Parsi Papeta Per Eedu (Potato Frittata)

Apr 12

There is a special tradition in Parsi homes, performed when a newborn grandchild or new partner-in-law visits our house for the first time. Over the years, I’ve watched my mom do this often as she greets the new addition to the family at the door, with a small tray in hand, containing one uncooked egg, raw rice grains, and a small glass of water. Bet you all are wondering what’s coming next!

Holding the egg in her hand, she waves it around the person’s head 7 times, then cracks the egg in one corner of the doorway (my role was to make sure there was a newspaper laid out to crack the egg on, for easy cleanup. As kids, we enjoyed this tradition immensely, especially if dad was standing around cracking jokes about how mom had used up his precious egg, which he planned to have for breakfast!

So you see, I was absolutely serious when I said, in this post, that the Parsis love adding eggs to everything and not just for eating purposes.

This brings me back to the topic of food. Well-beaten eggs spread over Indian-style vegetables (called Per Eedu which literally means ‘eggs over’) are a common Parsi delicacy, enjoyed with crusty or toasted bread, or Indian chapati. We have Per Eedu versions with potatoes, ground meat (kheemo) tomatoes, okra, spinach, fenugreek leaves, and a favorite of mine growing up, eggs on chips.

Potato and pea frittata is my take on the much-loved Parsi classic, Papeta Per Eedu (eggs over spicy potatoes). While traditionally, there are no peas in this dish, I like the green texture it adds and the shredded cheese gives added taste to this recipe. Though we generally serve Papeta Per Eedu as an entrée or side; it’s perfect for breakfast and brunch.