Gondo Datshi

Ingredients

• 4Eggwhisked
• 5¼ ozCheesesharp semi-hard cheese, grated or finely diced; part soft cheese possible
• 1 ozButterfor melting in the pan
• 1 tspChilli flakesdried, for heat
• 2 clovesGarlicfinely sliced, fried in butter
• 1Onionfinely diced or sliced
• 3 tbspMilkstirred into the eggs
• Saltto taste
• Black pepperfreshly ground
• 2 tbspSparkling watermakes the egg mixture fluffier (optional)
• 4Green chilislit lengthwise, braised until tender (optional)
• 1Tomatosliced, braised along (optional)
• 1 tbspOilalternative to butter for coating the pan (optional)

Method

1. Grate the cheese finely, crumble it, or cut it into small dice. If you like, mix in some soft cheese as well, which makes the finished eggs creamier.
2. Slice the garlic finely and dice the onion small, or cut it into thin slivers.
3. Whisk the eggs hard in a bowl until the yolks and whites are completely combined. Stir in the milk or cream along with the chilli flakes, salt and pepper. For a lighter, fluffier mixture, whisk in the sparkling water too.
4. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat — or simply coat the pan with vegetable oil instead. Fry the garlic and onion, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent and fragrant.
5. Pour in the egg mixture and add the cheese. Let it set over medium heat and resist the urge to stir too early.
6. Push the mixture from the edge towards the middle a few times, breaking it into rough curds, until the cheese has melted and the egg is just set but still moist — this takes only a few minutes.
7. Taste and adjust with salt and chilli, pull the pan off the heat and serve straight away, while the cheese is still soft.

Tips and variations

The order is yours to play with: you can scatter the cheese over the almost-set eggs and let it melt only briefly, or melt the cheese in the butter first and stir the eggs in afterwards. For the two-stage version, sweat onion, tomato slices, fresh chillies slit lengthwise and garlic in butter, add a little water and braise until tender, melt the cheese into it, then spoon that chilli-cheese mixture over separately cooked scrambled eggs. Rendered bacon cubes and parsley make it heartier; Parmesan, nutmeg and fresh basil instead of chilli and garlic make it milder. Best served on sturdy sourdough bread or with red rice.