Ghahve khunee omelette (street-food tomato omelette)

This dish is traditionally served in Iranian shisha shops, the cafes where older men gather to smoke water pipes, drink tea and solve the problems of the world.

Ghahve khunee omelette (street-food tomato omelette) Credit: Armelle Habib

• serves

  1

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Shisha shops don't really serve food but inevitably people get hungry while they're hanging around, so it's become traditional for staff to whip up a quick tomato omelette for customers and serve it with bread, raw red onion, herbs and lemon. If you want one, all you ask for is 'omelette'. There's no menu as such.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 eggs
• Noon Lavash (see recipe below) or store-bought Persian or Lebanese flatbread, to serve
• Sabzi Khordan (see recipe below), to serve

Sabzi khordan (Herb platter)

• 1 bunch radishes
• 1 bunch mint, leaves picked
• 1 bunch basil, leaves picked
• 1 bunch dill
• 1 bunch garlic chives
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves and stalks
• 1 bunch coriander, leaves and stalks
• 1 bunch watercress 
• 1 bunch spring onions (optional)

Noon lavash (Persian flatbread)

Makes 8

• 2 tbsp active dried yeast
• 3 cups (450 g) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• ½ cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
• 2 tsp salt

If you are making the flatbread, allow 1½ hours extra preparation time and 40 minutes extra cooking time.

Soaking time: 15 minutes

Instructions

1. If you are making the flatbread, combine the yeast and ½ cup (125 ml) warm water in a jug, then cover and set aside for 10 minutes until frothy.
2. Pour the yeast mixture into a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients along with 1 cup (250 ml) water. Mix with your hands to bring the dough together, then turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes or until you have a very smooth dough.
3. Divide the dough into eight even-sized portions and roll the portions into balls. Set aside, covered with a clean tea towel, to prove for 40 minutes.
4. Working with one portion at a time, roll the dough balls out on a lightly floured work surface into 1 mm thick circles.
5. Heat a large frying pan over high heat until very hot, then reduce the heat to low. Add one of the dough circles to the dry pan and cook, pressing the dough gently with a spatula as it puffs up and flipping regularly, for 5 minutes until lightly golden with a few crispy bits. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining dough. If you would like a crispier bread to serve with dips, cook each side for an extra 2 minutes.
6. To make the herb platter, score a cross into the top half of each radish. Clean any dirt from the herbs, then soak all of the ingredients in a large bowl of cold water for 15 minutes. Drain, then rinse and set aside to completely dry. Roughly chop the herbs and spring onions into 4 cm lengths, then store the herbs, spring onion (if using) and radishes, loosely wrapped in paper towel in a plastic bag in the fridge, for 2–3 days. Enjoy sabzi khordan with your meal or wrap with feta in Persian flatbread for a tasty lunch.
7. To make the omelette, heat the olive oil in a small frying pan over high heat. Add the tomato and tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then reduce the heat to low and push the mixture to one side of the pan. Crack the eggs into the now-empty side of the pan and use a spoon to gently separate the yolks from the whites. Mix the egg whites through the tomato mixture and cook for 1 minute, until the egg whites are just set. Spoon the yolks on top, then gently swirl them over the mixture and briefly cook until they are heated through but still a little runny.
8. Serve the omelette in the pan or transfer to a plate, and serve with flatbread and sabzi khordan on the side.

 

Images and text from Salamati by Hamed Allahyari with Dani Valent, photography by Armelle Habib. Murdoch Books (RRP $45.00)

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Shisha shops don't really serve food but inevitably people get hungry while they're hanging around, so it's become traditional for staff to whip up a quick tomato omelette for customers and serve it with bread, raw red onion, herbs and lemon. If you want one, all you ask for is 'omelette'. There's no menu as such.