat of choice dipped into whipped up eggs and then fried, leaving the preparation looking like a bird’s nest. And then there’s the Mughlai Porotha, which has eggs cracked into a maida/flour paratha, folded, and deep fried. If the recipe has indeed come to us from the Mughals, it’s a miracle that Mughal rule didn’t come to an end earlier just because everyone died of heartburn and high cholesterol.

In this column, however, I’m presenting to you a healthier and quick alternative, an egg recipe with British influence: Devilled egg.

DEVILLED EGG RECIPE

*4 eggs
*2 teaspoons mustard sauce
*Tabasco
*Mayonnaise
*Paprika – a pinch
*Chopped coriander or parsley

Boil the eggs for five minutes and immediately plunge them in iced water. This will stop them from cooking. Alternatively, you can boil the eggs and cool them in a refrigerator.

After 10 minutes, once the eggs have cooled down, half them and scoop out the yolks.

Mash the yolks with the other ingredients (other than the coriander/parsley and paprika), and add salt to taste.

Either pipe the mashed yolks into the hollows of the egg or fill the hollows with a teaspoon.

Then, sprinkle some paprika and coriander/parsley leaves over the egg yolk mixture.

Refrigerate, and serve cold as a starter.

We’d love to hear from you on what you thought of the column or if you’d like me to write about any ingredient or preparation that piques your interest. You can interact with me on X @Rajyasree or mail us here.

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