Poached Egg Curry

Egg Poached in Tomato Sauce

One of my friends made egg poached in tomato sauce. I tried it once but was not sure if I liked the texture. I made a smooth sauce this time and it turned out to be nice. I am not a fan of poached egg but this is not quite the same as the regular ones. These can be eaten with rice or rotis. Use a flat bottomed dish to allow space for eggs to poach. I noticed that adding too much water to the mixture does not help as it becomes even more watery after cooking. Here is the recipe...

2 onions, chopped

1 tin tomatoes (about 3-4 tomatoes)

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

1 teaspoon chilly powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 heaped teaspoon egg roast masala (substitute with mixture of garam masala and fennel powder)

Cooking oil

Turmeric powder

4-5 eggs

Salt to taste

Heat some oil in a flat bottomed dish and add the onions and ginger garlic paste. Add green chillies if desired.

Once onion begin to change colour, add the tomatoes and cook until they begin to reduce and raw smell goes

Grind this to a fine paste in a blender or use a hand blender and bring back to pan. Add all spice powders and salt and bring to boil and allow raw smell to go

 Now reduce the heat and break each egg into the mixture giving room for each of them to get cooked. Cook covered eggs are done or until how wobbly you like poached eggs to be.

Serve

Kollu Ellu Podi (Horsegram and Sesame Powder)

Kollu Ellu Podi (Horsegram and Sesame Powder)

Horsegram is meant for those trying to lose weight and sesame is for those trying to gain. This powder is a combination of both. It is a great way of getting goodness from both these wonderful ingredients. I had bought roasted horsegram sometime back from a Srilankan shop and did not know what to do with it (yes, silly me!). I was arranging my pantry (again, finally!) yesterday and made it a point to start using some ingredients. This was one of it and it was well worth the little effort it takes. I made kal dosa (dosa made with batter made the same day as the dosa is made i.e. unfermented batter) and spread the powder on top. Wow! The one teaspoon of sugar brings so much flavour to this powder. Here is the recipe...

1 cup horsegram

12 dry red chillies

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt to taste

¼ cup white sesame seeds

¼ teaspoon asafoetida

Roast horsegram in a kadai until it starts to darken. Roast sesame seeds until it become brown and begins to pop. Also roast the asafoetida for a minute or so, it will start getting sandy

Cool everything and grind to neither too coarse nor too fine consistency. Just remember to add sugar and blitz once. Cool and store in dry airtight container. I love to re-use glass bottles and you can see mine is stored in Nescafe bottle.

Serve with idli, dosa or even mix with rice

Beeroot Chickpeas Rice

Beet Chickpeas Rice

I never used to like beetroot when I was a child and have no idea why so. My brother used to eat it and even about three or four years back, when I visited him, he had to make another veggie for me as I will not eat beets. Now, it is a different story. I do not just eat the beets but also the lovely greens that come with it. Oh yes, it is indeed edible. I try to get the beets from the market as they would be sold with the greens unlike most supermarkets. The greens, like all other greens are extremely good for the health. Beet greens are rich in vitamin K and also vitamin A. While the latter is important in blood clotting, the latter helps immunity and also vision. Anyway, deep coloured fruits and veggies have whole host of benefits. The benefits we get from the pigments in beets tend to diminish with increased cooking time so just cook until done. I had tried beet greens with dal, will post recipe later, and since then have been a fan of it. I decided to combine chickpeas with this rice dish to add protein. I was not sure if my husband would like it but his feedback was that it appeared to be bland but was actually very flavourful and nice.

3 spring onions, finely chopped

1 tomato, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

2 medium beetroots, cut into long pieces

¾ cup cooked chickpeas

8-10 beet green leaves

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 cup rice, cooked so grains are fluffy

Cooking oil

Heat oil and add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Add the spring onions after seeds crackle

Once it wilts, add the ginger garlic paste and tomatoes and sauté for couple of minutes

Add beet greens and sauté for a minute or so

Add beetroot, required salt and cook until tender. Keeping it covered will speed up the process

Add chilli flakes, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala and sauté for couple of minutes.

Add chickpeas and cook for 3-4 minutes

Add rice, mix and serve!