Omlet-e Gojeh Farangi
املت گوجه فرنگی·(om-let-eh go-jeh fah-ran-gee)
The Iranian-American Pantry & Prep (Setting the Sofreh)
Forget the delicate, pale French envelope. In Iran, an omelet is a vibrant, bubbling, crimson skillet of aggressively savory tomatoes, deeply caramelized onions, and eggs softly scrambled straight into the sauce. This recipe captures the exact aroma of a late weekend morning in an Iranian household, bridging the comforting home-style version with the umami-bomb bazaar tea-house technique. It demands only one thing: the patience to let the tomatoes cook down until every drop of water evaporates before the eggs hit the pan.
Ingredients
- neutral oil2 tbsp
- unsalted butter2 tbsp
- yellow onion1 small
- ground turmeric1 tsp
- tomato paste1 tbsp
- ripe tomatoes1 lb
- eggs4 large
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- black pepper1/4 tsp
Method
- 01
Heat the oil and butter in a medium skillet until foaming, then sauté the onion until golden brown.
Use a stainless steel or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Sautéing the finely diced onion until soft and translucent takes about 6 to 8 minutes.
- 02
Bloom the turmeric for thirty seconds before frying the tomato paste.
Sprinkle the turmeric directly over the onions. Add the tomato paste to the center of the pan and fry for a minute or two to cook out the raw, canned flavor and dye the oil a brilliant red.
- 03
Stir in the tomatoes, salt, and pepper, and cook until all the water completely evaporates.
Turn the heat to medium-high and do not rush this step. It takes 7 to 10 minutes for the mixture to thicken into a jammy paste where the wet boiling sound shifts to a sharp crackle and the red oil separates. If the tomatoes are still watery when the eggs hit the pan, they will boil instead of fry, resulting in an unpleasant sulfurous odor.
- 04
Pour the lightly beaten eggs evenly over the concentrated tomato mixture and lower the heat to medium-low.
Let the eggs sit undisturbed for up to a minute so the whites barely set at the edges.
- 05
Gently fold and scramble the eggs into the sauce until just cooked through.
Stir gently for 2 to 3 minutes until the eggs are soft and luxurious, taking on a vibrant orange-pink hue. Remove from heat immediately so they do not overcook.
Notes
Serve straight from the skillet.
Tear off pieces of warm flatbread like sangak or barbari, and serve alongside fresh herbs like sweet basil and mint, plus raw white onion wedges for the ultimate tea-house experience.
From Cook Persian in America.