In all my attempts to recreate recipes found in Oklahoma cookbooks – from the Pioneer Women's "Egg in Hole" to Chuck Norris’s "White Enchiladas" to Conway Twitty's pineapple-laden "Twitty Burger," I've never been scared to fail at recreating a recipe.
Until now.
Buried in the pages of the Real Oklahoma Cookin' Book was a recipe for Wild Onions and Scrambled Eggs – a real, live, unadulterated Native recipe. Sure, I've attempted a few Indigenous-passing recipes in my time, but with this glorious dish, the pressure was on.
"Creator…be with me! I can't let my people – or the expensive eggs - down."
While it’s one of the most basic dishes in Indigenous cooking, especially among the Choctaw tribe—my tribe—Wild Onions and Scrambled Eggs is typically a springtime meal that I always had at special communal dinners, often as a side dish.
I once documented its magic here:
Although I have never attempted to make the dish – or gather wild onions – it seemed simple enough to master.
In fact, wild onions weren't even required:
I had a fat stack of green onions and valuable brown eggs on hand, and although the recipe said I could substitute “corn oil” for the lard, I intended to cut no corners.
So I went around the corner to my own grocery wonderland, Feria Latina, and got a small bucket of pork lard, usually used for frying pork skins.
After cutting the green onions to about an inch, I used my wife’s braiser—the enameled cast iron one that looks great on the shelf—and lightly fried the fresh onions in pork lard.
I have to say, the aroma of those frying onions was a beautiful and fragrant thing.
Letting it simmer for a few odd minutes, I thought about all the well-fed Native gatherings, small-time cook-outs, and other mutually beneficial potluck dinners I'd enjoyed over the years — and how much I truly loved this dish.
By the looks of it, I would finally get to take my place in that winner’s circle!
I had a strange feeling my own version would be special—at the very least edible—as I felt the warmth of my dearly departed great-grandmother watching over me, offering her own tricks and tips in a language I never knew.
Snapping out of my reverie, I realized I had only a few more minutes of frying before it was time to drain the pot of all the excess grease.
Back to stove, I cracked one, two, three, four, five eggs into the French oven, which is double-dealing as a frying pan. Turned down to medium—the best egg temperature, I think—the eggs were extremely easy to fry amongst the onions, congealing in the most pleasing way.
With the eggs and onions mixed in the skillet and ready to go, I added a little salt and pepper and served them up in a small glass ramekin. Invading my sinuses, the aroma really made my mouth water as I was preparing to taste…
Hot damn…this was incredible!
In the end, Wild Onions and Scrambled Eggs were a true pleasure to make—with a taste to match.
The onions and eggs really complement each other’s singular taste while creating a flavorful bond that, with a little salt and pepper, works wonders in this dish. From now on, I will consider this a main dish instead of a side.
But more than that, and even as an amateur at best, it made me realize how food can become a sacred thread—connecting me to my relatives, my ancestors, my heritage, and, most importantly, to myself.
As I had another bowl, I dedicated it to my great-grandmother... hoping she is happy, proud, and best of all, well-fed.
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Follow Louis Fowler on Instagram at @louisfowler78.
