Abrashum means silk, and this is a sweet omelette made so that it seems spun from silken threads. The cook dips a spread hand into beaten egg and flicks it in fine strings across hot oil, again and again, until the surface is covered in a golden mesh, then rolls it up loosely on two skewers, soaks it in warm cardamom syrup and scatters it with ground pistachio. It is an old dish, made for weddings and other festive days, and the method varies from family to family. It takes a little practice, so do not judge yourself on the first one. Serve it cold, with tea.
Zone: Silk Road Table
INGREDIENTS
- 5 eggs
- 200 g sugar
- 275 ml water
- ½ tsp ground green cardamom seeds (plus more to finish)
- pinch of saffron (optional)
- 275-425 ml vegetable oil (for frying)
- 25 g ground pistachios
METHOD
- Whisk the eggs in a bowl until smooth but not frothy.
- Add the sugar to the water in a pan and bring to the boil, letting the sugar dissolve. Boil for about 5 minutes until syrupy, then add the cardamom and saffron, if using. Keep warm over a low heat.
- Heat the oil in a large, deep frying pan until hot.
- Dip your hand well into the egg so it is coated. With fingers spread, palm down, scoop up some egg and flick it rapidly across the hot oil in fine strings, building a mesh of threads. Repeat until the surface of the oil is covered with a fine net of egg. Work as fast as you can; the egg colours quickly.
- Loosen the edges of the mesh with a skewer. Starting at one edge, hold one skewer on top of the threads and another underneath, lift them from the oil and turn the skewers to roll the threads loosely into a roll about 2.5cm across.
- Slide the roll off the skewers onto a dish. Spoon over 2 to 3 tbsp of the warm syrup and sprinkle with ground pistachio, and more cardamom if you like.
- Repeat until all the egg is used. Serve cold with tea, each kebab cut into two or three pieces. They keep in the fridge for several days.
NOTES
UK adaptation: Free-range eggs, at room temperature. Saffron from any supermarket. A wide, deep frying pan and two long metal skewers. If you would rather keep your hand away from the hot oil, dip a balloon whisk in the egg and shake it over the pan, or use a squeeze bottle with a fine nozzle. Everything else widely available.
US adaptation: Large eggs. Green cardamom from Patel Brothers or Kalustyan’s. A squeeze bottle or whisk as above. Everything else widely available.
Cook’s note: Keep the eggs smooth, never frothy, and work fast. Air in the egg breaks the threads, and the finer and quicker you string it, the silkier the kebab.
Cook this differently? Share your family’s version — or tell us what we’re missing.
Contribute