Andhra Egg Roast

Recently, a very close friend invited me over for a casual lunch party. My friend cooks yummy Andhra dishes and her food has a great home-style flavor. The lunch table was decorated with matching table scape, silverware and linen. I was very much pleased and delighted for the time we were spending together. For lunch, she made delicious Andhra Egg Roast, the recipe for which comes from her Mom.

She informs me that this Andhra Egg Roast makes use of lots of garlic pods which are never peeled, plenty of caramelized onion bits with lots of green chillies. Another interesting thing about this dish is its supposed to be an accompaniment to a lentil based dish, the everyday Indian Dal. "The Andhra Egg Roast goes well with Dal," she added. I agreed completely with her. The heat comes from green chillies and she asked me not to add any red chilli powder as the powder affects the texture and alters the taste of the dish. I nodded and made notes and replicated the same in my kitchen.

The result was an out-of-world egg recipe that I'll be making often. I concluded that this recipe is a keeper. Use a non-stick if you are frugal about the amount of oil required to caramelize the onions. 

Andhra Egg Roast
Simple Egg Roast with caramelized onions and whole unpeeled garlic pods

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30-45 minutes

Ingredients:
Hard boiled eggs (boiled, peeled and long gashes made) - 4

Onions (finely chopped) - 3, medium
Green Chillies (finely chopped) - 2
Garlic pods (unpeeled, lightly crushed) - 8-10

Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/3 tsp

Salt
Sugar
Oil

Method:

Hard boil the eggs. Cool, peel the shell, make four wide long gashes on each egg. Sprinkle salt and turmeric powder on the eggs. Give a good toss and keep aside.

In a skillet, heat some oil. Once the oil is smoking hot, add the chopped green chillies. Saute for a minute and add the onions. The idea here is to get a crispy texture for the green chillies. Caramelize the onions to a brown color. Add oil, if required. Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar to aid the brown color of caramel. This process takes around 10-15 minutes.

Crush the garlic lightly with a pestle. Once the onions are partially brown, add the garlic pods and saute well. Lower the flame, add the spice powders, adjust salt. The onions and garlic will get an even coating of spice powders, also turning into crispy textured bits. Add the Eggs now, give a good toss. This will take another 15 minutes. 

Cook for couple of minutes and turn off flame. The dish goes well with home made Dal.

Spicy Egg Fry

Spicy Egg Fry is my grandmom's sisters recipe. I remember eating this as a child when we were invited to her place for a lunch invitation. Assuming that we all are egg eaters (my parents are pure vegetarians) she lovingly made this for us. At that time, I had just begun eating eggs upon my doctor's advise. The egg used to be cooked under strict supervision with separate assigned utensils which otherwise never saw dawn of the day for months together. Even to date, the utensil used to cook is kept in separate corner where only the person who cooks the egg would be asked to do the honors (which is a very rare unheard case). So, when I'd asked Mom to make this dish, I got a sound full hearing and the rest was history.

Today, I realise how she must have felt especially knowing her penchant to feed me the best foods in the world! Yeah, she is one of the rare kinds who likes to cook for me. Even when she hated the whole process of buying, cooking and serving eggs - she did it just for me. Gladly, many years later Mom remembered this recipe and narrated to me the nuts and bolts and I recreated the flavour in my solo apt kitchen.

~ Spicy Egg Fry ~
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:
Eggs (hard-boiled) - 4
Coriander leaves (finely chopped) - 1/2 cup
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/3 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt
Ghee/Oil

Method:

Hard boil eggs with little salt and run cold water over them once cooked. Peel off the shell and halve them, poke tiny slits with a knife on the eggs and set aside. In a frying pan, heat up ghee/oil, ensure the bottom gets evenly coated with fat medium of choice. Turn the flame to low, add all the spice powders and coriander leaves, give a good stir. Place the flat side of egg facing the pan one by one. Sear them one of one for 3-4 minutes. Flip them over and repeat. The eggs will get a thin crispy crust by now. Adjust salt if required. Once done, serve hot as a snack or a side dish.

Egg Bafat Curry

I had earlier written about Manglorean Bafat spice blend ~ a smooth spice powder used in many a Goan-Portuguese, Anglo-Catholic and Catholic cooking in Goa and Mangalore. I used the spice powder to make Egg Curry with ample amount of onions and tomatoes. I did not saute the duo's but sweated them to get the mushy texture. This one goes well with cooked rice, I specially liked the tangy flavour owing to the vinegar flavour embedded in the Bafat spice blend. Another discovery was making long gashes in the cooked eggs enables them to absorb the spices giving a good flavour to otherwise bland egg whites and yolk, the egg whites indeed tasted spicy and yummy! Retain or discard egg yolk as per choice. Most important - allow the curry to rest for atleast 30 minutes you serve. This is certainly not the original way of making Egg Bafat curry; I have adapted and changed the recipe to suit my family's taste.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes (including boiling eggs)

Ingredients:

Eggs (hard boiled) - 3-4

Onions (sliced into quarters) - 2 cups

Tomatoes (chopped) - 1 cup

Bafat spice blend - 1 tablespoon

Coriander powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Green Chilli paste - 1/2 teaspoon

Ginger paste - 1/2 teaspoon

Garlic paste - 1/2 teaspoon

Garam Masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Ghee/Oil

Salt

Coriander leaves (chopped) - 1/2 cup

Method:

Hard boil eggs, once done peel them and make long gashes in the egg white and set aside. Heat few spoons of oil or ghee and add Ginger-Garlic paste and let the oil catch the flavour. Add chopped onions and tomatoes and let them sweat in oil, so do not saute, just leave them the way they are. After few minutes, they will turn mushy and soft. Add all the spice powders and green chilli paste except Bafat and Garam Masala powder, adjust water and salt and bring to boil. Once the gravy is cooked and not raw, add the Garam Masala powder and Bafat blend and cook for some more time. Add the eggs now, mix gently and turn off flame. Leave the curry aside for atleast 15-20 minutes before you serve. Garnish with chopped Coriander leaves. Goes well with cooked rice.

Calcutta Egg Roll/ Kathi Rolls

I first sampled the Egg Rolls or Kathi Rolls at a friends lunch party in Bangalore. My friend A, makes lot of yummy Bengali dishes. I wanted to ask her the recipe but then sooner or later, it got buried. The taste still lingered in my mind. I later sampled the Rolls in one of the Calcutta joints in Bangalore. I like the Calcutta food especially the lighter food items like Ghoogni- a pasty dish of Chickpeas cooked in mild spices, Jhaal Mooree - puffed rice with spices, onions and cilantro, Lebu Chaa - lemon tea which is soothing and subtle, Puchkaa - the good old Pani-Puri Calcutta style et al.

The other day when I was blog hopping, I came across Sandeepa's blog of Bong Mom's Cookbook fame. I was blown away with the recipe of Egg Roll. Much to my amusement, I also found Kawan - Malaysian Paratha for binding in the roll at local Asian grocery store. The final outcome was very tasty, aptly coupled with a Coke Can! Now, we regularly munch on Parathas and snack big on different variations of this roll. Thanks a lot Sandeepa. I tweaked the spice and stuffing; this recipe is a saviour when you want to snack on something easy, quick and tasty.

Recipe Source: Bong Mom's Cookbook

Preparation + Cooking time: 30 minutes ~ 4 rolls

Ingredients:

Paratha Stuffing -
Kawan Paratha - 4
Onions (sliced) - 1/2 cup
Tomato Ketchup - As per taste
Mozzarella Cheese - 1/2 cup
Chaat Masala - 1 tablespoon
Lime Juice - 4 tablespoon
Green Chillies (chopped) - 2

Egg Topping -
Egg (beaten with 1 tsp milk each) - 4
Salt - As per taste
Pepper powder - 2 teaspoon
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Foil - 4 strips to hold the wrap

Method:
Take an individual Kawan Paratha from the freezer and fry immediately on a heated pan. This requires no oil and can be used straight out of fridge. One need not thaw the Parathas before use. Pan-fry the Paratha evenly on both sides till the dough is cooked and fried on both sides.
Separately, break an egg; whisk with salt, pepper and a teaspoon of milk. Beat well to make it fluffy, spread this mix on side of the the Paratha and flip over till the eggs gets cooked on both sides.
Transfer to a plate with the Eggy side on top. Add the topping of onion slices, chaat masala, mozzarella cheese (shredded), green chillies, tomato ketchup, some salt and pepper. Finally, squeeze fresh lime juice and roll half the Paratha with a foil. Serve hot with desired beverage.

Banana Walnut Muffins

Have you had a fetish for a particular food type as a kid? Well, I had one and big time for Cupcakes. The simple, soft, ones with tutty-fruity in them which pull you to the Bakery especially when you are wandering around and your Mom holds you tight clasping her hands lest you run away helter and skelter. I was a Numero Uno naughty child. No prizes for guessing that one!

The nice Bakeries dotting the roadside were my favorites. I distinctly remember few which I visit even today - Menezes Bakery and Cafe Central - Goa for the most moist and delicious Cupcakes I have ever eaten, Kayani Bakery - Pune for their Shrewsberry Biscuit and Naankatai, Iyengar Bakery in Bangalore for their Sweet Buns and Tea cakes, Karachi Biscuit from Karachi bakery - Abids, Hyderabad.

This recipe has been on my mind for quite some time. As I have mentioned many a times in my blog before that I got inspired into baking by the Muffin Queen - Raaga of The Singing Chef fame. I baked my first home made cake looking at the delicious recipes which she had lined up. My first try was pretty good and I have gobbled up half the Muffins, needless to say. For cakes and bakes, Raaga's blog has been my go-to place. I made the Muffins based on her Banana-Walnut Recipe for Muffins. Thanks Raaga as always!

Now, what is the difference between a Muffin and a Cupcake? I researched and was surprised to know that indeed there is a difference.

Muffins are the daily plain-jane simple cupcake, quite heavier and more dense. Cupcakes are the ones which are lighter, smaller with a frosting, ganache or a decor done up for special occasions.

Recipe Source: Raaga - The Singing Chef

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Yield: 6 ~ 2 1/2 " Muffins

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour - 3/4th cup

Overripe peeled Banana (mashed) - 2

Walnut (toasted and chopped) - 1/4th cup

Brown Sugar or Confectioners Sugar - Almost 1/2 a cup

Oil - 1/4 cup

Egg - 1

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon

Baking powder - 1 teaspoon

Baking soda - Just a pinch

2 1/2 " Cupcake liners - 6

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes. Line the Muffin pan with Muffin liners (6 liners ~ 2 1/2 " each)

Mix the dry ingredients together first. Add the powdery ones first and mix well. Blend the wet ingredients - Banana, Egg, Oil together with blender. Add and slowly add into the dry ingredients. Fold in the walnut bits and mix well.

Pour the micture into each of the Muffin liners. Do not fill it to the brim. The cake would anyways expand once done. Leave room for atleast 4-5 mm space while filling the batter.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Remove from oven after 20 minutes and check for doneness with the help of a toothpick. If it comes out clean, its done and ready for a chow. Allow them to cool and then eat them or you could eat them warm. I prefer to keep them for the whole night and eat them the next day around. The Muffins taste good the next day around.

Plating: While plating the Muffin, plate them in party Muffin liners, pop in a Raisin/Walnut bit and sprinkle some sugar for that extra dazzle.

Egg Biryani 1.0 (With Green Gravy)

Too much of cold, lot of chills and first thing on your mind is to eat something warm and delicious. I thought of Mish-Mash's famous Egg Biryani. Her recipe is one of my favorites and a perfect way to pamper the foodie in me & for my hubby who feels Biryani is the ultimate dish on the face of earth.

I bought Mint leaves from store and made use of rest of my pantry ingredients. I am glad I could make use of many of the pantry items and many are almost close to getting over. This dish was longing and waiting to be tried and tested. Hence, I made it on time by posting it just at about 11:45 night. I am delighted that this Marathon gave me all the options to try, test, experiment and LEARN of all!

I also referred to my Mom's Biryani recipe which is one of my favorites. She makes Vegetable Biryani which has Poppy seeds, Mint, Fennel seeds and Caraway. She also separately prepares Green Masala and the Gravy, It helps a lot while planning the dish. I combined the both to create a very similar Biryani which is tasty, easy-to-make and a perfect way to celebrate the second last day of the calendar year. Luckily, I had the Indian spices handy as well. This Biryani is a regular at our place now and we enjoy it over weekends as a one-pot-dish.

Recipe Source: MishMash + My Mom's recipe

Preparation time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:

For the Biryani Masala -

Fennel seeds (optional) - 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Mace - 2

Cinnamon - 1

Cardamom - 2

Caraway seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Cloves - 3-4

Nutmeg (grated) - 1 whole - 1/2 for rice assembly + 1/2 for spice powder

For the Gravy -

Whole spice - Cinnamon - 2 sticks

Whole spice - Cardamom with pods open - 4

Whole spice - Cloves - 4

Poppy seeds (optional) - 1/2 teaspoon

Onions (sliced finely) - 2 large Onions or 4 cups finely chopped

Tomatoes (chopped finely) - 2-3 medium ones or 2 cups finely chopped

For Green Masala -

Coriander leaves - 6-8 sprigs

Mint leaves - 4-5 sprigs

Green Chillies - 2

Ginger - 1 " piece

Garlic - 5-6 pods

Grind all of the above with little water to a fine paste

Other Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 and 1/2 cups

Eggs - 5-7

Ghee - 3-6 tablespoons

Salt - As per taste

Saffron - 5-8 strands

Warm Milk - 1/2 cup

Garam Masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Red Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Method:

1. Make the spice powder and keep it aside. For better taste, dry roast the spice a little bit and then grind to a powder. Set aside.

2. Hard boil 4 eggs and set aside. Allow them to cool by running cold water over it and peel, poke holes in them, add some salt and set aside.

3. Boil Rice in water in 1:1 1/2 proportion. Which means for 3 cups of rice, we need 5 1/2 cups of water. Add oil and salt while boiling. Once done and par-cooked, spread on a large plate and allow to dry.

4. Heat 3 tablespoon of Ghee and saute Cinnamon, Poppy seeds, Cloves and Cardamom. Add the Cardamom with the shell partly open. This helps in flavouring the ghee appropriately. Once they are roasted, add onions and tomatoes. Fry well till then reduce in size and wear a wilted look. Add the ground Biryani Masala and Green Gravy and adjust salt. Cut the eggs into halves, retain or discard yolk as per choice. Ensure you turn the egg pieces around and dunk them into the gravy but don't break them up. Make a gravy based curry which will eventually lose moisture and become thick.

5. Crush Saffron in 1/2 cup of milk and set aside.

6. Assembly: Now comes the main part. Take a deep dish thick bottomed vessel. Heat 3-4 tablespoons of Ghee. Allow to heat the pan, Once hot, turn to low flame. Put a layer of cooked rice. Sprinkle Garam Masala powder and grated Nutmeg together. Next, pour the egg curry gravy and then pour rest of the rice on top layer. If desired mix the Egg Gravy curry with Rice if you do not want rice to be white colored. Once done, pour the milk on top layer. Now, while pouring milk cover the maximum surface area of the rice. Saffron gives a red color tinge to the rice. This helps in retaining moisture in the rice and enables slow cooking on dum. Last but not the least, pour 2-3 tablespoon of ghee on top and cover with foil and keep on low flame for 5-7 minutes not more than that (beyond 5 minutes gives a roasted layering to the rice, so do not attempt). Turn off the flame.

7. Mix the Biryani should you want to or serve by scooping sideways; I prefer scooping side ways and serving to ensure a complete serve of all 3 layers. Serve with Mirchi Kaa Saalan on the side.

Key Notes:

1. My learning was that Nutmeg (grated), Caraway seeds and Mace offer the extra zing to the Biryani. Do not compromise on adding these.

2. Saffron Milk is the key to the Biryani flavour and richness. It also adds the rich red color.

3. I used White Onion/ Spanish Onions instead of Red, I found a profound difference in the flavour. Its more advisable to use Red Onions for Biryani.

4. Eggs added loosely on top do not soak the masala as opposed to eggs in gravy. If you like it as toppers, garnish on top else, dunk them in the gravy. Take your pick accordingly. I have toned down the spices to a great extent, increase or decrease as per choice.

Angel White Cake with Walnuts: My 100th Post

I had lot of Egg Whites which I had to get rid of plus we were running out of Munch food as well. Thought of making Angel White Cake with Walnuts based on the recipe I found on the net. I was wee bit cautious as this was the first time I was making cakes out of Egg Whites.

This cake is made during special occasions like Easter, Celebration et al. They serve as best base cakes for frosting and icing treatments. Owing to its simplicity, its a family adored cake. I did some research and realised that cakes are not the same without a whole egg. The yolk adds to the density and strength of the cake which otherwise cannot be achieved with egg white alone. Angel White cake is a popular cake in US. I stashed in some walnuts as well since we wanted a crunchy biteful flavour. I goofed up a little with the Butter, I had less than 1/4 cup of butter in pantry, was wee bit dry as compared to rest of my cakes. Quantity and proportion wise, its a hit!

Another reason for me baking this cake was a mini celebration: this is my 100th post. Congratulations to Konkani Foodie for coming this long!! (Drum rolls and claps!!). Special thanks to all my blogger friends and numerous bloggers across the world who inspire me to try my best while cooking! Few key highlights due to Konkani Foodie on a personal note:

# I learnt HTML, XML and Javascript. This was long forgottten in college.
# Got a know-how of blog technology and coding fundamentals.
# Learnt Baking and I am just loving it..!

# Became more receptive and open to different cuisines which I was not before.
# Has made me little more disciplined, responsible in Kitchen.
# Helped me connect and be friends with some of the finest chefs across the globe.
# Made me more conscious of eco-friendly shopping, waste mgmt & kitchen economics.
# Sampled and learnt about different cuisines viz. Middle-East, Mexican, Ancient lost dishes, Persian, Malaysian and even Ethiopian if you can believe.

# Learnt about Photography, Lens, Apperture, Light, Exposure; Planning on DSLR in near future.
# Best of all - Made a better person out of me!

Thanks to all my blogger friends. This would not be without you guys!

Recipe adapted from Pachakam
Serves ~ 8 to 15 individuals

Ingredients:
Allpurpose flour (Maida) - 1 and 1/2 cups
Baking powder - 1/2 tablespoon

Walnuts (Toasted and Chopped) - Just a handful
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
Powdered white sugar/ Confectionary sugar - 3/4 cup
Butter - 1/4 cup
Egg whites - 3
Vanilla essence - 1/2 teaspoon
Milk - 1/2 cup

Method:

Grease a cake pan (I used a 7 and 3/4 X 7 and 3/4 inch pan). Line the bottom with a parchment paper cut according to the size, this prevents any cake sticking to the pan bottom. Grease the sides with non-salted butter stick, dust with All Purpose flour and leave aside.

Pre-heat oven on 375 F. Sift the dry ingredients first. Mix the Flour, Baking powder and sugar and whisk well and use a blender for the same. Add salt and beat well. Then slowly blend in the wet ingredients one by one and keep whisking the ingredients. Once all done, finally fold in the walnuts.

Place in the top rack of oven for 40 minutes on 375 F. Check for doneness, with a knife or a toothpick. No cake should stick to the surface area. Remove from Oven after done completely. Allow to cool by flipping over for around 30 minutes.

Consume the cake next day around. Slice with a serrated knife, cuts and slices well for cakes and bakes. It certainly tastes better and the butter and flour blend well by then to create a wonderful after-taste in your mouth.

Simple Yellow Cake

I always dreamt of Baking and felt that it was enormous task in itself. Much to surprise, I am wrong. Baking reqires precision, timing and good quality ingredients. I realised that unlike the daily kitchen cooking adventures where you can afford to play the ocassional guess work with your ingredients, baking takes the term "precision" and "timing" to a whole new level.

IF you have all of these in place, no one can mess your cake. I tried my hand at Baking for the first time and the results were much pleasing. The motivation for me was my 8 year old nephew bakes cookies and pies. I can do it too was my response. The quality of your blending, the cake batter, how well it beaten and how much it should be beaten also bears lot of weight.

All it needs is 3 eggs, 1/3 vegetable oil and 1 1/3 water. I found it easy when I read the instructions and thought should give it a honest try. My brother, P is in town, he promptly offered to give a helping hand. Knowing that someone would be there should it be disaster, I thought today I AM GOING TO BAKE A CAKE!!

Verdict: The cake was super delicious, soft and tasty. You are welcome to come and take a delicious bite!!

Recipe Source: Shoprite Yellow Cake Mix Recipe

Serves: 25 servings ~ 1 pound and a 1/4 more

Ingredients:

Eggs - 3

Vegetable oil - 1/3 Cup

Water - 1 and 1/3 Cup

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Generously grease pans and dust with flour. My baking tray is 13" x 9"

Blend in a large mixing bowl at low speed and until moistened. Add the ingredients in cake mix and beat the mixture in a clockwise direction with 450 strokes. Pour batter into pans.

Bake at 350 until done. Cake is done if toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Do not test for doneness by touching your finger. I baked the cake for 35 minutes and had set a timer for it just in case by grey matter fails to remind me.

Cool the cake for around 30 minutes on a cooling rack. Remove from pan and cool upside down. P and I were totally impressed with our creation. I marvelled at the way the cake had fluffed up! The cake cutting formally happened and we gorged on the pieces and have saved some for Summer Party today! I love Summer and I am no longer shy of baking!! :)