A Recipe for Baked Eggs with Tadka Greens
From Nik Sharma's "Veg-Table"
**Just as a heads up: some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you decide to purchase the amazing books, ingredients, etc. through them. Thank you ever so much in advance for your support of this newsletter ❤️
Happy Thursday, everybody!
Another recipe from Nik Sharma’s “Veg-Table” is coming your way. Today, I’m sharing this one for baked eggs with tadka greens from the book’s beets, chard, and spinach chapter. It’s a great plant-forward dish that’s full of protein, and perfect for weekend brunch.
Tadka (you may also know it as chhonk) is a flavor-building technique used in Indian cooking. Spices and other aromatic ingredients like garlic or curry leaves are dropped into a small amount of hot fat with a high smoke point to create an incredibly flavorful oil—which you can then use to finish off any dish. When it comes to making a tadka, however, the spices can easily burn and turn bitter if you’re not careful. Nik recommends removing the hot oil from the burner and then adding the spices, or cooking them for only 30 to 45 seconds. You can test whether or not the oil is hot enough by dropping in a mustard seed or two; if they start to sizzle and pop, you’re ready to go.
Serve with some warm bread and a side of tomato chutney.
Hope you enjoy! See you all again at our regularly scheduled time next Wednesday.
Serves 4
1 tablespoon ghee or extra-virgin olive oil
2 large leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes such as Aleppo, Maras, or Urfa
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 large bunch (about 1 pound) chard leaves and stems, shredded
1 (14-ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon fresh lemon or lime juice
Fine sea salt
4 large eggs
For the tadka
2 tablespoons ghee or extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon whole caraway seeds
1 teaspoon whole black or brown mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a large cast-iron or other oven-safe skillet over medium heat, melt the ghee. Add the leeks and sauté until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, pepper flakes, and black pepper. Sauté until fragrant, 30 to 45 seconds. Add the chard leaves and stems, and sauté until the leaves start to wilt and the stems become tender, 5 to 6 minutes.
Remove from the heat and fold in the pinto beans and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt. Using a spoon or spatula, make four wells in the skillet. Crack and drop one egg into each well. Place the skillet in the oven and bake until the egg whites become opaque and the yolks are still runny, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the oven.
While the eggs cook, prepare the tadka. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the ghee. When hot, add the caraway seeds, mustard seeds, and ground coriander. Swirl gently until the seeds stop sputtering and turn a light golden brown, 30 to 45 seconds. Remove from the heat and add the paprika.
Ladle the hot oil with the spices over the eggs and greens and serve immediately. This is best eaten within an hour of making; leftovers can be stored for up to 1 day in the refrigerator, but keep in mind that runny eggs won’t reheat well.
Recipe adapted from “Veg-Table: Recipes, Techniques + Plant Science for Big Flavored, Vegetable-Focused Meals” by Nik Sharma. Copyright © 2023. Used with permission of Chronicle Books. All rights reserved.