Looking for egg recipes? Then try the mutta kalakki, which is a popular Tamil Nadu street-food egg dish where a whole egg is beaten with spices and often a spoon of kurma or meat gravy, then cooked under a minute on a very hot pan so the exterior sets and the centre stays soft and slightly runny. ‘Mutta’ refers to egg and ‘kalakki’ is a Tamil word that means ‘to mix’, referring to how the egg, chilli, pepper, salt, onions, and gravy are quickly whisked before cooking. The cooking technique here is high-heat flash cooking and one needs to be deft in movements. The mixture is poured onto a hot skillet with oil and immediately continuously folded or gathered in the centre so it cooks outside but remains velvety and creamy inside. It is typically eaten on its own, served with ground pepper and coriander as a garnish. Many Tamil Nadu roadside stalls also serve mutta kalakki with parotta, which tends to be flaky, and salna, which is usually a spicy gravy, and a favorite pairing. Add eggs as a side and you have a protein-rich meal that is perfect as a midday snack or a filling late-night meal. Its popularity comes from its dramatically fast cooking style, smoky aroma thanks to being cooked in a skillet, and the rich, peppery flavour that makes it comforting yet intensely flavourful.