Dim pauruti (Bengali french toast)

Ask most college students or office-goers and they will all have their own favourite kakur dokaner dim pauruti (uncle’s shop egg and bread). This is a popular morning street food that people from all walks of life eat. There are many variations of the history of this dish but as it is very similar to french toast, many say it dates to colonial times. Traditionally, milk bread is used, which has a sweet taste similar to brioche.

SERVES 2 AS A BRUNCH OR SNACK | PREP 10 MINS COOK 15 MINS | EASY | V

4 thick slices of brioche loaf

4 eggs

1/2 red onion, finely chopped handful of finely chopped coriander (including the stalks) 1 chilli, finely chopped

1/4 tsp grated ginger

2 tbsp whole milk

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp rapeseed oil tomato ketchup to serve

1 Toast the brioche slices until lightly brown on each side and set aside. Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk, then add all of the other ingredients, except the butter and oil, plus 1 tsp of salt.

2 Heat the butter and oil in a frying pan large enough to fit all the brioche slices in a single layer (although you can cook them individually if you prefer) over a medium heat for 1 min, then gently pour the egg mixture into the pan. Cook for 1 min, then put the brioche toasts on top of the egg mixture, making sure they don’t overlap. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 4 mins until the mixture has fully cooked through.

3 With a wooden spatula, cut the brioche omelette into quarters between each toast, if needed.

4 Serve two toasts on each plate with the cooked egg side facing up. Squeeze a bit of ketchup onto the side of the plate and enjoy.

PER SERVING 704 kcals | fat 34.3G saturates 18.4G | carbs 73.2G | sugars 18.4G fibre 3.3G | protein 24.2G | salt 4.2G