indian style frittata. take 2.

I dated a guy in college who made a killer omelette. His omelettes were always light and fluffy because he added 1/2-eggshell of milk per egg. (This was really the only useful piece of information I retained from the relationship.) 

I applied this ratio to the frittata, and sure enough. Light and fluffy.

Indian-Style Frittata

6-8 eggs

1 egg shell of milk per egg

1 small diced potato

2 cups of diced vegetables (mushrooms, tomatoes, green peppers, peas, etc)

1/2 cup diced onions

1 tablespoon crushed garlic

1/2 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin powder

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chopped coriander

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 green chili pepper

Immerse diced potatoes in water and cook in microwave for two minutes. Beat eggs, milk, chili powder, cumin, salt and tumeric. Add vegetables, chili pepper and coriander. Spray round baking pan with oil and add mixture.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, or until done.

Serve with Indian pickle or sriracha sauce.

eggcellent curry

When the Mister is on call, as a courtesy, I ask him what he wants for dinner. Occasionally it happens (usually it doesn’t). Last night, he requested egg curry. 

Egg Curry

Ingredients

6-8 eggs

1 large onion chopped

1 medium tomato chopped

1-tsp turmeric

2-tbsp minced garlic

1-tsp chili powder

1-tsp cumin

2-tbsp garam masala

1/2-cup low fat coconut milk

1-cup water

coriander leaves for garnish (optional)

The fact that garam masala is necessary for this recipe may be a little intimidating. What the hell it is and where you can get it? Garam masala is a mixture of Indian spices. My Mom makes her own masala (although a lot of people don’t) and that’s what I use in all my Indian cooking. From what I gather, she fries her chosen spices then grinds them in a coffee bean grinder. I sort of skulk away when I see her making anything that may be a lot of work. I prefer our current set up where she miraculously shows up with a fresh baggy of garam masala. No questions asked.

Most grocery stores carry a generic mixture of garam masala that will suit your needs, if you have an Indian or Asian grocery store nearby I would suggest going there. It’s cheaper and the spices will probably be more fragrant. You can also purchase the chili powder, turmeric and cumin there on the cheap.

Be forewarned...Indian people can be rude and once you enter their territory all bets are off. If you’re not brown, you’ll get suspicious stares – as if you’re there on a surprise audit or to commit some type of felony. As a rule, Asians find it completely acceptable to hone in on someone who is different and make them feel uncomfortable by staring at them with trepidation and, eventually, amusement. Often, they will talk about you in “Indian” while you stand there paying for your goods. They’ll even look right at you and laugh a few times while they make fun of you. (And I’m not saying that Indians are shady, but I would check your receipt to make sure there aren’t any extra zeros.)

While you're there, I really, really like this sauce. It’s called Maggi Sauce and the chili garlic flavor tastes like spicy, tangy ketchup. I put it on my grill cheese with some onions.

Preparation

Fry the onions and garlic. Add the chili powder and turmeric. Once the onions are translucent, add the tomato, cumin and water. Add the garam masala, coconut milk and salt to taste. Bring to a boil. Taste it to make sure it’s to your liking. If it’s too spicy you can add a little more coconut milk, if it’s not saucy enough, you can add a little more water. Once you are happy with the sauce, add your eggs. Cook them until the yolks are cooked…probably 10 minutes.

I freeze the leftover coconut milk in ice cube trays. When frozen, throw them into a plastic bag. Next time you need coconut milk, you can use the cubes.

Serve the egg curry with bread, naan or bread.