V for Vendetta inspired egg on a toast

Backstory!

I love omelet with toast, but not such a big fan of plain eggs (esp sunny side up). After seeing V for Vendetta, I came up with this (original) recipe of combining an omelet and toast as a single unit that can be eaten with 1 hand!

For those who are looking for the original V for Vendetta recipe, go here.

Serves 2 

Ingredients

• 4 bread slices - I prefer wheat or something more hardy than white bread.
• 3 eggs
• 1 medium sized onion finely chopped
• 1 cup diced tomato
• 3 green chillies finely chopped
• handful of finely chopped cilantro
• 1 cup diced green bell pepper/capsicum
• 1 cup mushrooms (optional)
• Salt/Pepper to taste

Steps

• In a large bowl, beat the eggs and salt/pepper. 
• On a hot skillet, add 2 teaspoons of oil and cook the veggies with a pinch of salt until they lose some of their moisture. Keep the cooked veggies aside. This is done to avoid a soggy toast. You can  skip this step, if you prefer.
• In the same skillet, add some more oil, 1/4 egg mixture and evenly spread the cooked veggies.

• As soon as the omelet begins to cook, stick a bread slice onto it pressing gently so that the 2 bind. Don't press too hard, else the liquid will ooze out. Put a lid on the skillet to cook the eggs completely. If the egg mixture begins to ooze or spread while cooking, just push it back into and under the toast :-)
  
• After about a minute or so, flip the toast and continue cooking to the desired level of toastiness!

Serving suggestions

• You can enjoy the egg toast with some ketchup or hot sauce or Thai Chilli Garlic Sauce (SriRacha).
• You can add some grated cheese to the toast too.

Tips

• To make the omelet fluffy and soft, add a couple of tablespoon of milk when beating the eggs.

Khichdi

Courtesy Anjana Kumar aka Ma

Serves four

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• 1 1/2 cup lentil - mallka or masoor
• 6 cups hot water
• One large onion - sliced very finely
• 4 bay leaves
• One large dried red chili 
• 1 table spoon cumin
• 1 tea spoon turmeric
• Salt to taste
• 2 table spoons Ghee or Oil

How to :

1. Soak the rice and daal/lentil in hot water for 30 minutes
2. In a thick bottom pot heat the ghee or oil and add the bay leaves, cumin and red chili and let it sputter
3. Add the thinly sliced onions and let it saute till the onion starts to turn crispy brown
4. Add the salt and turmeric and stir in for 15 seconds. 
5. Add the soaked rice, daal and water and bring to a boil.
6. Cook for about 25 minutes till the rice and daal are well cooked to almost a mush.

Serving suggestion

• Serve with Bihari Baigan Bharta, Bihari Aloo Bharta, Bihari Tomato Chutney, Papad, Pickles and Yogurt

Vegetarian Risotto

Courtesy Alex McLaren


Serves four

Ingredients

• 1+3/4 Arborio rice
• 6 cups or more vegetable stock (I prefer College Inn stock)
• Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, a few handfuls of it, finely grated.  It's also standard to have some to spoon over at the table.
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion (sweet onion preferred) or shallot
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup finely chopped mushroom

How to :

1. Get the stock very hot, close to boiling point. 
2. Fry the mushroom in 3 tbsp of the butter slowly so as to soften the mushroom but not brown it much.  Getting the mushroom flavor to infuse into the butter is particularly important, so save the butter along with the mushroom.
3. Lightly fry up the onion in the remaining butter.  A little olive oil can be a helpful addition at this step, to keep things even.  The onion should be fried only until soft translucent, not further.
4. Add the rice to the onion/butter mixture and stir so the rice is coated.
5. Add 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of the stock and bring the mixture to a slow simmer, stirring fairly constantly.  When the stock has been almost completely absorbed, add another half cup or so, stir it in, with the mixture still simmering.  The process should continue until the rice is somewhat firm, but fully cooked.  Al dente, if you will.
6. Mix in the mushroom and its butter, as well as two handfulls of the cheese.  Mix it up, it should be done.  

 

Tips

• This dish becomes very sticky and unpleasant fairly quickly, so it should be eaten when cooked.

Indo-Chinese Vegetable Noodles

Serves four

Ingredients

• 1 cup French cut Green Beans
• 1 cup finely shredded Carrots
• 1/2 cup thinly slices Capsicum
• 1 cup chopped Mushrooms
• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• 1 big onion cut into rings
• 250 gms thin noodles - boiled with a little salt and oil and strained
• Salt to taste
• Ajinomoto/MSG optional
• Pinch of black pepper
• 4 tblsp. Soy sauce
• 2 tblsp. Tomato Ketchup 
• 1 tblsp. green chili sauce (I prefer Ching's)
• 2 tablespoon Oil
• Spring Onions - chopped finely

How to :

1. In a non stick frying pan put two tablespoons of oil and heat. 
2. Saute the onion rings for 3-5 minutes till translucent.
3. Add the beans, capsicum, carrot and mushrooms and stir fry for 10 minutes on medium flame. 
4. Add the noodles, cabbage, salt, MSG and black pepper and mix thoroughly.
5. Stir fry for 5 minutes on low flame with a closed lid.
6. Stir in the Ketchup, Soy and Chili Sauce and cook for another 5 minutes.
7. Garnish with Spring onions and serve

Tips

• As Soy Sauce has its own salt go easy on table salt or add it at the end

Serving Suggestion

• Best eaten with Chilli Paneer or Gobhi Manchurian or Dry Tofu dishes
• You can serve with finely chopped green chili marinated in vinegar for the spice lovers
• Top it with soft scrambled eggs just before you serve

Vegetable Chinese Fried Rice

Serves two

Ingredients

• 2 cups mixed Vegetables : Broccoli, Corn, Beans, Carrots, Capsicum, Mushroom, Peas, Water Chestnuts - finely chopped
• 1 medium sized onion finely chopped
• 3 cups cooked rice - preferably a day old and not too soft
• 1 tblsp. finely shredded ginger
• Salt to taste
• Ajinomoto/MSG optional
• Pinch of black pepper
• 2 tblsp. Soy sauce
• 2 tblsp. Chilli Garlic Sauce (I prefer Sriracha)
• 2 tablespoon Oil
• Fresh Chinese Basil - chopped finely
• Spring Onions - chopped finely

How to :

1. In a non stick frying pan put two tablespoons of oil and heat. 
2. Add the ginger and onion and saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add the mixed vegetables and cook for 5 minutes on high flame. 
4. Add the cooked rice, salt, MSG and black pepper and mix gently till all the rice grains are separated. Cook for 5 minutes on low flame with a closed lid.
5. Stir in the Soy and Chili Garlic Sauce.
6. Cook for a few more minutes stirring occasionally
7. Garnish with Chinese Basil and Spring onions and serve

Tips

• As Soy Sauce has its own salt go easy on table salt or add it at the end
• Avoid using over cooked rice for this recipe

Serving Suggestion

• Best eaten with Chilli Paneer or Gobhi Manchurian or Dry Tofu dishes
• You can serve with finely chopped green chili marinated in vinegar for the spice lovers

Spicy Egg Curry

Serves four

Ingredients

• 4 shelled hard boiled eggs
• 2 medium sized potatoes cut to medium sized cubes
• Wet Ground Masala

• One large Onion
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1 inch ginger piece
• 10 cloves garlic

• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 4 tablespoon Oil
• Dried Fenugreek leaves

How to :

1. In a hot pan, add 2 tablespoons of oil and shallow fry the boiled eggs until they are golden red. Keep the eggs aside for now.
2. Puree all contents under Wet Ground Masala in a blender. 
3. In a frying pan put two table spoon oil and heat. 
4. Saute all the potatoes for 5 minutes. 
5. In a non stick pan put 2 table spoon oil and heat.
6. Pour the pureed contents into the hot oil and saute for 20 minutes or more on medium flame, stirring frequently till the oil starts to separate out in the pan. 
7. Add the salt, turmeric and chili powder and cook for 10 more minutes. Sprinkle water when needed to make sure that the spices don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
   
8. Add the dried fenugreek, eggs, curry and 500 ml water to the pan. 
9. Boil for 10 minutes till the gravy thickens.
   

Serving Suggestion
 

Best eaten with Roti or Parathas or Rice

Mixed Vegetable Masala

Serves four

Ingredients

• Mix Vegetables : Cauliflower, Potato, Beans, Carrots, Capsicum, Mushroom, Peas - chopped to medium sized pieces
• Wet Ground Masala 

• One large Onion
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1 inch ginger piece
• 10 cloves garlic

• Salt to taste
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 4 tablespoon Oil
• Dried Fenugreek leaves

How to :

1. Puree all contents under Wet Ground Masala in a blender. 
2. In a frying pan put two table spoon oil and heat. 
3. Saute all the vegetables for 5 minutes. 
4. In a non stick pan put 2 table spoon oil and heat.
5. Pour the pureed contents into the hot oil and saute for 20 minutes or more on medium flame, stirring frequently till the oil starts to separate out in the pan. 
6. Add the salt, turmeric and chili powder and cook for 10 more minutes. Sprinkle water when needed to make sure that the spices don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
   
7. Add the dried fenugreek, sauteed vegetables and 500 ml water to the pan. 
8. Boil for 10 minutes till the gravy thickens.
   

Serving Suggestion
 

Best eaten with Roti or Parathas