Kolkata Egg Curry

Ingredients
Boiled eggs: 4
Potato: 2
Chopped tomato: 2
Green cardamom: 2
Cinnamon: 1 inch
Cloves: 4
Fennel seeds: ½ tsp
Cumin seeds: ½ tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Red chili powder: ½ tsp
Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp
Kasoori methi: 1 tsp
Garam masala: ¼ tsp
Salt: To taste
Oil: 3-4 tsp
Coriander leaves: 2-3 tsp

Kolkata egg curry

Method
Prick slightly on all the sides of the boiled egg and rub coriander powder, red chili powder and salt.
Heat oil in a non-stick pan and fry the eggs till golden brown. Remove from the eggs from the oil and cut them carefully into half.

To the same pan with oil, add green cardamons, clove, cinnamon, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and stir till they start sizzling. Add onion and saute well, add tomatoes and potatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes, before adding salt, red chili powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and turmeric powder. Add little water, close the lid and simmer till the oil starts separating from the mixture.

Add kasoori methi, garam masala and stir well. Delicately add the eggs and simmer for a few minutes so that the masala enters the eggs. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot with chapati or paratha or poori or roti.

Bitter Gourd Curry

Ingredients
Bitter Gourd: 2 cups (sliced thin into 3 inch long strips)
Onion: 1 cup (thinly sliced)
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Red chili powder: ½ tsp
Turmeric Powder: ¼ tsp
Dry mango powder: ¼ tsp
Garam masala powder: ¼ tsp
Fenugreek seeds: ¼ tsp
Salt: To taste
Oil: 3-4 tsp

Bitter gourd curry

Method
Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add fenugreek seeds. Add coriander, chili, turmeric powder and cook for 30 seconds. Add bitter gourd and salt. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes by stirring once in a while. Once the bitter gourd is half done, add the onion and cook till onion is golden brown. Add garam masala and mango powder and stir well. Serve hot with roti.

String Beans Curry

IngredientsString beans: 2 cups (cut into 3 inch long)
Chopped onion: 1 cup
Sliced green bell pepper: 1 cup
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Cloves: 4-5
Cinnamon: ½ inch
Grated ginger-garlic: 1 tsp
Turmeric: 1 tsp
Red chili powder: ½ tsp
Oil: 2 tsp
Water: ½ cup
Dry mango powder: ½ tsp
Kasoori methi: 1 tsp
Salt: To taste
Chopped coriander leaves: 1 tsp

String beans curry

Method
Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they crackle, add cloves and cinnamon and stir. Add ginger-garlic, onion and sauté well. Add salt and cook till onion turns golden brown. Add turmeric, chili powder, tomato, bell pepper, beans and water. Stir and cook till beans are tender, yet firm. Add dry mango powder and kasoori methi and stir well. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with roti or paratha or chapati.

Karah Prashad

I had Karah Prashad for the first time at Gurudwara Nanak Jhira Saheb Bidar. It was so yummy that I had tried it at home and preparing it at home is also very simple. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

Wheat flour: 1 cup

Ghee: 1 cup

Sugar: 1 cup

Water: 3 cups

Karah Prashad

Method
Heat ghee in a thick bottomed vessel and add wheat flour to it. Roast it till golden brown. In another vessel, add sugar to water and bring it to boil. Add sugar water slowly to the roasted flour and keep stirring continuously to avoid any lumps. Once the mixture starts leaving the vessel, transfer to a serving bowl.

Note: You can add cardamom powder at the end. But Prashad given at gurdwaras will normally  have only four ingredients: wheat flour, ghee, sugar and water.

Huevos Rancheros

Huevos Rancheros is a classical Mexican breakfast dish.

Ingredients
Eggs: 4
Olive oil: 2 tsp
Corn tortillas: 4 (each of 6 inch)
Refried beans with green chilies: 1 cup
Butter: 1 tsp
Shredded Cheddar cheese: 1 cup
Chicken: 1 cup (cooked and crumbled)
Salsa: 1/2 cup

Method
Heat oil in a pan over medium-high flame. Fry tortillas one at a time until firm, but not crisp. Remove on paper towels and drain extra oil. Meanwhile, combine the refried beans and butter in a microwave-safe dish. Cover and cook in the microwave until heated through. When tortillas are done, fry eggs in the same pan. Spread tortillas onto a plate and spread a layer of beans on them. Top with cheese, a fried egg, crumbled chicken and salsa.

Turkish Menemen

Menemen is fast and easy to prepare and very nutritious. It’s a favourite for breakfasts in Turkey. But it can be a tasty lunch or a quick supper. 

Ingredients
Eggs: 4
Chopped tomatoes: 1 cup
Chopped capsicum: 1/2 cup
Chopped onion: 1/2 cup
Chopped green chili: 1 tsp
Diced olives: 2-3 tsp
Olive oil: 2 tsp
Salt: To taste

Method
Heat olive oil in a pan and add green chili, onion, capsicum and tomatoes and saute for 2-3 minutes on a low flame. Add eggs and scramble them well and add salt to taste. Cook the eggs till they are fairly firm. Serve warm.

Kashta Kachori

Ingredients

All-purpose flour: 2 cups

Salt: To taste

Oil: For frying

For stuffing

Split green gram dal (Moong dal): 1 cup

Ghee: 2-3 tsp

Ginger paste: 1 tsp

Green chili paste: ½ tsp

Asafoetida: A pinch

Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp

Coriander powder: 1 tsp

Cumin powder: ¼ tsp

Red chili powder: 1 tsp

Fennel seeds powder: ½ tsp

Lemon juice: 1 tsp

Salt: To taste

Add caption

Method

Soak split green gram dal for 3-4 hours.

Sift flour and salt in a bowl. Add 2 tsp of ghee and mix well. Knead into soft dough using sufficient water. Cover with a moist cloth and set aside.

Coarsely grind soaked green dal. Heat ghee in a pan and add ground dal, ginger, green chilli, asafoetida, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder and fennel powder. Cook till all the moisture dries. Add salt and lemon juice, mix well and remove from the heat and allow to cool.

Divide the dal mixture into 20 equal portions. Divide the flour dough also into 20 equal sized balls. 

Roll them into small puris and place a portion of stuffing in the centre and bring the edges together to form a ball. Lightly press them with your palms to make thick puris.

Heat oil in pan. Deep fry kachoris on a low flame till golden brown.

Serve with tamarind chutney or tomato ketchup.

Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients
Broccoli florets: 2 cups
Pepper powder: ½ tsp
Toasted sesame seeds: 2-3 tsp
Olive oil: 2-3 tsp
Salt: To taste

Method
Heat olive oil in a pan and fry broccoli till crisp. Add pepper powder and salt and toss well. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
If you want to bake it, preheat the oven to 400⁰ F. In a bowl, toss one tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper and broccoli and place on a large baking sheet. Roast till the broccoli is tender and blackened on the bottom. It will take about 10 minutes. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve warm.

Shakshouka

Shakshouka in Hebrew means “all mixed up.” It is a staple of Tunisian, Egyptian, Libyan, Algerian and Moroccan cuisines and is very popular in Isreal and the dish has been said to challenge hummus and falafel as a national favourite, especially in the winter.

Ingredients
Eggs: 4
Finely chopped onion: 1 cup
Finely chopped capsicum: 1 cup
Peeled and crushed tomatoes: 4
Olive oil: 2-3 tsp
Salt: To taste
Pepper powder: To taste

Method
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan and add onion and capsicum. Saute them till lightly brown.Peel and grate tomatoes on largest holes of a grater. Add the grated tomatoes to the frying pan and close the lid. Cook over low flame for 15-20 minutes.Remove the lid and add the the eggs. Stir gently to break yolks. Cover the lid again and cook on a medium flame for about 5 minutes or till the eggs are firm. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve warm.

Note: If you want, you can use minced garlic. If you love it to be spicy, you can add crushed chili powder and for taste variation, you can add oregano.

Panko Lamb Chops

Ingredients
Thick bone-in lamb chops: 2
Panko breadcrumbs: ½ cup
All-purpose flour: ¼ cup
Grated Parmesan cheese: 2 tsp
Minced Italian Parsley: 1 tsp
Eggs: 2
Salt: To taste
Black pepper: To taste
Oil: 5-6 tsp

Method
Preheat the oven to 400⁰ F.

Season lamb chops with salt and black pepper and set aside.

Mix Panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley and salt. Keep flour in one bowl, beaten eggs in another and the Panko mixture in another bowl.

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium high flame. Roll the lamb chops first in the flour, then in the egg and lastly in the Panko mixture. Make sure to coat the chops evenly. Add the chops to the pan and cook till golden brown and crispy on each side.

Remove the chops from the pan to a baking sheet. Cook the chops in the oven, uncovered, for about 12-15 minutes. Serve the crisp and juicy lamb chops with slices of onion.