Masala Eggs...

Where to begin?
The laziness that comes from idling away days seeps into the act of blogging too. In the last few weeks, every time I faced a delectable food made by someone, words would stream into my head to share it here, thinking how best to present it, how to photograph it, how to describe it, how to simplify the recipe... well, I didn't do anything at that time since my hands were full with a hyperactive baby and now only the memory of how much I enjoyed it remains.:)

Let me start with the simplest recipe that I encountered.

One of the first things as a bride after the wedding is to visit aunts and uncles as the demure(!!!!)spouse and politely eat whatever is placed in front of you.
No excuses of being full or just having had tea,lunch etc will ring true and rescue you.
I did my fair share of this sometimes fun, sometimes-a-chore ritual a long time ago. After our wedding, we drove down to the town/"naadu"/village for a day full of social visits. We visited a lot of my better half's relatives on his father and mother's side in that one day and ate and drank from many houses. Having to remember all the relatives that were newly introduced to me proved impossible and stressful for me. Hence I tried to remember each relative by what food I ate from there..... K's eggs, A's Unnakaay, Ammai's Neipathal...and so on. Though now I am better acquainted with the people, we still refer to each relative by their specialty foods when we want to clarify who we are talking about.:)

Some food get gulped down and some you relish. One of them that I loved and recalled easily were these Masala eggs. They are too simple to be called a delicacy and yet, they are yummy to me. They are hard boiled eggs marinated in a semi-watery paste of red chili powder, turmeric and salt and then deep fried. It could be shallow fried too. That's the recipe itself. How much of each is up to you. The exterior is crisp and spicy to counter the blandness of the eggs. Could pass off as a snack or a side dish too.



In the flurry of visits to multiple aunt/uncle houses at that time, I did manage to confuse the actual house that I ate these eggs in and for the longest time, I thought my better half's grandmother made this. So at this vacation, while I tried to get the recipe from His Grandmother, I was ribbed and set straight by his aunt K who is the actual author of this recipe. Apparently she made it in a hurry when we visited her, as an instant snack/"palaharam" with tea. :) And here I was thinking I finally know everybody!!

Later in the vacation, when we went over to her house for a dinner, we were served these masala eggs with a lot of teasing and hearty story telling. There was an array of other good food..but these...for me, they still ruled..still had the same taste and texture. Needless to say, only politeness prevented me from overeating.:)

Side Note:
The only time I have used these in a recipe is as a garnish for Egg Biryani. Mishmash makes eggs as a garnish for her Egg Biryani. She uses a different masala but when I made her egg biryani, I used this red chili-turmeric-salt as the marinade and it was great.
So try these as your next appetizer and see.

Paneer Bhurji/ Scrambled Eggs with Paneer

This is one of my favorite recipes with paneer. Paneer is a kind of homemade cottage cheese made from cow's milk. It is made by boiling milk and then adding vinegar or lemon juice to the simmering milk which seperates the cheese in the milk from the whey. Then the cheese is drained and weighed down to remove as much of the water as possible. This cheese was made at home all the time, but I usually just buy it from the Indian store. It doesn't taste as good as the homemade one but making it at home needs constant attention. So for those who want to try it at home, here is an excellent recipe.

So about this recipe. No, it does not have a rich and creamy sauce such as Paneer Makhani or Shahi Paneer that paneer is more commonly reputed for. It's just a simple stirfry of scrambled paneer and eggs in such a way that you wouldn't be able to distinguish where one ends and the other starts.

Now since paneer is an acknowledged warehouse of cholesterol, it is no longer is welcome in my house(except on special occasions). So we modified and switched to Tofu (paneer made out of Soybean Milk)and instead of whole eggs, you could even use one egg and then egg whites. If you are not a fan of tofu, you won't appreciate the substituted taste and will miss the richness of the paneer. But it is a good way to get your family to eat tofu.

So try it with paneer first and then do your substitutions. Do try it with roti for a simple side dish for dinner and add any peppers/capsicum you like to add more veggies into it.

You will need:
Paneer or Tofu- 100 gm
Onions – 1
Green Onions (Scallions)- 3 stalks
Eggs- 2
Green chilies-5-6
Ginger Paste-1/2 tsp
Garlic Paste-1/2 tsp
Tomatoes-2 medium ones
Red Chili Powder-3/4 tsp (less as per taste)
Turmeric- 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander Powder-1/2 tsp
Garam Masala- 1/4 tsp
Cilantro Leaves- ½ cup washed and chopped.
Salt to taste or ½ tsp
Oil- 3 tbsp
Preparation:
1. Crumble the paneer into small pieces by hand and keep aside. Finely chop all the ingredients. Mix the eggs and keep aside.
2. Heat the oil in a non stick sauté pan and stir and fry the onions, green chilies and the chopped white part of the scallions on medium heat for about 5 minutes till it turns lightly golden. If you are using the cumin seeds instead of the powder, that should be sizzled in the oil before adding the onions. Add the ginger garlic paste, turmeric, red chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and sauté till the raw smell disappears. Add 1 tbsp of water if it is sticking to the pan. This should take about 2 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and let it cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat till the tomatoes start breaking down. Cover the pan to speed up the cooking but then reduce the heat. Open and adjust seasoning. Add 1 cup water if it is too dry. Cover and cook until the oil separates in the pan.
4. Add the salt and crumbled paneer pieces, and sauté for a minute or two till everything blends well. Adjust the seasoning at this point.
5. Now add the egg mixture with one hand, stirring all the while with the other hand to avoid setting in a piece. The egg will evenly coat the paneer or tofu pieces. Keep stirring for just one minute more and then turn off the flame. Add the chopped green part of the scallions, sprinkle garam masala powder and add fresh chopped cilantro. Serve hot with Rotis.

Egg Curry w/ Coconut Milk

Here is the egg curry which was keeping the Puttu company in the previous post. One of our easy breezy weeknight curries, it goes well with everything except rice.I like this really spicy to offset the coconut milk's sweetness but adjust the spice level as required. Use coconut milk powder instead of the can milk and the rice flour mixed with water helps in thickening the curry.

Cooking time:15 mins
You will need:
Eggs-5.
Onions- 1 1/2 cups chopped (2 medium sized one)
Tomatoes-1 Plum Tomato
Green chilies - 6
Garlic – 1
Ginger- a small piece
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder- 1 tsp (more or less as per taste)
Coriander powder-1 tbsp
Coconut Milk-1 cup ( 3 tbsp coconut milk powder mixed with 1 ½ cup warm water)
Rice Flour- 1tsp mixed with 1/4 cup water.
Salt - to taste
Oil-2 tbsp
Curry leaves – one sprig washed

Preparation Method
1. Keep the eggs for boiling with enough water. This should take a bout 15 minutes. Peel them, cut into long halves and keep aside. Grind the ginger-garlic and green chilies together coarsely.
2. Heat the oil in a large non stick pan, and add the onions and curry leaves. Sauté on medium low heat for 3-4 minutes, till it turns translucent and add the green chilies paste. Take care not to let it stick to the pan.
3. Now add the tomatoes, all the spices and 1tbsp water. Saute on low heat till the spices give out their fragrance. It is important to let the coriander and chili powder cook as it will taste funny otherwise. So take your time at this step. Add 1 cup water and when it boils, add salt.
4. Lower the heat and slide in the egg halves gently, with the yolk exposed to the top. Add the coconut milk and rice flour mixed in water. Use the spoon sparingly after you add the eggs and try shaking the pan instead. Check seasoning and add more if needed. Let it simmer for about 5-8 minutes till the curry thickens. Remove from flame and let it sit for some time to absorb all the flavors. Serve with puttu or roti.

GB-2/ Garlic-Parsley toast with Spinach Omelet

My Malabar Spinach is growing wild and I am using them in everything now, a little bit in my lentils, salads, thorans and even in my eggs. What better way to get some fiber in? Toast omelet is my family's weekend breakfast and so this time, I made some modifications to the standard egg. Spinach omelet is still very eggy with just a hint of the spinach flavor coming through. Good for a weekend breakfast. And since it is a weekend, why stop at plain toast? So I went ahead and used my fresh parsley for a herb butter toast. Most of my basil and parsley get used up in the garlic butter at parties, but if you just make the butter, it stays well in the fridge and you can use a little bit as needed. Makes a welcome change from the ordinary spreads.
This is my second entry for the Green Blog Project. I feel this is also an apt entry for Nandita's weekend breakfast blogging hosted this time by Cook's Hideout.

Spinach omlette
You will need:
Spinach- a handful chopped
Parsley-2 tsp chopped
Onion-1
Green chilies/any hot chili -2-3
Eggs-2
Milk-1 tbsp
salt to taste,
oil-1tbsp
Heat the oil and saute the onions and then add the chopped spinach and green chilies. Stir fry till wilted. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper and 1 tbsp of milk. Add the spinach, chopped parsley and mix well. Grease the small cast iron skillet/pan with a spray or brush of oil and pour the egg in. Cover the pan and lower the heat to the minimum and cook for 5-7 minutes. Serve with toast.
Parsley-Garlic butter:
5 tbsp melted butter, 1/2 tsp garlic minced or garlic powder, 1/2 tsp pepper and 4 tbsp parsley chopped. Blend all with a fork and refrigate it to set the butter. Spread the butter on a waxed paper and roll it tight before refrigeration if you want it as a log. Spread as needed on toast.
For a lot of garlic toast, preheat the toaster oven. Slice a loaf of bread into 1/2 inch thick slices, spread the butter on one side and toast in the oven for 2 minutes on each side under the broiler.
For a garlic butter loaf, increase the quantity of butter to 6 tbsp. Slice an italian or semolina loaf in half vertically and spread the herb butter on both sides. Now cut the bread into 2 inch wide pieces from the top, taking care not to cut it completely. Cover the bread completely in aluminum foil and bake in the oven at 300 degrees for 5-19 minutes . You could keep this wrapped bread on a grate over coals or gas grill during an outdoor barbeque. Unwrap and serve the wedges.
The garlic butter can be made with any herb.. oregano, basil, our own coriander or thyme mixed with garlic and butter. Add salt only if the butter is not too salty. You could even make this with margarine instead of butter.