Khageena

An associate from my former university who is currently working on his PhD thesis on Pakistan asked me if I could share a simple and basic recipe from Pakistani kitchen that he could try. As I sat and thought about it, it took me a while to come up with it. This was the first thing I learnt to cook as a 13 year old. Nothing fancy!  Just the Pakistani version of spiced scrambled eggs that is eaten with homemade chappati or toasted bread. It’s called Khageena. 

Ammi would cook this for a quick lunch or dinner when her fridge would be empty of the groceries or we had just returned from a long journey. It takes about 15 mins to prepare and is delicious. This one is for you Captain Kirk.

Ingredients:

Eggs – 4

Oil – 3 Tbsp

Onions – 1 Large (finally chopped)

Potato – 1 small or ½ medium sized (finally chopped in small pieces)

Tomatoes – 2 Medium (finally chopped)

Green Chilies – 2 medium

Cumin – ½ tsp

Salt – ½ tsp (adjust as per taste)

Chili powder – ½ tsp

Cumin Powder – ½ tsp

Fresh Coriander for garnish (chopped) – a handful

Method:

1. Break the eggs in a bowl and beat them lightly. Keep aside.
2. In a frying pan heat the oil and add chopped onions and potatoes. Fry for 7-8 mins till the onions are translucent and potatoes are almost done.  
3. Add Cumin and tomatoes. Be careful as the tomatoes will splash. Add around ¼ cup of water to it. This will help the tomatoes to breakdown. .
4. Add green chilies, salt, chili powder and cumin powder to the mixture and wait for the water to dry.
5. As soon as the water is gone, add eggs and mix. Cook the eggs and keep mixing till the eggs are done and the mixture resembles minced meat.
6. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Remove from the heat and serve with roti or bread.