Who doesn't enjoy a delicious lightly spiced flavorful coconut based egg curry? Egg is one quintessential breakfast food loaded with proteins- liked and consumed by all - good thing being a lot of vegetarians also consume it and are known as Eggetarians πΒ Eggs are the most nutritious food on the planet! There is no doubt about it!Β On top of everything else, they are also cheap, easy to prepare, go with almost any food and taste awesome.
Egg Curry from coastal southern regions of India is made using garam masala and coconut as its main ingredients. I have tried hard to get that exact taste like my mom's, but its tough πΒ I am close to it and have made my peace with it. β
I feel restless when I dont have eggs in my refrigerator. I have to stock it up as soon as I see around dozen left. Boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, puffs, egg burji, omelettes, french toast, cakes etc- thats how Eggs are consumed in a healthy and regular basis in my household. It comes to my rescue when I am short on meat at home or for that matter even veggies. There used to be this famous jingle in India- Sunday ho Ya Monday Roz Kaho Ande π₯ ... a good one indeed :)
Β Back home Eggs are treated like a second class citizen π. No kidding, when I am chatting with my Mom and if I ask her- "what did you cook for dinner?" There is a sigh in her tone when she says.. just made some egg curry- followed by WHY that decision was made ---like didn't have time to get chicken OR no good variety of fresh fish was available in the market OR due to bad weather she was not able to go get fresh veggies etc etc. So you see what I am saying- justification on why egg curry was made ... π
Where as for me here - Egg curry day is like a celebration :) My son is thrilled as he is an ardent and loyal fan of eggs. My husband is neutral - he doesn't enjoy coconut curries so much ...yeh go figure π ! and Me- full focus on getting the curry taste right just like my Mom's... so its a fun affair.
As a kid, my sister and Mom loved full boiled eggs in the curry whereas me and my Dad loved fresh broken eggs in the curry. Till this date that has not changed. Separate 2 broken eggs always go in my funky-licious Egg Curry/Anda Curry!Β
I do not know anyone around me that dislikes eggs. I have a cousin who couldn't eat it due to allergies and I used to feel so bad for her. While growing up my younger cousins gang loved my version ofΒ Plain Omelette. My mom and aunts used to make us omelette loaded with onion/tomatoes/veggies which most of them did not like it then πΒ The same ones that we relish like crazy on Cruises now- π
Anyways, Lets get started with the recipe:
Please feel free to modify ingredient quantity as per your taste for spiciness and thickness of curry!
Ingredients:
4 boiled eggs + 2 fresh eggs
3 tbsp oil
1 big onion finely chopped
1 tomato chopped
1 tsp each ginger and garlic paste
salt as per taste
Masala Paste:
5 cloves
1 cardamom
3-4 black pepper
1/2 inch cinnamon
1/4th tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/4th tsp sesame seedsΒ
1/4th tsp poppy seeds
3 tsp coriander seeds
7-8 red dry chillies [adjust as per your taste]
1/2 cup grated coconut + 3 tsp dry grated coconut
handful of cilantro leaves
1/4th tsp turmeric
Preparation:
Roast ingredients from 1-9 in a tsp of oil for few minutes till its fragrant and put it in a blender.
In the same pan roast coconut Β till it is slight brown in color on low heat and then add it to the blender. Add turmeric , cilantro and make a paste by adding water sparingly. Keep aside.
In a wide mouth utensil heat oil, add finely chopped onions and saute till light brown. Add ginger garlic paste and saute further till the raw smell goes away. Add tomatoes and cook till everything comes together.Β
Now pour the ground masala paste and mix everything nicely. Bring it to a boil. Let it simmer for few minutes. Adjust water and add salt.
Add the boiled eggs in the curry. You can lightly score the eggs from top to bottom with a knife or you can even lightly roast it in oil with garam masala powder [or chili pwd and turmeric pwd] before adding to the curry, or cut in halves and slide it in the curry- choice is yours!Β
Once the curry starts to simmer again - slowly break the remaining 2 fresh eggs and slide it in the curry. Leave it alone for 5-8 mins on low-med flame till the eggs are done. You can give it a light handed stir in between.
Enjoy it with rotis or just plain rice or jeera rice. It super yum!
njoY! happY cookinG!!
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Incredibly nutritious food!Β In fact, eggs are pretty much the perfect food. They contain a little bit of almost every nutrient you need.Β Whole eggs are among the most nutritious foods on the planet, containing a little bit of almost every nutrient you need. Omega-3 enriched and/or pastured eggs are even healthier.Β Eggs are high in cholesterol, but eating eggs does not adversely affect cholesterol in the blood for the majority of people.Β Eating eggs consistently leads to elevated levels of HDL (the "good") cholesterol, which is linked to a lower risk of many diseases.Β Eggs are among the best dietary sources of choline, a nutrient that is incredibly important but most people arenβt getting enough of.
Famous dalitoy (sound toy as tou-yee, close to the original sound :)) of konkani cuisine, hands down is the slurpicious simple dal curry. It is staple and mostly loved by all. It's so funny that even though it's such a simple recipe, it's like making tea. Every house you visit, the taste of tea/chai is different and unique. Everyone puts in their own twist when it comes to making dalitoy. The one that is served in the temple's, is the ultimate one π
DaliToy A konkani Dal Preparation
I was surprised to get many messages and comments from my close friends who tried it out and loved it. It then occurred to me that I had never mentioned this recipe to anyone before- thinking that everyone must be knowing it and that's how a basic dal preparation is! I was wrong and so here is a post on this super simple yet powerfully delicious dal- dalitoy!
DaliToy with Plain Rice and Pickle
Here is the recipe of the magical and most common dalitoy. Ingredients:
1 cup Toovar(toor) dal [for healthier version I use yellow split moong dal]
2 green chillies slitΒ
10 leaves of curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
big pinchΒ asafoetida (can increase the quantity if you like)
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 cups waterΒ
1 tbsp ghee or oil
1/2 tsp salt or as per taste
handful chopped cilantro as garnish
2 tsp grated coconut [optional]
DaliToy Ingredients in pic
DalliToy after Tadka
DaliToy after cilantro garnish
Preparation:
Wash dal and keep it soaked for 30 min. [Always soak lentils and pulses before using, helps to reduce the gas formation in the stomach :)]. You can skip if in a hurry.
Add dal and water in a pressure cooker and cook the dal for 2 whistles. [for toovar dal 2, for moong dal 1] One can also cook on stove top, takes a little longer and need to keep an eye as its getting boiled. Usually will take 20 + minutes on stove top[or till dal is fully cooked].
Let the cooker cool down, check the dal, mash it a little bit if needed with a spoon. I use traditional wooden handmasher, ghotni :)
In a vessel, heat ghee/oil, add mustard seeds, once it starts to splutter add green chillies, curry leaves, stir quickly, lower the gas to sim, then add turmeric and asafoetida(hing)
Into this immediately add the cooked dal, give it a stir and add more water to adjust the consistency of the dal as per your requirements, some like it thick and some like it thin.
Add salt and bring to a quick boil. Switch off the gas and garnish it with a handful of chopped cilantro and grated coconut(optional).
While serving with rice, top it with little bit of ghee OR lemon juice it tastes super yum!
Notes:Β
*You can have variations while making dalitoy. One can add tomatoes and green chillies while pressure cooking the dal.
* You can also add 2 inches of ginger roughly chopped either in your tadka or while cooking dal.
* You can give garlic tadka too.
njoY!! happY cookinG!!
Nutrition Facts:Β Lentils is a mighty member of legume family, it's a good source of cholesterol-lowering fibre. It has good amount of folate and magnesium which is needed for a healthy and loving heart :) It replenishes our iron stores. Light on body, aΒ good source of protein for vegetarians. Lentils Rule :)
Colocasia/Taro/Alu leaves are seen in abundance in the tropical region. It adapts well to hot, marshy, humid climate. Very popular dishes are made using these leaves in the southern and western regions of India. Many households grow these beautiful plants in their backyards. They have so big leaves that it contributes to the lush greenness in the yard. Also known as Alu paan, this recipe is called Alwati, it's very tasty and can be made with the various combination of other ingredients like peanuts, jackfruit seeds, corn, channa dal etc. I consider this recipe exotic due to its unique taste, look and feel of the dish :) These leaves are also used in making the famous dish called Patrode or Patra.
HomeGrown Leaves
It is very easy low maintenance plant to grow in your backyard. You can either grow it in a big pot or directly in the soil. Get taro roots from theΒ supermarket and soak it in water for aΒ couple of days till you see small roots popping out of the root. Now all you have to do is plant it aboutΒ 2-3 inches down in the soil. Water regularly and see this gigantic nutritious leaves coming out in a couple of weeks.
Let's check out the recipe:
Ingredients:
6-7 good size Colocasia leaves
3/4 cup grated coconut
1 small marble size tamarind
2-3 green chillies
1 inch ginger
2 corn cobs cut into pieces
4-5 buttermilk chillies (taka mirsang) - optional
salt to taste
For the tempering:
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
pinch asafoetida (hing)
10-12 curry leaves
Preparation:
Chop colocasia leaves along with the stem. Pressure cook leaves and corn cobs for 4 whistles (or cook till corn is done).Β
Make a paste by grinding coconut, tamarind, green chillies and ginger.
Take a pan, add this paste along with cooked corn and wilted colocasia leaves and bring to a boil.
Add salt and simmer for few more minutes.
For the tempering, in a tadka pan add oil, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, once it splutters add curry leaves and hing. Pour it over the cooked colocasia mixture. Stir gently.
In the end, add fried buttermilk chillies in the curry and serve hot with roti's or rice. Your aromatic, healthy dish is ready!
njoY!! happY cookinG!!
recipe credit to Anuradha Mudalagiri, my fellow foodie.Β
Home-grown ColocasiaΒ leaves
Health Benefits: Colocasia leaves are loaded with potassium and several minerals and vitamins. Helps to build a strong immune system, fights fatigue problems, helps lower blood pressure, helps in anti-aging process as it has a high content of hyaluronic acid. It's a low glycemic index food. These are home grown Colocasia leaves :)
Fish curry preparations from the Coastal areas are hands down the best curries in the whole wide world. Reason, fresh fish, fresh coconuts and fresh stock of dry red chillies...:) My ancestors are from coastal region and have known to survive on rice and seafood for their whole lives.:) My grandmother made the best fish dishes ever, she added just those 2-3 fresh ingredients like coconut, dry red chillies and tamarind to freshly caught and cleaned fish by using her signature eyeballing method(:)) to make a fingerlicking gooooood curry!! Since she was an expert, everybody simply loved it!
The highlight of our visit to my grandparents house was mostly "FOOD" and all that simple life around the house. She loved pets so much that all the dogs and cats of the neighborhood used to be at her house :) She loved feeding and talking to them. Wonder none of her kids got those genes passed down hhehehe :(
Few years back my youngest cousin (was 8 yrs then) had visited my grandmother and even he gave her the certificate of excellence :) saying that it was the best fish curry he had in his life (it was actually so cute that it is now a must to be mentioned story whenever we talk about my grandma)....so we all remember her with these loving memories that she has left behind.
Coming to the fish preparation, we have various kinds of fish curries that are very prominent amongst Konkani clan. Northern Karnataka is known for Teppal ambat (schezwan peppers/coconut curry) and Kandya ambat (onion/coconut curry) and in the south of Karnataka they make Phanna ambat (onion tempered curry), Alle piyav ambat/ghashi (onion/ginger curry).. so these are the few variations one will see. Goan preparation is again little different where they use garam masala (whole spices) in the curry. As we move to the north east side of India, one can see the fish preparation in mustard oil and mustard paste etc. So it's unlimited variety :)
Once you get a hang of making these coconut curries, there is no going back- I am telling ya :)
Let us take a look at this Konkani Fish Curry of Kandya Ambat recipe:
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh grated coconut (or frozen coconut)
1 onion finely chopped
2 big size pomfret/pompano (makes 8-9 pieces/fillet)
1/2 tea spn tamarind extract or kokum or small marble size ball of tamarind
1 green chili slit optional
7-8 red chilies (byadgi/kumti chillies preferably)
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste
Preparation:
Clean the fish, apply 1/2 tsp turmeric, salt and keep aside.
Lightly roast dry red chillies in 1/2 tsp oil, transfer to a blender. Then in the same pan roast coriander seeds and transfer to the blender. Then add grated coconut and roast it very lightly (do not brown it) before you put it into the blender. Add tamarind, turmeric andΒ make a fine paste by adding little water.Β
Adjust the taste if need be, sometimes the chillies may not be very spicy, so depending on how spicy you want adjust accordingly. Color of the curry also depends on the quality of the chillies you are using.
Take a wide mouth pan, heat oil and add chopped onions. Saute till it turns just light brown.Β
Now add the ground paste and stir everything nicely. Add slit green chili, salt. Bring the curry to a boil and then simmer for 5 minutes.Β
Add water sparingly to get a nice flowy consistency of the curry. Do not make it too thin. Now add fish fillet gently into the curry and let it simmer further for another 5-6 minutes.Β
Don't keep stirring the fish, as it will break, gently move around so that the curry also breathes :) Switch off the gas once the fish is cooked and you see nice red color on the curry.Β
Serve hot with Rice, parboiled Rice, Roti etc. Curry tastes even better after few hours or the next day!
njoY!! happY cookinG!! Note: This method of curry preparation is used mostly for lean and bland fish , also shrimp can be used. Vegetarians can make it by adding potatoes in it. Tastes delish.
Pomfret is a delicious, lean white fish that has a wide variety of associated health benefits, including its ability to help reduce weight, boost overall metabolism, speed up repair and growth throughout the body, build strong bones, reduce the risk of various chronic diseases, lower triglyceride levels, prevent arthritis, protect against cognitive decline, prevent various types of cancer, reduce signs of aging, boost the health of your hair, and strengthen your immune system. It is a very good source of protein.Β It's no coincidence that fish-eating Inuit populations in the Arctic have low levels of heart disease; seafood is low in saturated fat and high in omega-3, (which can both) protect the heart from disease and lower the amount of cholesterol in the blood. One study has even suggested that an extra portion of fish every week can cut risk of heart disease in half. Eating oil-rich fish regularly can help to keep the eyes bright and healthy.