Eggs must be the original fast food. They cook quickly, are an affordable protein and eaten as part of a healthy diet will not cause too many problems in the fat department. Yet as a nation we notice periods of TV campaigns to get us enjoying eggs (remember the Mummmmmmm there’s nothing to eat in the Fridge adverts) and the Lion Eggs adverts. It seems we have a lot of negative press one year and good the next.
I love eggs. I enjoy them in salads, with Turkey Bacon (have you tried smoked Turkey Bacon), in crustless quiches and on and on.
But this recipe is more of a hommage to my heritage as a desi person.
These eggs are tangy, spicy and hit the spot for Breakfast, Brunch or even a late Supper. Enjoy on buttered toast or even as a Breakfast Burrito filling.
To serve one person here’s what you will need:
2 large eggs beaten
4 TBSP chopped tinned tomatoes
1 small onion diced finely
1 TSBP oil
Cooking salt-to your own requirement
1/2 TSP ground coriander powder
1/2 TSP ground cumin powder
Freshly ground black pepper (to your taste)
1 TBSP fresh coriander leaves chopped finely
1 fresh green chili finely chopped (optional if you want extra heat)
1) Heat the oil in a frying pan on a medium heat.
2) Add the onions and fry until the onions soften (not brown). Add the green chili if you are using it.
3) Add the salt and spices and fry for about 30 seconds (generally we do this to cook out the spices. Raw spices taste bitter and well harsh on the tongue).
4) Add the tomatoes and fry for one minute.
5) Add the coriander and stir well.
6) Now pour in the eggs. Do not start stirring straight away. Wait about 15 seconds and then gently stir it. The aim is to product ‘clumps’ of fluffy egg.
7) Keep an eye on the heat and stir the egg. It will soon be clumpy. Cook for 2/3 minutes.
8) And voila your eggs are ready. If you have some lemons or lime on hand (or in the fridge looking sorry for itself) give it a squeeze over the eggs. Lemon does something awesome to tomatoes which makes it taste even more amazing.
Enjoy!
Note: you could make this recipe with just egg whites too. Just in case anyone was wondering.
I have a confession to make; I love Nargasi koftas but I seriously cannot stand the hours needed to create these egg filled delights and cook them. Most probably because I’m usually cooking around other tasks and don’t have hours on end to commit to cooking one dish.
So my compromise is this dish: Kofta and Egg Masala. It contains koftas and eggs and it doesn’t take all day to cook and it tastes awesome. There isn’t much ‘sauce’ (curry/gravy-whatever you choose to call it) so it’s not a wet curry. I just thought I would mention that.
I’ve actually broken this recipe down so that if you cannot actually cook it all in one go you can break up the workload over 2 days. If you wish to cook it in one go just work your ways through the steps.
As I utilise the use of my oven I can place the dish in there to cook and get on with other tasks.
I actually serve this rich dish on Eid; it’s that good.
Serves 4/6
Ingredients:
500 grams minced lamb/mutton
1 slice of bread (whizzed up in a food processor)
Salt-to your taste
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander seed leaves chopped finely
1 green chili chopped finely (optional)
1 small onion finely chopped
To fry the koftas: 1 tbsp oil
Non-stick frying pan
For the masala:
1 400 gram tin of tomatoes (pureed/liquid in a food processor)
1 medium onion finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic crushed
1x 1 inch piece of ginger (Whole-remove before serving)
1 large cassia bark stick (can be removed before serving-it’s not edible in case you were wondering)
2 tbsp coriander leaves finely chopped
2 tbsp rapeseed oil (or other oil to your liking)
Salt-to your taste
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp coriander seed powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
3 bullet chilies sliced in half
6 hard boiled eggs-peeled (you’ll need to cut a small slit into each egg to prevent them from possibly exploding in the oven. Chances are slim but I despise cleaning the oven!).
To serve: lemon wedges & naans (I also serve this with Pulao rice or Jeera Rice).
1) Take the mince out of the bag. Do not wash it. That will create a big mess so please ask your butcher to just wash the meat before they mince it. Add all the ingredients listed for the koftas. Now mix until the ingredients are evenly distributed. I find the easiest way to do this is by hand. Yes your hands will get messy but your hands really are the best tool for the job.
Now comes the fun part: shape your meatballs (koftas). I take about a walnut size piece (a heaped tablespoon even) and squish the mixture together as tight as possible. Place on a plate/tray. Shape all the koftas. You can either place the shaped meatballs in the fridge for 30 minutes to 3 hours and then move onto step 2 or just move onto step 2. Seriously. I rarely chill the koftas I never have the time.
2) Heat one tbsp of oil in a medium sized non stick frying pan. Now fry your koftas to basically seal them and give them a bit of colour. Do not keep turning them over; they will break. Instead check them by gently lifting one after 3/4 minutes and if they are golden turn them over. Seal on the other side. This step takes around 15 minutes.
3) Once the koftas are brown take them out of the pan and place them on kitchen paper to drain off any excess oil. I usually give the koftas a pat all over with kitchen paper and I don’t like lots of grease. That’s optional.
IF YOU ARE PREPARING THIS DISH STEP BY STEP: once the koftas have cooled down place them in a ziplock food bag or a freezer proof container with lid. Place in the freezer and use within a month.
4) Once you’ve got the koftas done you’ve actually got the hardest bit done. To make the masala heat the two tbsp oil in an oven proof cooking dish on a medium heat. Add the onion and fry until lightly brown. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for 2 minutes or until the garlic is lightly brown. Now add the salt, cassia, powdered spices and stir. If you find the mixture is sticking to the pan feel free to add a tbsp of water. Repeat if required. Fry for 3/4 minutes. At this stage you are cooking out the spices.
4) Now add the tomato liquid/puree. Stir well. Now add the sliced chilies (if using) and half the chopped coriander leaves. Cook on a gentle heat until you start the see puddles of oil literally separating from the tomato mixture. This indicates your masala is done. Yay!
5) IF YOU ARE PREPARING THIS DISH STEP BY STEP: You can turn off the heat once the masala is done. Cool it down and place the mixture in a ziplock food bag or freezer container and freeze the mixture for up to a month. Or if you wish you can make the masala up to two days in advance and cool it and place it in a suitable container in the fridge. Yes it really is that simple.
6) If you are cooking this recipe in one go: add 400 ml of water to the masala and turn the heat up and bring to the boil. The masala may look at bit watery. Don’t worry, this is normal. The texture improves in the oven. Turn the heat off.
IF YOU ARE PREPARING THIS DISH STEP BY STEP:
Defrost the koftas and masala overnight in the fridge. Alternatively defrost in a microwave and ensure both items are thoroughly defrosted before use. By preferred method is defrosting in the fridge.
To cook complete the dish using frozen products:
Place the masala in an oven proof dish. Spread it out evenly. Add 250 ml (approximately a glass) of water and place the dish in the oven at 180 for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Lower the oven temprature to 150. Proceed to step 7.
7) Add the Koftas to the masala. Stir to cover the koftas. Cover the pan before placing in the oven. If your dish doesn’t have a lid (or let’s face it you cannot locate it in your overloaded cabinets) cover loosely with a piece of foil-shiny side outwards). Now bake at 150 for 45 minutes.
8) After 45 minutes take the koftas out of the oven. Your koftas will be cooked at this point. Now add the eggs. Stir so they are covered in the masala. If the masala has evaporated you can add 3 tbsp of boiling water (be careful) to the mixture and stir well. This will give you a bit of sauce to work with. Cover the koftas and return the oven for 10 minutes.
9) Take the koftas back out of the oven…and your dish is ready to serve. Sprinkle on the remaining coriander. Serve with naans and a wedge of lemon. Enjoy.
NOTES:
This dish isn’t suitable for freezing unless you remove the eggs.
Do not refreeze the kofta masala if you are using frozen koftas or masala.
I find this dish also goes superbly with jeera and lemon rice.
