Bread Masala

Let me start with a confession. I did not make this dish this time. This time around, it was my husband who made it. But I still shamelessly clicked the pictures. It makes an interesting blog entry you see.This is apparently a street food item that is sold in his native home town Manipal.

Manipal is loaded with students - it boasts of the finest medical, engineering and management schools. It is a favored destination by NRI students. Though it sounds like a sleepy hamlet, its abuzz with such kind of activities, stalls and night life. I've not yet tasted the bread masala sold on the streets, but my husband always makes a close replica (as certified by his family), so I am assuming the street food is yum as well. Here is how it is made.

Ingredients

• Bread - 6-8 slices
• Egg - 2
• Onion - 1 big
• Tomato - 2
• Green Chilly - 2-3
• Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
• Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
• Ginger (Chopped) - 1 tsp
• Chilly Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Corriander Leaf - 1 handful chopped
• Salt - to taste
• Oil -  2 tbsp

Method:

• Remove the sides from the bread and cut into squares
• Beat the egg till fluffy,
• Chop onions, tomatoes, chillies into fine pieces
• Heat oil and splutter mustard seeds.
• Add the ginger and green chilly and fry well.
• Add the onions and fry till translucent
• Add the tomatoes and cook covered till tomatoes are done.
• Heat the dish till all the water from the tomatoes has evaporated.
• Add the beaten egg, turmeric powder, chilly powder and salt and scramble till half done.
• Add the cut bread slices and mix well.
• Cook till the eggs are fully done.
• Add chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Enjoy your Bread Masala! You could try variations in this by adding veggies of ur choice or Corn n Peas (My favorites). You could also try variations with the masala used - maybe chaat masala or Pav Bhaji Masala available in the market would be good as well. Not sure, haven't tried that yet!

Salsa Scrambled Eggs Salad

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I could not think of any better name for this. I had some egg yolks remaining from the omlet I made last night. I did not have the heart to throw it. I had frozen corn and peas in my freezer. I also had a nice spicy salsa sauce. So I did the obvious - tossed them all together in Olive Oil. Added some spring onions and cilantro to it with a dash of seasoning. Thats it. Here is how I made it.

Ingredients:

• Egg Yolk - 2
• Sweet Corn - 1 cup
• Peas - 1 cup
• Salsa Sauce - 3 tbsp
• Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
• Paparika Powder - 2 tsp
• Oregano - 2 tsp
• Thyme - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Corriander Leaves - 1 small bunch
• Spring Onions - 2 bulbs with greens
• Shallots - 3-4

Method:

• Thaw the corn and peas.
• Heat olive oil in a pan.
• Toss the corn and peas in it.
• Beat the egg yolk well and mix to this.
• Add Salsa sauce, shallots, spring onions and corriander leaves.
• Add the seasoning and salt.
• Toss well and remove from flame.
• You may add shredded cheese or a dollop of butter to it (I did not add this to mine)

Serve the salad hot!

Egg Roll

This is pure left over make over. I had no clue what I was going to prepare for breakfast this morning. I was done with my Idly/Dosa batter, tired of Maggi/Foodles and wary of Upma. I had no clue what I wanted for breakfast either. Cornflakes and Oats are always alternatives and I ensure that I stock them up at home, but then I was in no mood for either of them.

I remembered then that I had some Chapathi's left over from last night. All I could think of then was an egg roll. I've lived for 6 years in Kolkata. My taste buds are honed to the aroma and taste of the Bengali Cuisine. Egg roll is hardly a Cuisine. It is more of a fast food, available at literally every street corner in Kolkata. The rolls in  Kolkata are made with mustard oil. That is something I do not use in my kitchen. Hence I made this with normal cooking oil.I vaguely remember insisting that my dad and uncle who lived with us then had to bring 1 egg roll each when they returned home. Ever since the Tibbs Frankie carts have started in Chennai, my orders would have atleast 1 egg frankie. When I last went to Kolkata for my cousin's wedding 3 years ago, my agenda had only one thing - EGG ROLL. Pity Me....I had a bad stomach and so could not relish the original Kolkata Egg Roll.

Here is how I made this morning's Egg Roll.

Ingredients

• Left over Chapathi's/Roti's - 2 (You could use freshly made roti's - that would obviously taste better)
• Egg - 1
• Onion - 1 chopped into small pieces
• Green Chilly - 1 chopped finely
• Salt - to taste
• Pepper Powder - as per taste
• Paparika Powder - as per taste
• Oil - 2 tsp

Method

• Beat the egg well with salt and set aside.
• Heat iron girdle/pan on high flame.
• Add 1 tsp oil and when it becomes hot, place 1 chapathi/roti over it.
• Toss twice almost quickly. You need to do this so that it becomes warm on all sides without browning further.
• Pour 1/2 the beaten egg onto the Chapathi/Roti.
• Turn the stove to low flame.
• Place 1/2 the chopped onions and chillies on the egg mixture
• Sprinke pepper powder and paparika powder
• Turn over so that the egg, onion and chillies are placed on the girdle.
• Cook for 2-3 minutes till the egg gets cooked.
• Remove from girdle and roll it up. Place something heavy on it as soon as it is rolled so that it retains its shape.
• Repeat for the other chapathi/roti with the remaining half of the ingredients.
• Your Egg Roll is ready!

Malabar Egg Biriyani

Biryani.... I think it is to do with Malabar Mallu's! I've seen my grandmother drool over Biryani at this age. I know of no wedding/birthday celebration in our part of the world without a "Biryani Party". Though I am not too fond of the Nei Chor (Ghee Rice) that is served, the Biryani is yummilicious!!!! The Calicut Moplah Biryani or Thalassery Biryani finds a mention in wikkipedia as well.

I found this recipe on Mishmash's site (Egg Biryani Finally Makes It to the Hall of Fame). I was not as patient as her, so I probably tried a few shortcuts and omitted a few items. The end result however was appreciated, more so, considering that this is the first time I am making Malabar Style Biryani (My grandmother and mum in law make the yummiest Chicken Biryani...will post that recipe some time soon.)

Right now, it is Malabar Egg Biryani, Thanks to Mishmash. Now, you may wonder why I would want to write down the whole recipe here instead of just directing the link to her site. Well, it is purely for my reference purpose - When I want to make the dish the next time, I wouldn't have to search for it... I'd have it in my own collection here. So here goes the ingredients and the method.



Step 1: Biryani Masala

Ingredients:

1. Black Cardamom - 1 (Not in the original recipe, I had it, so I added it)


2. Green Cardamom - 1


3. Cloves - 5-6


4. Cinamon - 2 inch stick


5. Star Anise - 1 (Not in the original recipe, I had it, so I added it) 


6. Saunf - 3/4 tsp


7. Jeera - 3/4 tsp


8. Nutmeg - 1/4


9. Nutmace - 1


10. Caraway Seeds - 1/4 tsp (I did not have this, hence I did not add it)

Method:

1. Dry grind all the ingredients together. I read in another recipe that you could dry roast them first, but I was scared of burning them, hence I powdered them without dry roasting.

Step 2 -  Chilly-Garlic-Ginger Paste

Ingredients:

1. Green Chilly - 10


2. Garlic - 15 cloves


3. Ginger - 2 inch piece

Method:

1. This one aint rocket science. Grind all of them together into a fine paste without adding water.

The original recipe does not go in this sequence,but I did this just to spare me the misery of going through a power cut at the most crucial time. I finished all the grinding early in the morning so that even if the power gets cut by mid morning, my biryani would be ready by lunch.

Step 3 - Making the rice

Ingredients:

1. Basmati Rice - 2 cups


2. Water - 4 cups


3. Ghee - 4 tblsp


4. Ground Chilly-Ginger-Garlic Paste- 1 tblsp


5. Onion - 1 finely chopped


6. Bay Leaf - 2


7. Green Cardamom - 4-5


8. Cloves - 5-6


9. Jeera - 1 tsp


10. Salt - 1 tsp

Method:

1. Wash and drain rice


2. Heat Ghee in the pan


3. Splutter Jeera seeds.


4. Add bay leaf, cinammon and cardamom to this.


5. Fry for some time.


6. Add onions and fry till they turn translucent


7. Add 1 tablespoon of the ground ginger-garlic-chilly paste.


8. Fry till the raw smell disappears.


9. Add basmati rice and fry till all the water has evaporated.


10. Add salt and mix well.


11. Add 4 cups of water (same measure cup as rice) and bring to boil.


12. Reduce flame to sim and cover cooked till the rice is almost done and the water has evaporated completely

Note: At this stage, the rice may seem half cooked. It is okay, because you are going to let it cook more with the masala (Dum Style)

Step 4 - Making the Egg

Ingredients

1. Eggs - 4 for making the omelet


2. Eggs - 4 hard boiled


3. Onion - 1 chopped into small pieces


4. Green Chilly - 1 cut into small pieces


5. Salt to taste


6. OIl - 2 tsp


7. Biriyani Masala (refer step 1) - 1 tsp


8. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp


9. Chilly Powder - 1 tsp


10. Oil - 3 tblsp for shallow frying the hardboiled eggs.

Method:

1. Beat 4 eggs till soft and fluffy.


2. Add salt, onions and green chilly and mix well.


3. Heat a pan.


4. Add 1 tsp oil and pour 1/2 the mixture.


5. Reduce flame to avoid it getting burnt.


6. Turn side over and remove when it is done on both sides.


7. Repeat for the next omelet.


8. Shred the omelet into fine pieces.


9. Hardboil the remaining 4 eggs.


10. When cooled, remove the shell and cut into 2.


11. Add 1 tsp Biriyani Masala, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp red chilly powder and salt and shallow fry them.


12. Set aside.

I omitted the hardboiled eggs bit because it was an egg overdose for us today. We had Spanish Omelet for breakfast as well, so I thought it would be wise to do away with the hardboiled eggs this time.

 Step 5 - Making the Egg Masala

Ingredients

1. Onions - 3-4


2. Tomatoes - 3


3. Biryani Masala (from Step 1) - 2 tblsp


4. Ground Chilly-Garlic-Ginger Paste (from step 2) - 2-3 tblsp


5. Ghee - 4-5 tblsp (You could substitute it with oil)


6. Salt to taste


7. Mint - 1 cup chopped


8. Corriander Leaves - 1 cup chopped


9. Thick Curd (Yogurt) - 3 tblsp


10. Lime Juice - from 1 big lemon or as per taste


11. Shredded Egg Omelet (from step 4)

Method

1. Heat ghee in a pan


2. Add onions and fry till translucent


3. Add the ground chilly-garlic-ginger paste and fry till the raw smell disappears


4. Add tomatoes and cook till mushy.


5. Add the dry powdered Biryani Masala and mix well.


6. Add mint, corriander leaves and shredded egg and mix well.


7. Add lemon juice and salt to taste and mix well.


8. Add yogurt and mix well.


9. Bring to boil.


10. Turn off flame after 1 boil (else the yogurt will separate)


11. You could test the salt now and adjust accordingly.

This step gets over very quickly as you don't have to wait for any vegetable to get cooked. The time taken is for the onions and tomatoes to get cooked and become a semi-gravy consistency.

Step 6 - Mixing the Biryani

Method: (This whole step should be done on a low flame)

1. Heat Ghee in a pan


2. Layer with one serving of rice prepared earlier. (Step 3)


3. Top with one layer of egg masala. (Step 5)


4. Sprinkle Biryani Masala. (Step 1)


5. Repeat this once again.


6. Place hardboiled and shallow fried egg halves (Step 4).


7. Cover with lid and ensure that no vapor escapes the pan.


8. Keep in sim for 20-30 minutes. Ensure that the rice does not get burnt. Depending on how cooked/uncooked the rice is, this time could vary from 15 minutes-30 minutes.

Step 7- Making the Garnish

Ingredients

1. Onions - Sliced into thin long pieces


2. Cashew nuts - 2-3 tblsp


3. Raisins - 2-3 tblsp


4. Ghee - 4-5 tblsp

Method:

1. Heat Ghee and deep fry each of the above separately till it turns blackish brown.

Step 8 - Finally the Biryani is ready

1. Remove the biryani from the stove and mix it well.


2. Take care to ensure that you do not crumble the hardboiled eggs (You could also add it at this stage if you dont want to disturb them too much.)


3. Sprinkle the garnish.


4. Serve!
   
   [caption id="attachment_126" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Malabar Egg Biryani"][/caption]

Phew! I never realised it was such a long process. But the efforts did pay off. Thank you Mishmash for sharing this recipe on your blog. My family had a truly wonderful lunch today along with Papadam Thalichathu, again another recipe from the same blogger!

Spanish Omelet

(Indianised to my taste obviously)

My fascination for egg recipes knows no bounds. I always keep inventing with Omelet when we have Bread-Omelet for breakfast or whenever I order it from outside (from 5 star hotels to roadside sandwich stalls), I try to customize it. I've heard about Spanish Omelet and started hunting for the recipe online. I found some authentic recipes. I realized that hubby dear may not prefer the taste of so much of potaotes. So I Indianised my recipe. Try it out.









Ingredients (For 2 omelets)

1. Eggs- 4
2. Potato - 2 small
3. Mushrooms - 5-6, chopped very finely
4. Tomato - 1
5. Green Chilly - 1
6. Paparika - 1 tsp
7. Seasoning of your choice - 2 tsp
8. Salt to taste
9. Olive OIl - 1 tsp per omelet
10. Olive oil - 1 tbsp (for frying the potatoes and mushroom)

Method:

1. Cut potatoes and mushroom into evenly sized small pieces
2. Boil them (optional - I did this so that I dont have to fry it for too long in oil. If you don't boil them, you will need more oil for frying the potatoes and mushroom)
3.  Heat olive oil in a pan.
4. Add potatoes and mushroom and cook till dry.
5. Add salt, required seasoning.
6. Mash it a little.
7. Beat 2 eggs well.
8. Add half the green chilly and tomato cut into small pieces.
9. Add required salt and beat well.
10. Add half the potato and mushroom mix and beat well.
11. Heat the pan and add 1 tsp olive oil.
12. Add the beaten egg mix and spread evenly to make a thick mould.
13. Reduce flame to low and cook covered with a lid.
14. After 3 minutes, turn the omelet over (This is the difficult part, to turn it without breaking it. Cover the pan with a plate and turn it upside down, taking care not to burn your fingers. Then gently slide it back to the pan for the other side to cook.) Mine still gave away - guess it comes with loads n loads of experience.
15. Serve with toast.

Homemade Mayonnaise

[caption id="attachment_89" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Mayonnaise with lots of mustard and pepper"][/caption]

Ingredients

1. Egg Yolk - 3


2. Mustard Sauce - 1 tsp


3. White Wine Vinegar - 1 tsp


4. Oil - 200 ml


5. Lemon Juice - 1 tsp


6. Salt/Pepper - to taste

Method

1. Place the egg yolks in a bowl.


2. Mix the mustard sauce, vinegar and mix well


3. Slowly add the oil and keep blending (preferably in a blender/processor) (If you dont mix well, it could separate).


4. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix well


5. The mayonnaise is now ready to be served.


6. You could add chopped garlics or herbs or onions as you wish.


7. 
   
   [caption id="attachment_90" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Homemade Mayonnaise"][/caption]

Note: Since this is prepared with raw egg yolk, it can be refrigerated and used for 2-3 days, not more.

I followed the recipe on one of the You Tube videos, but somehow, it always remains yellow for me. I use olive oil though. It could be because of that or else, I haven't figured out why it doesn't turn white like in the video. You could take a look at the video yourself.

BBC Good Home - Mayonnaise Recipe

Egg and Tomato Stir Fry

This is a mild variation of a Chinese recipe my cousin sent across. I made this at home today and got rave reviews from all at home. Fairly simple and altered to Indian taste, this is a quick fix recipe that you could make when you have Fried Rice or even Bread toast.

Ingredients

1. Eggs - 4


2. Tomatoes - 5 Chopped


3. Garlic - 15 cloves finely chopped


4. Soya Sauce - 1.5 tsp


5. Salt to taste


6. Butter - 3 tbsp


7. Cooking Oil - 3 tbsp

Method

1. Beat the eggs, toss half the chopped garlics and add salt.


2. Heat a wok, add the butter and when melted, add the beaten egg and garlic mixture.


3. Once the eggs are nearly done, remove from fire and set aside in a plate.


4. Heat cooking oil in the wok, add the remaining garlic and fry a little.


5. Add the chopped tomatoes and 1.5 tsp Soya Sauce.


6. Saute and add salt.


7. Cook till tomatoes are done. (I prefer them to be mushy, you may stop when they are still firm.)


8. Add the scrambled eggs and cook till it is dry.

This is a simple recipe that takes less than 10 minutes to prepare - and tastes quite yummy too. I read another recipe that says you can add sugar to the tomatoes - I have not tried it as I do not like the sweet taste. I avoided ketchup too. Its up to you if you want to add them.

Stuffed Omelet

Ingredients

Eggs - 3
Butter - 2 tsp
Grated Cheese (you could also try the flavored ones) - 6 tbsp
Boiled Sweet Corn - 4 tsp
Onions Finely Chopped - 1
Tomato Finely Chopped - 1
Green Chilly Finely Chopped - 1
Red Pepper Finely Chopped - 4 tbsp
Coriander Leaves Finely Chopped
Oregano, Thyme, Basil and Pepper for seasoning
Salt To taste

Method
1. Beat the eggs and add salt to taste.
2. Heat the girdle, add 1 tsp butter and pour half the beaten egg.
3. Place a layer of onions, tomatoes, chillies, peppers and corn
4. Add required amount of seasoning
5. Cover with Grated Cheese.
6. Sprinkle coriander leaves and fold omelet in half.
7. Cook till sides are firmly close
8. Remove from girdle and repeat for the next omelet.

Serve with toast and hash browns.