On the hunt for a delicious new brunch recipe? We have just the thing.

In her new book, Modern South Asian Kitchen, chef Sabrina Gidda borrows from her Punjabi heritage and her time spent working in European kitchens to bring us an array of food ideas that are seriously big on flavour.

Among them are homages to recipes that she grew up eating, made by her mother and grandmother, as well as new spins on some childhood favourites. Some of them are brunch ideas that will become mainstays of your weekend cooking.

From spicy masala eggs to aloo waffle and scrambled eggs with tarka beans, her brunch recipes combine nostalgia with punchy flavours (a tenet of Gidda’s cooking is to embrace our spice cupboard) – and they’re perfect for sharing too.

Gidda’s career path is an unusual one. She started out working in fashion PR and marketing, before realising that food was her true passion; since then, she has run gastro pubs and served as executive chef at various city firms, later opening Bernardi’s in Marylebone. In her book, she shares the story of her journey, and also spotlights conversations with eight other women with South Asian heritage, opening up about connecting with history while pushing culinary boundaries.

Elsewhere in Modern South Asian Kitchen, you’ll find everything from small plate ideas to midweek meal solutions, along with her signature dal and treats like cauliflower cheese parathas and black cardamon custard tart.

Intrigued? Here are three recipes (with instructions on how to make Kasundi tomato relish, a fixture in Gidda’s store cupboard, thrown in for good measure) to try for yourself. 

Masala eggs, yoghurt, feta and tempered spice

Gidda says: “It’s just not brunch for me without eggs. I absolutely love them. This is a version of an iconic Turkish eggs dish I have eaten many times over the years. You can make this with soft-boiled eggs too if you wanted to serve it as part of a sharing brunch. It is a great way to make sure you keep using up your spices by bringing them forward into your meals!”

Serves 2

Ingredients

• Splash of white vinegar, for egg poaching
• 4 free-range eggs, as fresh as possible
• ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 250g (9oz) Greek-style yoghurt, at room temperature
• 2 tsp garlic paste
• 120g (4¼oz) butter
• 6 fresh curry leaves
• 2 Indian green chillies, finely chopped
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp coriander seeds
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 100g (3½oz) feta cheese
• Sea salt flakes and black pepper
• Fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, to garnish

Method

Bring a small pan of water to the boil, add the vinegar and then crack in your fresh eggs. Simmer over a low heat for 3–4 minutes. (If your eggs aren’t so fresh, I would recommend frying them sunny side up and finishing the dish in the same way. Equally delicious, I promise.)

Meanwhile, stir the Kashmiri chilli powder into the yoghurt along with 1 teaspoon of the garlic paste. Spread thickly over the middle of a serving plate or your bowls if portioning.

In a second small pan, add the butter, curry leaves, chillies, cumin seeds, turmeric, ginger and the remaining garlic pastes. Heat to a gentle sizzle until you hear the curry leaves frazzling, then gently swirl until the butter begins to foam.

Carefully drain the eggs, pop them onto the yoghurt before pouring over the tempered spice butter. Finish with a generous mill of black pepper and salt, crumble over the feta and scatter over the coriander leaves to garnish

Aloo waffle

Gidda says: “Bird’s Eye potato waffles, fried eggs and tarka beans = winning on every front. Initially, as a child, my palate was weighted heavily in favour of ketchup, until I firmly stood in camp HP. In this recipe I have opted for a sweet and tangy tomato relish that unites the best of both. You can make this in pancake format if you don’t have a waffle iron but I wanted to create maximum nostalgia.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 400g (14oz) mashed potato
• Finely sliced spring onion (scallion)
• 1 heaped tsp ginger paste
• ½ tsp garlic paste
• ½ tsp chopped Indian green chilli
• Generous pinch of chopped coriander (cilantro) – use the delicious stalks
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp garam masala
• 2 free-range eggs
• 2 tbsp grated (shredded) Parmesan cheese
• 75g (2½oz) plain (all-purpose) flour
• Butter or oil, for greasing a waffle iron or pan
• Kasundi tomato relish (see below), to serve

Method

Put the mashed potato and spring onion in a bowl, and add the ginger and garlic pastes, chilli, coriander, salt and garam masala. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, whisk up the eggs with a fork until well mixed before adding to the potato mix along with the Parmesan.

Sift in the flour and mix again to make sure there are no lumps.

Preheat a waffle iron or a frying pan (skillet), then grease or lightly oil.

Pop 2 large spoonfuls into the middle of the waffle iron, close and cook for about 5–7 minutes until golden and hot through.

If using a pan, cook until small bubbles appear on the surface, then flip and cook the other side for a couple of minutes. Repeat for the other 3 waffles.

Serve with Kasundi tomato relish and/or a fried egg.

Kasundi tomato relish

Gidda says: “This is another one of those items that you should commit to making once a month to give you a mammoth flavour reward on days you’re not feeling like having a big cook. Use cherry tomatoes, overripe tomatoes, tomatoes in the reduced aisle at the supermarket and, if you want, you can use a can of chopped tomatoes instead. An instant level up on your cheese on toast, scrambled eggs, waffles, kebabs or simply on fresh bread.

Makes enough for 2 jam jars

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• ½ tsp coriander seeds
• 1 large white onion, finely sliced
• 2 tbsp ginger paste
• 2 tsp green chilli paste
• 3 garlic cloves
• ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 7 medium tomatoes or 500g (1lb 2oz) cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp muscovado (soft dark brown) sugar
• 100ml (scant ½ cup) vinegar, white or red
• ½ tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
• 1 tsp sea salt

Method

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat. Add all the seeds and allow them to start to sizzle in the oil before adding the onion, the ginger and chilli pastes and garlic. Cook for about 8–10 minutes, then stir in the Kashmiri chilli powder and turmeric.

Add the tomatoes and increase the heat a little. Pop a lid on for 3–4 minutes until the tomatoes begin to break down. Add the sugar, vinegar, nigella seeds and salt and turn the heat to low. Stir well and let this cook for about 15 minutes, uncovered. The vinegar and sugar will reduce the tomatoes to create a delicious chutney.

Pour into sterilized jars or a clean airtight container and eat with everything.

Spicy sausage scrambled eggs with tarka beans

Gidda says: “This is tremendously nostalgic for me. We often had tarka beans when I was growing up and even now I think this is my favourite way to eat baked beans. Nothing here really takes too much effort yet it is outrageously delicious – perfect alongside a stack of hot buttered toast. If you’re veggie, omit the sausage or use your preferred plant-based alternative.”

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

For the tarka beans

• 1 tbsp ghee or vegetable oil
• ¼ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1–2 Indian green chillies, sliced
• or chopped
• ½ tsp garlic paste
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 400g (14oz) can baked beans
• ¼ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp salt
• Fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves, chopped

For the scrambled eggs

• 4 free-range eggs
• 2 tbsp milk
• ½ tsp chopped Indian green chilli
• ½ tsp salt
• Pinch of garam masala
• 30g (1oz) butter
• 2 Cumberland sausages, skins removed

Method

To make the beans, heat the ghee in a saucepan. Add the cumin seeds and, when they sizzle, add the onion. Cook, stirring, for 5–10 minutes over a medium–high heat.

Add the chilli, garlic and ginger and cook for 5 minutes or so. Add the beans, turmeric, garam masala, salt and 50ml (scant ¼ cup) water. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat. Finish with chopped coriander.

Meanwhile, beat together the eggs, milk, chilli, salt and garam masala. Melt the butter in a non-stick frying pan (skillet), add the sausage meat and fry until golden. You don’t need to break it into crumbs, just fry it until it is cooked.

When the sausage meat is golden and cooked through, add the egg mix and scramble to your liking.

Pile onto hot toast with the beans alongside.

Modern South Asian Kitchen by Sabrina Gidda (Quadrille, £27) is out now

Photography: Maria Bell