“Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together. Not a place, but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your entire life, wherever you may go."
In times of despair, we reach for familiar things..things that have a propensity to comfort us, to gently woo us out of the depths of hopelessness and make us look at the bright side of things.
Needless to say for us foodies, cooking has to be one such thing.
Am I right??
How many of you have woken up in the middle of the night unable to sleep, the idea of a wonderful new dessert keeping you up, the dish already forming an image in your mind, even though you are still tossing and turning in your bed??
How many times have you wondered when the morning would come so that you could start that gem of a recipe!!
I have. Quite often. Regrettably.
I know you must have gone through the same.
Last week we were having some problem in the family. My sister in law was going through a really rough patch and as a result we were all in a very anxious state of mind.
I didn't even feel like entering the kitchen, no one was in the mood to eat anything and we were all distressed at how things were shaping up. But then, people have to eat to live..and in my case, live to eat. Either ways , it was one such morning.
When I entered the kitchen, my mind was blank. I had decided I would serve some toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast and lunch would have to be at the office cafeteria. But as I opened up the refrigerator and saw the eggs, another memory rose in my mind.
A memory of happy people around a dining table laden with delicious food..lovingly prepared by my mum. Memory of laughter and quiet smiles..loving glances, whispered confidances at the dining table with my sister..playfully teasing my kid bro..the comfort of reaching into a bowl of familiar curry and fighting over who gets more eggs.
{In the childhood memories of every good cook, there's a large kitchen, a warm stove, a simmering pot and a mom.” }
Yikes!!!!!
Whatever happened to scrambled eggs you ask??
Well, that amazingly comforting memory had quietly but firmly nudged the scrambled eggs out of my perplxed mind.
Egg curry is such a basic Indian curry. Every household has its own version, much like dal.
Bengalis call it Dim Jhol , its Anda Masala to the North Indians, and at my Oriya household, we call it Anda Jhola.
And the way my mum makes it is absolutely delicious.
In fact the gravy is a staple one and you can use it for many curries. Try adding cauliflower florets to it,or even peas..a basic potato curry and even some bottle gourd, this curry is a life saver.
It takes all of 30 minutes to make this curry from the scratch, including boiling eggs and potatoes.
And if you like to plan your meals ahead like I do, this can be made in 15 minutes. Just have some hard boiled eggs and boiled potatoes in your fridge to be turned into a deliciously rich and spicy at a moment's notice...or simply when you are craving comfort , and the only thing that will work is a bowl of your mum's egg curry!
"Fragrant with notes of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, this curry gets its pungent heat from black peppers and has the signature flavour and aroma that comes from roasted dry fenugreek leaves. It's a tomato based gravy, where a ground masala is used as the base, letting the flavours simmer and come together in perfect harmony. The boiled potatoes add much-needed body to the gravy and the fried eggs are simply delicious!"
Serving Suggestions: This is a fairly thick gravy that is perfect with some plain boiled rice, a simple cucumber salad and a mint raita. Occasionally we also like to make it thicker and enjoy it with simple, nutritious and super healthy Rotis.
Best served hot off the stove, with lemon for squeezing on top if desired and a generous sprinkling of coriander.
As we sit down for dinner that day, the fog lifts from my mind and I feel a certain clarity that I hadn't in a week!
“At the end of the day, it isn’t where I came from. Maybe home is somewhere I’m going and never have been before.”Love,
S :)
Time Taken : 30 minutes
Serves : 2 people (2 egg per person)
RECIPE :
Ingredients:
- Eggs 4 - hard boiled and peeled.
- Potatoes 2 - boiled and sliced into wedges.
- Onion 1- chopped finely
- Tomatoes 2 - chopped finely
For the ground masala:
- Onion 1
- Garlic 12 cloves
- Ginger 1/2 inch
- Green chillie 1
- Dry red chillie 2
- Cumin seed 1 teaspoon
Whole spices:
- Cardamom 2
- Badi Elaichi or Black Cardamom 1
- Cloves 4
- Cinnamon 1 inch
- Peppercorn 8
Others:
- Mustard Oil - 4tbsp or as needed.
- Kashmiri Red Chillie Powder 2 tsp (acc to taste)
- Turmeric 1/2 tsp (as needed)
- Salt (as needed)
- Kasuri Methi (dried fenugreek leaves) 2 tsp
- Coriander leaf for garnish - big handful
Method:
- Start by boiling the eggs and the potatoes. make sure the eggs are hard boiled for this recipe. Peel the eggs and keep aside.
- Boil and peel the potatoes. I do this in a pressure cooker for upto 5 whistles and it takes me 5 minutes.Slices into wedges and keep aside.
- While the eggs are boiling, get started with the gravy.
- First step is to make the ground masala.
- In a mixer, add the ingredients under the ground masala ,a dash of water and grind till its smooth in texture. Keep aside.
- Chop up the tomatoes finely.
- Slice the Onions.
- Heat a nonstick kadhai/dutch oven and pour some mustard oil - 3tbsp
- Add the whole spices mentioned above.
- Once fragrant, add some cumin seeds and let it pop.
- Add 2 dried red chillie, once done ,
- Add the finely chopped onion to it and saute till translucent.
- Next add the ground masala and fry it off for a bit.
- Next add the powdered masalas mentioned under "others", add the tomatoes and fry the masala well for 7-10 minutes till beautifully colored, fragrant and oil leaves the side of the masala.
- Next crush in the kasuri methi and add the fried potato wedges.
- Next lower the heat, and mix well and cook covered for 5-7 mins , add a little water if you see the potato sticking , just keep stirring once in a while to ensure it doesn't stick to the pan...
- Next add enough drinking water to make a curry or jhol.
- Next add the fried eggs in the gravy, and cook till the gravy is thick.
- Don't put the lid on and let it boil away for 5 mins..
- Add a teaspoon of garam masala powder... the coriander leaves, give it a stir and sprinkle some slit green chillies..
- Serve with lemon wedges to be sprinkled over if so desired.
For the Fried eggs:
- Once you have peeled the hard boiled eggs, heat1 tablespoon of mustard oil(vegetable/canola will also work) in a wok.
- Gently add the eggs to the oil, add some salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder to the eggs and let it become golden and slightly browned on both sides. Remove to a plate.
- In the same oil, add the potato wedges, add the same masalas (salt, turmeric and red chili) and let it cook for 2-3 mins till colored on the outside.Remove and keep aside for use later.