Shakshouka meets crispy hash browns! This Parsi-Indian version of Shakshouka is serious comfort food with it’s soft poached eggs nestled in spicy tomato sauce, on a bed of crispy potato sticks. It makes one of the best breakfast/ brunch dish or an even better breakfast for dinner meal!
Shakshouka (or Shakshuka) is all the rage these days. Roughly translating to “all mixed up” in Arabic, Shakshouka originally came from North- African countries like Tunisia, but was widely adopted by Israeli cuisine. It is essentially a stove top dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, onions and peppers that packs a lot of flavor with it’s mix of middle eastern spices. Served with Pita or Challah to sop up the oozing egg yolk and spicy tomato goodness, this dish is serious comfort food and it transcends traditional mealtime boundaries. It something that can be enjoyed be it breakfast, brunch, dinner or any time in between.
Turkey has it’s own version of Shakshouka called ‘Menemen’ and it’s not to far off of the Latin American “Huevos ranceros’ breakfast dish. The Parsi community in India, who were originally from Persia/Iran have their own version of this dish called “Sali Par Edu/Eda” which literally translates to Eggs on (‘par Edu’) fried potato sticks (‘Sali’). It was probably adopted from their Israeli neighbors, as it closely resembles Shakshuka with one added bonus, it includes a bed of crispy poatato straws/sticks also known as shoestring potatoes.
In ‘Sali par edu’ sometimes the tomato mixture is mixed in with the crispy fried potato sticks, rather than layered and the eggs are beaten and poured over the whole mixture…creating a dish more akin to a frittata. However I have also seen the dish being made similarly to the shakshouka version when in little beds are created for the eggs to nestle in and they are poached until the white set up but the yolks are still runny. I prefer this way of making it as you get the runny yolks mixing in with the tomato sauce while maintaining the crispiness of the potatoes. It is the best combination of East meets West …shakshouka meats crispy hash browns. You can’t go wrong with it!
The Indian Parsi version of this dish uses Indian green chili peppers that are very similar to Thai birds eye chili peppers that I used here and they also use Indian spices like turmeric, coriander powder, red chili powder and garam masala. I have tried to simplify it to spices that are more readily available in the U.S and so I use smoked paprika instead of Indian red chili powder. Also the Parsi dish doesn’t usually include any cheese garnishes like those you see in today’s bedazzled versions of Shakshouka with feta or parmesan etc. But, if that what rocks your boat…by all means add some cheese. 
Here’s how you can make it…and as always if you try and like this recipe do let me know in the comments below. Also I would love to see your dishes on Instagram and Facebook so tag me @picturetherecipe (instagram) and share them on https://www.facebook.com/PictureTheRecipe/ or simple tag them with #picturetherecipe.
Sali Par Edu -Indian Style Shakshouka on Crispy Potato Sticks
Shakshouka meets crispy hash browns! This Parsi-Indian version of Shakshouka is serious comfort food with it’s soft poached eggs nestled in spicy tomato sauce, on a bed of crispy potato sticks. It makes one of the best breakfast/ brunch dish or an even better breakfast for dinner meal!
- 2 Tbsp Ghee/butter/oil
- 1/2 medium Onion (finely diced)
- 1 tsp Garlic (minced)
- 1 tsp Ginger (minced)
- 1 Thai Chilli Pepper (finely sliced)
- 4 medium Tomatoes (diced)
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Corriander Powder
- 1/4 tsp Garam Masala
- 1/2 Cup Fresh Cilantro (chopped)
- 1.5- 2 Cups Crispy Potato Straws
- 4 Eggs
- Salt (to taste)
- – To prepare the ingredients, finely dice/ mince the Onion, garlic, ginger, chili pepper, cilantro & Tomatoes
- – Heat a pan on medium high & melt a generous 2 tbsp of ghee or butter in the pan.
- – Add the diced onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes until, soft & translucent.
- Add the minced garlic, ginger and finely sliced thai chili pepper and sauté for another minute or so until fragrant.
- Add the diced tomatoes and then add the smoked paprika, coriander powder and garam masala. Season with salt to taste and mix everything well.
- – Let the sauce simmer on medium heat for 8-10 mins stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens but doesn’t entirely dry out.
- – Take the sauce out of the pan, and add the crispy potato sticks (also called shoestring potatoes) to the pan and spread them out in an even layer.
- – Return the tomato sauce to the pan on top of the crispy potato sticks and add the chopped cilanto to the mix.
- – Spread the sauce out in an even layer and then create 4 holes in the mix for the eggs to sit in.
- – Add the eggs in the holes you created in the mix, season with salt, cover the pan and let the eggs cook for 5-7 minutes or until the whites fully cook and the yolks are to your desired doneness.
- – Garnish with some fresh chopped cilantro and serve immediately with toast or crusty bread.