Fried Egg Masala

Living amidst Egg-Lovers, its been long on my mind to try some new dish with eggs. Personally, I eat eggs rarely and only selected preparation of it.

Sunday, when I had an ardent egg lover for lunch, thought of attempting a different preparation rather than the usual boil, burji (scrambled egg), or egg curry. Ended up making a spicy fried egg masala dish, that I saw in another food blog.

Ingredients:

• Boiled Eggs          : 4 (for this dish, you will be slicing an egg into two halves)
• Onion                    : 1 small or medium sized, diced lengthwise
• Jeera Powder         : 1 tspn
• Coriander Powder : 1/2 tspn (or 1)
• Chilli Powder        : 1 - 1.5 tspn (as spicy as you like)
• Oil                         : 1 tbspn
• Kasoori Methi       : 1/2 tspn
• Garam Masala       : 1-2 pinch
• Mixed herbs          : 1/2 tspn
• Curry Leaves         : to taste
• Salt                        : to taste

Method:

1. Boil the eggs, peel them and slice into two halves each
2. In a non stick pan (kadai), add oil. 
3. As it heats up, add onion. Fry it to light golden color
4. To this add all spices and salt
5. On a side of the pan, pour a spoon of oil and slightly fry the eggs both sides. They should turn light golden (you can also fry it separately and keep it ready)
6. Then mix the masalas with the egg. add kasoori methi and dried herbs, and allow it to cook for a minute
7. Remove from fire and serve it as Starters, Side Dish for Roti or with Rice

Scrambled Cottage Cheese : Paneer Bhurji

It won't be an exaggeration to say that the varieties of food across the world is beyond infinity! But everywhere, the key to please someone's taste budz is entirely dependent on 'the love with which one cooks' and 'how to make cooking simpler' (exceptions are always a rule).

One such dish that you can make in a jiffy yet satisfy many taste budz is "Scrambled Cottage Cheese" a.k.a Paneer Bhurji.

** Cottage cheese is commonly available these days. If not, you can make this at home from curdled milk (or by adding lemon to boiled milk it can be curdled). Just filter it to squeeze out all water, tie it tightly in a cloth or in a big tea filter and allow it to rest. Ensure all water is squeezed before you use it.

Ingredients:

• Fresh Cottage Cheese (Paneer): 1 cup [** See the note above the picture]
• Onion : 1 medium sized chopped
• Green Chillies: 2-3 chopped
• Chillie powder : 1 tspn
• Turmeric powder : 1/2 tspn
• Salt : to taste
• Oil : 1-2 tspn (less oil)

Method:

• In a kadai, add oil. As it warms up, add Chillies & Onion. Fry till golden brown
• To this add turmeric powder and chillie powder (You can add pepper powder as well)
• Add the cottage cheese and shred it well while mixing it. Add salt to taste. Should be cooked in 2-3 mts (max 5 mts)
• Dress it with Coriander leaves or Kasoori methi (dried Methi Leaves)
• Remove from fire and serve hot

You can have this as a starter or as a side dish with hot rotis. Similarly, we can prepare Scrambled Eggs. 

Stuffed Tawa Bitter Gourd

Bitter gourd though bitter is one of the most healthiest vegetable that one must include in their regular diet (Especially if any one in family has diabetics). They come in different sizes; I picked the small ones just to try out...however, the ideal ones for this style of preparation are the medium-long sized ones.

The "Tawa Style" preparation can be made using vegetables such as Bitter gourd, Ladies Fingers, Brinjal etc and is very famous in North Indian marriages etc... I tried making it by the recipe that I read in a recipe book a while ago. There are many other ways to cook the same.

Stuffed Tawa Fry Bitter Gourd

Ingredients: - For Stuffing

• Bitter Gourd : 4-6 medium length
• Onion : 2 medium 
• Ginger, Garlic Paste : 2 tspn
• Turmeric powder : 1 tspn
• Red Chillie powder : 1.5 tspn (As spicy as rqd)
• Coriander powder : 1.5-2 tsp 
• Mango powder : 1 tspn
• Salt: To Taste
• Roasted Gram powder : 1/2 cup (2-4 tspn)
• Cooking Oil : As required

Ingredients: - For Marination

• Hung curd : 1 cup (ensure there is no water)
• Turmeric Powder: 1 tspn
• Salt: to taste
• Chillie powder : 1/2 tspn (if rqd)

Method:

1. Wash the bitter gourds, and apply salt. Leave it in the fridge for 1 hour (To reduce the bitterness; optional)
2. Remove it from fridge, cut the end stems and scrap the skin
3. Make a slit at the middle of the bitter gourds ensuring the ends don't split up. 
4. Remove the seeds such that it can open up for stuffing
5. Apply salt again on the inside and outside of the bitter gourds and leave it aside for at least 30 mts (This is mandatory even if you skip Step 1)

      Stuffing:

1. Chop the onions into small pieces. In a kadai, add 2 -3 tspn of oil. To this add the onions and fry till they turn golden brown. 
2. To this add the roasted gram powder and fry it for 1-2 mts
3. Add Turmeric, Coriander, Chillie, and Mango powders as specified and salt
4. Add 1-2 tbspn of water and allow it to cook to make a mash
5. Allow it to cool

     Marination: In a bowl, mix curd with all other ingredients

     Preparing the bitter gourd:

1. In a kadai, add 3 cups of water. As it boils, add the bitter gourd with some salt and turmeric powder
2. Allow it to cook for 10 mts and remove from fire. Allow it to cool.
3. Stuff each bitter gourd with 1-2 tspn of the stuffing mix (As specified under the heading "Stuffing")
4. Ensure the stuffing doesn't spill out
5. Use a thread and tie each bitter gourd (optional)
6. In a tawa or a non-stick kadai, add 2 tbspn of oil. As it heats, place each bitter gourd. 
7. Allow each side to cook till dark brown

Tawa fry ideally is served hot along with rotis or with rice. In this style, the bitterness is almost removed. Treat yourself to some yummy bitter gourds :)

Potato Spinach Dry Curry / Aloo Palak ki subji

Been attempting sweet dishes for a while now but me being a spicy person ;) had to balance it out with some spicy dishes. Potatoes are a given in anyone's kitchen and when you have some green fresh Palak (spinach) leaves, it will take just about 15-20 mts to make this medium-high spice dry curry.

Ingredients:

Potato - 3-4 medium, boiled, peeled, & diced into cubes (ensure they are not over cooked)
Spinach - 1 cup (Cleaned & chopped)
Big Onion - 1 medium
Ginger - 1" slice chopped
Green Chillie - 1 slit (optional, only for flavor)
Chillie powder - 2 tspn (as spicy as you like)
Coriander powder - 1.5 tspn
Mango powder (amchoor) - 1 tspn (optionally, you can use sour curd)
Cumin Seeds - 1 tspn
Oil - 2-3 tbspn (as oily as you like it)
salt - to taste
asafoetida (hing) - a pinch



Method:

1. In a pan, add oil. As it heats, add the cumin seeds. As they crackle, add ginger, green chilly, and onion.
2. As the onion turns pinkish, add the powders, salt, hing and saute for a minute
3. Then add the spinach and allow it to cook till it turns tender by covering the pan (it will cook in the water from spinach itself)
4. Remove the lid and add the diced potatoes
5. Allow it to cook for a couple of minutes so that the spices mix with the potatoes
6. Garnish with coriander leaves or kasoori methi (dry methi leaves) or mixed dry herbs
7. Remove from fire; Serve hot with chappatis or rice

Some cook the spinach separately and add it to the end. You can make it as spicy or bland as you like it. A healthy yet tasty dish for kids as well.