Great eggspectations

Shakshuka and its many variations have gone global. Could a Parsi dish be the Indian cousin that's been under our noses all along?

- VIR SANGHVI

Because I write about food every week, I should have heard of shakshuka much earlier. But the truth is that I became aware of the dish just over a decade ago. Even then, it wasn't because I came across it in some faraway North African location. I noticed it first in India, where it has suddenly become a menu standard, popping up all over the country and featuring on recipe shows.

The ubiquity of shakshuka was confirmed for me when Ranveer Brar featured a recipe in his web series, explaining how easy it is to cook. Ranveer is bilingual in his TV/video work but he included this recipe in a Hindi show, which surprised me a little.

It shouldn't have, because shakshuka is a rare international dish that has crossed the linguistic barrier. Just Google it and you'll find a multiplicity of recipes in Indian languages.

But first, if like me, you have come to the whole shakshuka boom a little late, here's what the dish is. At its simplest level, shakshuka consists of tomatoes and peppers cooked with onions in olive oil with cumin and mild chilli powder (say paprika). When the tomato-pepper mixture has thickened (like a pasta sauce) you break some eggs and (ideally) poach them in little indentations made in the sauce.