Wild Thistle Kitchen: Afghan Scrambled Eggs with Naan

Afghan Scrambled Eggs with Afghan Naan

(Khagina with Noni Afghani)

It doesn’t get much better than these spicy, fragrant scrambled eggs served alongside fresh, warm flatbread. My favorite recipes are the ones that take a few humble, familiar ingredients and combine them in a way that makes them new and exotic — which is exactly what this recipe does. Inspired by a very traditional, very delicious Afghan dish that was served to me when I was visiting my father in Afghanistan many years ago, Afghan Scrambled Eggs with Afghan Naan is a dish I have never forgotten and I hope you’ll love as much as I do.

Afghan Scrambled Eggs, “Khagina,” and Afghan Naan or Flatbread, “Noni Afghani,” come together in this delicious anytime-of-day meal. Equally as delicious for breakfast as it is for dinner, this meal is truly something special and I was lucky enough to have it prepared for me by one of my dad’s Afghan friends in Afghanistan — so, while I might not be an authority on Afghan culture and cuisine, I’d like to think I’m a bit of an authority on this dish.

Ancient History

I was lucky enough to travel to Afghanistan a few times when my dad lived there over the course of about 10 years. He lived in a house in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. It was a two-story home with a pretty little yard filled with rose bushes, fruit and nut trees, grape vines and a thick, stone wall surrounding the property. The rooftop of the house was open and my dad’s bedroom opened onto it. We’d sit up there in the evenings and listen to the calls to prayer, watch the sunsets, the kites flying in the distance. I have such fond memories of the time we spent in that beautiful, ancient city and I realize what an incredible gift it was for me to experience it with him.

Afghan Eggs

My dad’s friend made us these eggs one morning. He chopped, sautéed, scrambled and served them up with some fresh-from-the-local-bakery Noni Afghani – Afghan Naan. When he handed us our plates, I excitedly asked him what the dish was called. He kind of laughed and said “Afghan eggs” (like, duh…) I thought he was poking fun at me a little bit, but not until recently did I realize he was actually being serious and that the dish he made is quite a common, traditional Afghan dish called Khagina.

What Goes Into Afghan Scrambled Eggs?

1. Eggs
2. Fresh Tomato
3. Onion
4. Hot Chili Peppers
5. Cumin Seeds
6. Fresh Cilantro
7. Fresh Garlic
8. Salt

Bringing It All Together

The cumin seeds and chopped vegetables are sautéed in butter until softened and fragrant before the eggs are added to the pan for a low, slow scramble. Then, the creamy, intensely flavorful eggs are served straight from the pan with warm Afghan Naan – forks are optional.

Traveling Vicariously

We are all stuck at home right now, but that’s one of the glorious things about cooking. It can transport us to a specific time, place, memory — just like that. The aromas of these Afghan scrambled eggs take me right back to my dad’s Kabul kitchen every time I make them. If you aren’t up for making your own Afghan naan, feel free to use store-bought pita, lavash, or naan. Even some toasted flour tortillas will work in a pinch. I do encourage you to try it with the Afghan naan for the full experience though.

Afghan Naan is a pretty typical, yeasted flatbread. Traditionally, local Afghan bakers use huge, wood-fired tandoor ovens to bake the bread. This homemade version might not have that signature, wood-fired aroma, but it is still worth making fresh at home unless you are lucky enough to live near an Afghan bakery. What makes Afghan naan unique are the long indentations that are present in the finished flatbread. To achieve these indentations, wet fingers are pressed down the length of the dough, repeating across the entire surface. These indentations are how I remember the flatbread and how I wanted to create it at home.

Here is The Recipe I Used as a Reference

Saveur: Afghan Naan. I made a few small changes, but they deserve the credit.

Afghan Scrambled Eggs with Afghan Naan: Spicy, flavorful scrambled eggs served with fluffy homemade flat bread is the egg recipe you never knew you were missing but now you won’t be able to live without. (See notes for prep and cook times)

Ingredients

For the eggs:

• 6 eggs, cracked into a bowl and whisked until combined
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 tomato, seeded and chopped
• 1–2 serrano chiles, thinly sliced (more or less depending on your heat tolerance)
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro

For the Naan:

• 2 ½ cups lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

For full recipe and instructions go to Wild Thistle Kitchen’s site here.

tagsAfghan naanAfghan recipesAfghan Scrambled EggsAfghanistanBreakfast recipesKabul