Creating, collecting, and sharing thoughts and ideas. And learning along the way.
As conceived and executed by my firstborn.
That’s right, I love getting pampered with breakfast in bed, especially when I am least expecting it! Which is what happened last weekend when I was presented with a small and simple breakfast for no reason at all. Here’s what I got:
Mmmmm! It hit the spot right on, and guaranteed a fantastic rest-of-the-day! Oh, and of course, I’ll take this as a pre-Mother’s Day present, thank you very much!
That’s right, I like them sunny side up– my eggs, that is. But I like the yolks set so they’re done but not all the way: just so, if you know what I mean. And my Indian-style of making them goes like this:
These pictures are from a quick-and-easy breakfast last week. The eggs have infused the heat of the green chilies, and are so scrumptious you can easily inhale more than one. I cut out a small piece of cheese and served it with a roti. Didn’t take long for it all to be gone!
Like we say around here: Yeh Hui Na Baat!
Yes, this is a breakfast of and for champions. Champions on a Saturday. Because on a Saturday, one has the time to put together this winning breakfast. And what is it, you ask? It is the most heartiest Parathas served up with an inconceivably delicious dish of Poached Eggs in Tomato Chutney.
There’s a slideshow below that documents the preparation. The chutney is a classic one of tomatoes cooked down in a tempered seasoning of hing, mustard, cumin, kari patta, turmeric, and garlic. The unseen secret ingredient is a dollop of Gongura Pickle. Add canned petite diced tomatoes, cook it down on a low flame for a long time, then add your eggs, cover, and wait for the longest time for the steam to make them set beautifully into the chutney. Remove from flame when they’re cooked through but the yolks not firm all the way. Serve with the Parathas. And love.
Okay, so you know all about Subzis, the Hindi word for vegetables cooked as a side-dish. Subzis are ubiquitous to Indian cooking, and go with everything from rice and rotis, and are a staple food item on your plate, day in and day out. And of course, there are certain combinations of vegetables that go together traditionally: cauliflower (gobi) and potatoes, cauliflower and peas, spinach and potatoes, spinach and tomatoes and such. Well, there’s traditional, and then there’s me. Because, I think it’s quite alright to bring together two veggies that don’t traditionally go together: cauliflower and spinach, for instance.
Which is what I made for dinner last night. Seasoned with onions, garlic, ginger, and a pinch of garam masala, I sauteed the spinach for a couple of minutes in an open pressure-cooker before I added the cauliflower florets and a half cup of water, and put the lid on the cooker to build up the steam for a total of ten minutes. Turn off the stove, and let it stand for another ten minutes before you unlock the lid. Do not stir the subzi because the florets are too tender and might get mashed. Serve with parathas like I did, or rotis, if you wish!
The next morning, get creative if you wish, with serving the same subzi with two poached eggs and a toasted bagel. What is that you say, you’ve never heard of that combo? Well, that’s alright, because here’s what it all looks like.
And like we say around here: Yeh hui na baat!
Well, if you think I mean Chilli and Chips-and-Dip, or Buffalo Chicken-Wings and Pizza, well, no, I didn’t mean that kind of Super Bowl fare.
Granted these are the standard finger-foods for this great American event– the annual NFL football championship–each year in late January/early February, but I was referring more to the bounties of a Sunday afternoon lunch. The bounties on our table today were all glorious in their effective simplicity:
Here’s what it looked like:
So, what’s good for breakfast on a snowy morning? Well, anything at all! Anything you please!
I’ve been known to whip up an omelette just as fast as I can steam a batch of idlis or roll a few parathas, but on this snowy morning, the breakfast of choice was a simple one:
Two slices of multi-grain toast: one spread with peanut butter, the other with orange mamalade; two eggs not-so-scrambled; a glass of OJ.
It hit the spot, spot-on!
I had recently put up a lovely post on all things quiche: the lovely delicate pastry shells, both regular and mini size that contain all sorts of fillings.
Well, this is no quiche, but it sure looks like one. It could be called a frittata of sorts, but it contains no potatoes. And it’s certainly not a quiche because there’s no pastry holding its contents.
What it is, is a stand-alone omelette. Only it’s cooked on a stove-top but on so low a flame and with a covered lid that the egg mixture sets beautifully. Also, the onions, tomatoes, green chillies and cilantro are finely chopped and sauteed first, folded into the frothy beaten eggs, and then transferred into a sturdy pan.
What you’ll have fifteen minutes later is a gorgeous omelette that looks like a quiche or a pie. Ideally, there must be nothing sticking to the bottom and it ought to slide off onto a plate with ease, or at the very least must be able to cut firmly into wedges or squares.
Serve with toast, pitas or rotis. Makes a hearty entree any day. This was my slice from last evening. There were three more where that came from, BTW!
