Thokku! The first time I heard this word was in middle school and it was an instant love. Finely grated raw mango cooked into a fine paste with spices and herbs, to create something far more delicious than a pickle – if that was even possible!
I spread it on toast, added some grated cheese, warmed it ever so slightly and the perfect homework snack was ready!
Thokku in Tamil means a mashed, mixed, seasoned food that is eaten as an accompaniment to a meal. The interesting thing is that the thokku I first ate was pretty close to a mango pickle but this mode of preparation covers all kinds of ingredients ranging from tomatoes, onions, and lentils, to my absolute favourite - the egg thokku, which I discovered thanks to a blog post by digital creator Shivangi Dubey on her Instagram account @cookwithshivangi_.
The beauty of thokku? It's a flavour chameleon! Need a dinner that's faster than your internet connection? Enter egg thokku! This dish is your new weeknight BFF, ready in a record-breaking 20 minutes. It's basically thokku's deliciousness meeting perfectly cooked eggs in one pan.
Did you know thokku has a cousin from the Middle East called Shakshouka? It's like a flavour handshake across continents!
As per Britannica.com, the word shakshouka comes from Moroccan Arabic dialect and means, “mixed”.
A dish with disputed origins that vary from Turkey and Yemen to Morocco, it is a breakfast staple in most homes in the region, with variations.
At its heart is a tomato sauce made with bell peppers, onions, garlic, chilli, and some spices. This forms the base for eggs slowly poached in it. You break them up and mix into the sauce to scoop it up for a perfect tangy bite – exactly like an egg thokku.
So, ditch the flavour boredom and dive into the world of thokku! It's a taste adventure waiting to happen.
P.S: Anyone even remotely familiar with my food articles will know my liking for all things culinary from Korea, so, of course, the thokku recipe has a bit of Seoul in it too.
Gochujang Egg Thokku Recipe
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 to 5 Eggs
5 Pods of garlic
3 tbsp Coriander leaves chopped
1 Sprig of curry leaves
2 Datterino tomatoes, chopped (it makes all the difference, you can increase if you like the tang of tomatoes)
1 Large white Spanish onion, minced
1 tsp Gochujang chilli paste (substitute with Kashmiri chilli powder)
½ tsp Black pepper
½ tsp Fennel seeds (dry roast them for 20 seconds)
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Whole mustard seeds
2 to 3 tbsp Olive oil
½ tsp salt (check seasoning at the end to add more, if needed)
Method
1. Make a thick paste of the tomatoes, salt, garlic, black pepper, cumin, fennel, and chilli paste, using a blender. Set aside.
2. In a cast iron pan, warm the olive oil; add the mustard seeds over a medium flame. Let it start to crackle. Once that happens, add the onions, sauté until golden. Add the curry leaves. Add the tomato paste, along with about a quarter cup of hot water. Let it cook well, until it thickens.
3. Lower the intensity of the flame, crack the eggs in carefully. Slowly cover them with the tomato sauce a bit, so they poach gently. Cover and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes. It will be done.
4. Break up the eggs and mix well with the sauce. Garnish with coriander leaves, serve hot.
