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.                                    

                             

The Bong Connection- Squash and Potato Curry with Lentil Drops

Sunday is always a lazy family day where no one wants to move out of the bed. However, being the woman of the house, I do not have too many options either. So for today's Sunday lunch, I settled for something which is easy to make and is also my husband's favorite (thankfully my husband loves simple food). 

Ingredients

2 medium sized Squash, diced

1 big potato, diced

2 tsp ginger, grated

1/2 cup lentil drops

1 tsp kalonji (onion seeds)

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp kashmiri red chilli powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp sugar

3 green chillies slit lengthwise

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves for garnishing

Mustard oil

Directions

In an pan, add a little oil and fry the lentil drops till golden brown and keep aside. In the same pan, add a little more oil and add the kalonji seeds. Tip in the squash and fry for 5-7 minutes. Next, add the potatoes and fry till both the squash and potatoes get a slight golden brown color. In a bowl, add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, and cumin powder and make a thick paste with a little water. Add this paste and the grated ginger to the squash and give it a good stir till the paste and the ginger coats everything well. Add 1 cup warm water and cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes till the potatoes and squash and well cooked. Finally, add the fried lentil drops, sugar, and salt and give it a good stir. Garnish with coriander and slit green chillies. Serve hot with plain rice/roti.

                                             

 

Pickle-Style Chicken- Achaari Chicken

The other day my husband came back from office and kept bragging about the lunch, which his colleague shared with him. He is from Pakistan and his wife had prepared some yummy Achaari Gosht and served it with parathas. My husband asked me if I knew the dish and if I could recreate the magic. I quickly looked up the recipe from the internet and thought of giving it a try. I am not sure if I could match the standards of that Pakistani lady (Pakistanis are usually known for their excellent culinary skills), but this version is surely fingerlicking! 

Ingredients

500 gms chicken

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 tsp ginger paste

1/2 tsp garlic paste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 cup yogurt

2 dry red chillies

2 green chillies, chopped

1/4 tsp kalonji

1/4 tsp mustard (rai) seeds

1/4 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds

1/4 tsp fenugreek (meethi) seeds

1/4 tsp fennel (saunf) seeds

Fresh coriander for garnishing

Salt to taste

1/2 cup water

1+1 tbsp oil

Directions

In a pan, dry roast the kalonji, cumin, fenugreek, mustard, and fennel seeds. Put them in a grinder and make a fine powder. Keep aside.

In another pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and add the chopped onions and fry till translucent. Add the red and green chillies and half of the powdered masala. Fry till everything gets a good stir and the onions turn golden brown. Remove the onions from the pan and keep aside. In the same pan, add the remaining 1 tbsp oil. Once the oil is hot, add the ginger garlic paste and give it a light stir. Next add the chopped tomatoes and fry till they get a little smashed. Add the yogurt, the remaining masala, turmeric powder, and salt. Tip in the chicken pieces. Mix everything together and add 1/2 cup water. Cover and simmer the gas till the chicken gets tender and cooked, while stirring occasionally. Lastly, add the fried onions and mix everything well. Cover and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add the coriander and remove from heat. Your Achaari Chicken is ready to be relished with roti/rice. Enjoy!