Egg Curry with Fresh Spices

Husband said the other day it has been ages since he had his favorite egg curry with big chunky potatoes and fried boiled eggs and some hot freshly made phulkas to go with it. He does not usually request for any particular dish but when he does, I take extra care to make it just the way he wants. So I got everything ready and also got my baby involved into making it. Just as I was frying the eggs and potatoes, he called up to say he will be dining out with his office friends and will be late! Gosh! I was really tempted to bin the pan that very moment. It is not that I don't like him meeting up with his friends, but such impromptu meetups are certainly annoying. Nevertheless, I went ahead with the curry (why should I remain hungry because of him) and will be relishing every bite. As for his request, I won't be making any Egg Curries for at least a month! 

Ingredients

Boiled eggs as per your serving requirement

2 medium potatoes, halved and par boiled

1 medium onion

1 medium tomato

4 garlic cloves

1" piece ginger

2 green chillies

2 sprigs of coriander leaves

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 each of cardamom, cloves, and 1" cinammon

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp mustard oil

For the ground masala

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp coriander seeds

1/2 tsp black peppercorns

2 whole red chillies

Direction

Dry roast the ingredients under ground masala and make a fine powder. 

Take the onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, green chillies, and coriander leaves in a blender and grind to a fine paste. 

Heat oil in a pan and fry the potatoes and eggs till golden on all sides. Slit the eggs gently on all sides else they might splutter while frying. Remove from oil and keep aside. 

In the same pan, add the cumin seeds and the whole garam masala. Now add the onion paste and fry till the water evaporates and oil starts coming off the edges. Add the ground masala, salt and sugar and fry further till a lovely aroma starts coming out. Now add the fried eggs and potatoes and 1/2 cup water or as per your gravy requirement. Cover and let it cook for 5-10 minutes till the gravy thickens. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh coriander and serve hot with steamed rice or chapatis.

Coconut Egg Curry

A long weekend and with the husband again travelling, it becomes imperative for the wife, that is me, to search for ways to keep herself busy. Luckily, there is one more friend whose husband is also travelling at the same time and so we have decided to do a sleepover at her place and have some fun time together. Tonight as husband leaves for a hurried India trip, we had a humble homely meal for lunch with whatever ingredients I had at hand. Initially, I wanted to make some Aaloo Parathas but the sweltering heat here made me change my mind. So here it is, a yummy and equally simple Egg Curry with a Coconut Base.

                                    

Ingredients

3 boiled eggs (or as per your requirement)

1/4 cup grated coconut

1 big onion

1 big tomato

1 big potato cut into quarters and boiled (A Bong cannot imagine his egg curry without the potato :))

3-4 garlic cloves

1" piece ginger

1/4 cup coconut milk (in case you do not have, increase the quantity of grated coconut to 1/2 cup)

1 tbsp sambar powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp deggi mirch powder

1/2 tsp sugar

2 whole red chillies

Few curry leaves

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Oil as required

Direction

Put the onion, ginger, garlic, tomato, and 1 whole red chilli in the grinder and make a smooth paste. To this add the grated coconut and pulse again till the coconut is smooth as well. 

Heat oil in a pan and fry the boiled potatoes till golden and keep aside. In the same oil, make slits on the boiled eggs with a knife and fry till golden. You can add a pinch of turmeric to get a beautiful golden color on the eggs.

In another or in the same pan, add additional oil if required and splutter the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the remaining whole red chilli and fry for 2 minutes. Now add the ground paste and fry till oil starts coming out from the sides. Add the spices including salt and sugar and continue frying on a medium flame till a lovely aroma arises and the masalas fried well. Now add the coconut milk on a low flame and stir. Add 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Add the fried eggs and potato and keep covered for 5 minutes on a medium flame. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice, neer dosa, or chapati.

           

Baked Omelette with Tomato and Feta Cheese

This week, starting from today, I plan to observe a "only bake" theme in my kitchen. There are two reasons, of course. First, my husband is out of country for good 8 days and I am left with nothing much to do at home. Cooking for myself has always been quite boring. So in a bid to make this week interesting, I thought of honing my baking skills. As such, I love baking and is also a good time to experiment since I can then recreate the successful attempts when hubby is around and garner a few compliments. Secondly, Diwali has just got over and New Years is round the corner. It's now time to put a check on your diet and get back in shape to look stunning for the 31st night party. I hope you will enjoy my healthy and tasty baked goodies and return for more!

Ingredients (servings 1)

1 egg 

2 tbsp milk

1/2 tsp dried herbs (oregano/thyme/parsley/anything of your choice)

1/2 tsp pepper

1 slice of bread, cut into small chunks

A handful of chopped tomatoes

A handful of crumbled feta cheese (can be replaced with cottage cheese or paneer)

Salt to taste

Note: You can create a lot of variations with this recipe by adding veggies of your choice, buttering the bread slices, topping up with cheese, or anything that your imagination calls for!

Directions

Pre-heat the oven at 200 degree Celsius.

In a bowl, beat the egg and milk. Add all other ingredients except the bread. Mix well. Lightly grease a oven-safe dish and transfer the egg and milk mixture. Top it up with the bread chunks slightly pressing it down so that it gets lightly soaked in the egg milk mixture. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or till the bread chunks get well toasted and the egg is set. Your healthy and tasty breakfast is ready to be served with your favorite cup of tea or coffee.

                                             

Kiddy Special- Egg Dosa

The last few weeks had been really hectic. My sister from India was visiting me during Durga Pooja and stayed with us with her family. As it happens with guests, there was a lot of shopping, sightseeing, and chatting happening in the household. Right after my sister left, my husband's touring started all over again and I was left with a fussy baby who was deeply upset with her cousins' departure. As such, I was so tired and stressed out I just didn't have any patience to try any new dish. However, being the mother of a picky or rather a moody eater, I could not stay away from cooking for too long. So here's a special kiddy dish which adults can enjoy as well. 

Ingredients

1/2 cup besan (chickpea flour)

1 cup water

3 eggs (for serving 7-8 dosas)

1 tsp salt

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 chilli, finely chopped (optional)

1-inch piece ginger grated

Coriander leaves, finely chopped

Oil

Directions

In a bowl, take the besan, salt, and water and mix well. Keep aside for half hour.

Add the eggs and whisk well. Next add the onions, ginger, coriander, and green chillies and mix well.

In an girdle or dosa tawa, add a little oil and add spoonfuls of a round laddle and spread like an omelette (the consistency should be like that of an omelette). Pour a little more oil on top and let it brown on one side. Then flip. Serve with chutney or ketchup of your choice. 

                                          

Egg and Papad Curry

Every household has its own favorite dishes and our's is Egg and Papad Curry, more popularly known as "koni papod anja (kpa)". In assamese, we call the egg "koni" and "anja" for curry. My husband is very good at coining short-forms and thus the term KPA came into existence. This recipe has never failed me and is always a hit. 

Ingredients

3 eggs

4 pieces medium sized papad

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp ginger paste

1 small potato diced

1 tomato, chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 1/2 cup water

Salt to taste

Oil

Directions

Beat the eggs in a bowl adding very little salt and make 3-4 plain omelettes. Cut them into chunks and keep aside. Take the papad and fold it into half and then a second half so that you get four triangles out of each piece. Apply little oil on both sides of the papad and roast it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds or until done. Keep aside. You can also fry them in a shallow pan. This is just to put down some calories.

In a pan, heat the oil and fry the potatoes until golden brown. Keep aside. In the same oil, splutter the cumin seeds and add the onions. Fry till translucent. Next, add the ginger and tomatoes and fry till it becomes mushy. Add the dry spices, that is, turmeric, cumin, and chilli powder. Fry till the oil starts separating from the side. Now add water and bring it to a boil. Add salt and the potatoes. Be careful with the salt as the omelettes and the papad will already have some in it. Cover and cook on a low flame till the potatoes are completely done. Tip in the omelette chunks and the papad. Check for seasoning. Remove from heat and serve hot with plain rice.                                    

                             

Crunchy Bread Omelette- Platform Style

In my quest of a easy takeaway breakfast, I found this recipe by one of my fellow blogger friends which she came across during one of her recent train trips along the Eastern part of India. The recipe is that of a simple Bread Omelette that we prepare everyday at home, but with a platform style crunchy twist. I tried it this morning and voila, it was indeed a refreshing change from the usual boring Omelette. It also serves well as a tiffin snack for kids and adults alike. You can tweak the recipe as per your liking and taste.

Ingredients

1 egg
1 small onion finely chopped
1 green chilli finely chopped
1 slice of bread cut into small chunks
Coriander leaves finely chopped (optional)
A pinch of turmeric powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp mustard oil (if you find the smell and taste of mustard oil too pungent, you can use any other oil of your choice)

Directions

Take a bowl and beat the egg until fluffy. Add all the other ingredients except the bread chunks and mix well. Heat a frying pan and add the oil. If adding mustard oil, let the oil become smoky hot and then lower the heat before adding the egg. Spread evenly onto the pan so that the entire pan gets covered and forms a circular shape. Simmer the gas and add the bread chunks while lightly pressing into the egg. This will ensure that the bread won't fall off when you turn the egg on the other side. When the egg gets cooked on one side, gently turn the egg ensuring that it doesn't break in between due to the weight of the bread chunks. Let the other side cook for another 2 to 3 minutes so that the bread chunks get lightly toasted as well. Remove from heat and enjoy this crunchy bread omelette with your cuppa.