The Miracle Mayo

I'm not really a fan of mayonnaise. In fact, I quite dislike it. But my kids love it. Seriously love it. I'm super picky that they don't eat a lot of mayo because I think it isn't healthy. I've also been on a major non-prepared foods phase, which has resulted in us making our own peanut butter, jam and mayo at home. We have also started making our own pasta and pesto. Soon we will be making our own bread. (I haven't quite perfected the perfect sandwich bread).

I've also started buying completely organic pasteurized milk, growing my own vegetables at home and buying any extra vegetables we need only from known farms that are local. I've also started composting our kitchen waste for our rooftop garden.

I came across this recipe in a Saveur magazine and decided I simply must try it since all our attempts at making mayo have utterly failed. Well, this one worked like a charm. Now I must say that it doesn't always work. I have no idea why, but sometimes when I follow the exact same steps, it just doesn't emulsify. But sometimes, it works like a dream.

Saveur's 20-second Mayonnaise
(recipe from Saveur)

1.5 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard (I don't always use Dijon)
1/2 tsp Salt
1 Egg
2 cups Canola Oil.

Put all the ingredients into a tall slender container. Lower an immersion blender into the container until its at the bottom. Turn it on and blend for 3-4 seconds and slowly bring it up, incorporating all the ingredients until it begins to emulsify and turn into mayo. The whole process takes about 20 seconds when its done right.

I have sometimes experimented by adding flavors to the mayo, like chilli powder or lemon rind, and it tastes great.

Enjoy.

Pasta with Brown Butter Sauce

Have you made brown butter? Don't think about the calories for once and go make this sauce. It's one of the best things you would've done. And you can always just smell, taste and then feed your hungry family, friends and neighbors. And let me tell you, they'll come asking when they smell that sauce.

Brown butter is exactly what it sounds like. You cook the butter down until it turns brown and caramel-ly and nutty and sweet and well...It's taking butter to a whole new level.

Well, try this recipe and you won't be sorry. It's a No Regret Move, as the consultants say.

Pasta with Brown Butter Sauce
(Recipe from Saveur)

8 oz Pasta, any kind will do. I used bucatini.
1 cup Butter (I know. It's not for the faint of heart, but trust me)
3/4 cup Pine nuts
4 Eggs
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Freshly ground Pepper, to taste

Cook the pasta until al dente and keep aside, reserving about half a cup of the pasta water as well.

Melt the butter on low-medium heat in a large pan. Add the pine nuts and stir until they turn golden brown. Remove the nuts with a slotted spoon. Now crack the eggs 1 or 2 at a time into the pan. Keep scooping the butter over the eggs until cooked. The recipe calls for fried eggs with a runny yolk, but I'm super scared of the infections that uncooked eggs can bring in India, so I turned it over and cooked it through. (Though I can just imagine that the runny yolk mixing in with the brown butter and coating the pasta must be just amazing).

Carefully remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and keep covered, and warm.

Now add the pasta, half the pine nuts and all the reserved pasta water. Toss to combine and heat pasta. Ladle the pasta into serving bowls, top with a fried egg, a sprinkle of the remaining pine nuts and some Parmesan. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper.

Kerala Egg Curry

Kerala Egg Curry

5 Pearl Onions
1 tsp Ginger Paste
1 tsp Garlic Paste
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 Cardamom
1 Clove
1 Tomato, chopped
1 Bay Leaf
2 small Onions, chopped
2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Salt
1 cup Potatoes, cooked
1 cup Peas, cooked
1/4 cup Coconut Milk
6 Eggs, hard boiled, sliced halfway

Grind the pearl onions, ginger, garlic, chilli powder, coriander powder, cardamom, clove and tomatoes. In a little oil, fry the bay leaves till brown. Add chopped onions, sugar and saute till onions become brown. Then add the ground paste, turmeric and salt. Keep stirring till it becomes dark. Now add the veggies. Add one cup of water and let it boil for a few minutes.
Add the coconut milk and eggs.

Egg curry is wonderful with rice and rotis. Other egg curries in this blog: traditional egg curry, egg curry.

Egg Salad

Sometimes, you get referred to new blogs. And sometimes, you come across them by pure chance. But a sure-fire way to find great blogs is to sign up for the Taste & Create event hosted by Nicole over at For The Love Of Food.

I was paired with Kaytie and Drew of Tiny Biscuits. Their food is nothing short of amazing. And the writing is light and interesting. Being vegetarian was not a problem - there was such a variety of great recipes, that it was just a question of choosing the right one. I was intrigued by this recipe because they had eaten it with naan, an Indian flatbread. I've never tried that combination before - egg salad and naan!

The egg salad itself was incredible! They says its slightly better than the one her mom makes - and let me say, its far better than the one I make! I've never had egg salad with olives before and to blend in cheese is sheer genius! Thanks Kaytie and Drew for a keeper of a recipe.


Incredible Egg Salad
(recipe from Tiny Biscuits)

6 eggs

1/2 cup Mayonnaise (I used low-fat)

1 piece of Laughing Cow garlic & herb cheese (I used 2 tbsp of Boursin Garlic & Herb Cheese - we don't get Laughing Cow here in India)

1/2 teaspoon mustard (I used French grainy Mustard)

squeeze of fresh lemon juice

black olives (I added about 3-4 olives cut fine)

green onions, chopped (I added a 2 tsp of finely minced greens)

Boil the eggs. Let it cool, shell the eggs and chop into small pieces.

Blend the cheese, mustard, mayonnaise and lemon juice together. Toss the egg with the cheese dressing. Add in the olives and garnish with the minced spring onion greens.

Try it with the naan - its actually a great combination - who would've thought! Thanks, Kaytie and Drew!

Traditional Egg Curry

A few days ago, I had posted a non-traditional way we make egg curry at home. And then I realized that I'd never actually written about how to make a traditional egg curry. Usually, eggs are hard boiled and then mixed in with a spicy curry. The non-traditional way is great in terms of flavor, as the eggs soak up the curry. But the traditional egg curry is a quick-fix curry and great when you're short on time.



Traditional Egg Curry

5 Shallots
1 tsp Ginger, ground
1 tsp Garlic, ground
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Coriander, ground
1 Cardamom
1 Clove

1 Tomato, chopped
1 Bay Leaf
2 small Onions, chopped
2 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp Salt

1 cup Potatoes, cooked, skinned and chopped (optional)
1 cup Peas, cooked (optional)
1/4 cup Coconut Milk

6 Eggs, hard boiled, sliced halfway lengthwise

Grind the shallots, ginger, garlic, chilli powder, coriander powder, cardamom, clove and tomatoes. Keep aside.

Heat a little oil in a pan, add the bay leaf and fry till brown. Add the chopped onions, sugar and stir fry until the onions start to turn brown. Add the ground paste, turmeric and salt. Keep stirring until the mixture becomes a very dark brown. Now add the cooked vegetables. Add one cup of water and let it come to a boil. Cook for a few minutes.

Add the coconut milk and eggs, stir once and remove from heat.

Serve warm with rice and/or rotis.


Check out my fellow marathoners:
DK, Siri, Srivalli, Ranji, PJ, Curry Leaf, Medha, Priya, Bhawna, Raaji, Ruchii, Kamala, Roopa, Divya Kudua, Rekha, Divya, Lakshmi, Raaga, Lakshmi, Sripriya, Viji, Kamalika, Pavani, Karuna and Roochi.

Egg Curry

We had some friends over for dinner the other night and I wanted to make something that the vegetarians and the definitely-not-vegetarians would both enjoy. The usual egg curry is great and everyone enjoys it, but this time I tried something different which was actually more appreciated than the usual.


Egg Curry

For the eggs:

5 Eggs
2 large Onions, chopped fine
1 Green Chilli, chopped fine
2-3 Curry Leaves, chopped fine
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
3 tbsp ground coconut
1 tbsp Rice Flour

Combine all the above ingredients and beat very well. Pour the mixture, a ladle at a time, into a heated Aebleskiver pan (kuzhi paniyaram pan).


Let the mixture cook for a few minutes and then turn over and cook for a few more minutes until done. Keep aside.


For the curry:

2 + 1 Onions, chopped
2 + 1 Tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp Red Chilli Powder
4 tbsp Coriander Powder
2 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Coriander Seeds
1 pinch Turmeric Powder

tempering: 1/4 tsp each cinnamon powder, cloves, curry leaves, mustard seeds, fenugreek and urad dal.

Grind together 1 tomato and 1 onion and set aside.

Heat the oil in a pan and add the tempering ingredients. When the mustard seeds begin to splutter, add the chopped tomato and onion and saute very well until soft and browned. Add the ground tomato and onion and saute again well until absorbed and soft. Add the rest of the ingredients for the curry and about 2 cups water. Let it come to a boil over medium-low heat until well combined and starting to thicken and reduce.


Add the cooked egg and salt and let it cook together for 5-7 minutes. For a richer flavor, you could add 1-2 tbsp coconut milk. Serve with rice.

I think this kind of Indian curry is better than the ones with the boiled eggs because the eggs soak up the flavor of the curry and have lots of flavor of their own as well. A little time consuming but well worth the effort.


Who would've thought that we'd have 26 marathoners running this time. Amazing. Check them out at:
DK, Siri, Srivalli, Ranji, PJ, Curry Leaf, Medha, Priya, Bhawna, Raaji, Ruchii, Kamala, Roopa, Divya Kudua, Rekha, Divya, Lakshmi, Raaga, Lakshmi, Sripriya, Viji, Kamalika, Pavani, Karuna and Roochi.

Frittatas

I saw these great frittatas in Stephanie's Kitchen, and I wanted to reach in and grab one! It all sounded so simple, and I made a veggie version for breakfast this morning. They are delicious and simple and fun for kids too.


Mini Frittatas

4 eggs
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Cheese of your choice
2 tbsp Milk
2 tbsp Mushrooms, chopped
2 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Beat the eggs well. Add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine.

Pour into greased mini muffin pans. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 180 deg C.

Thanks, Stephanie, for a great recipe!

Spicy Parotta with Eggs

Parottas are different from the popular Indian paratha. Parottas are flaky rotis or layered breads, which are originally from the state of Kerala.

In India, street vendors often sell a spicy version of these parottas called Kothu Parotta. They are shredded and then tossed with spices, vegetables, eggs and most often, meat. I have tried to make a vegetarian version here with eggs. It's a great meal and one that is very popular in India.

Kothu Parotta with Eggs
(recipe originally from here)

5 Kerala Parottas, shredded into bite-sized pieces (frozen Kerala Parottas are sold in most Indian grocery stores. If you can't find it, use pre-made rotis or parathas. To make the parottas, here are two links I found very helpful - Foodie's Hope and Cinnamon Trail).

1 Onion, chopped
1 Tomato, chopped
3 Eggs, beaten
2 Green Chillies, split lengthwise

1 tbsp Chilli Powder
1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Pepper powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Salt

3-4 Curry Leaves
Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Heat some oil in a saucepan. Toss in the curry leaves, green chillies and onions and stir fry until onions are browned. Now add the ginger-garlic paste and powders. Stir fry until the raw ginger smell disappears.

Add the tomato and stir fry until the tomato is cooked. Pour in the beaten eggs and scramble with the mixture, until 3/4 done.


Add the salt and shredded parotta and mix to combine. Garnish with cilantro leaves.


This is a complete meal in itself and extremely addictive, so eat with care!

Simple Fried Rice

When my dear friend, DK, announced that China was the destination for this month's AWED, I really didn't know what I could contribute. I've tried very hard to replicate Chinese flavors at home, without much success - it always seems to require ingredients that I end up substituting, and then it just never tastes the same.

I love spicy food, but when it comes to Chinese, I'm not a huge Indian Chinese person. I much prefer stir fried Bok Choy and Greens to Cauliflower Manchurian. This is one of the staples we used to make - a very simple fried rice, which was always well appreciated.


Simple Fried Rice

1.5 cups cooked long grain Rice (chilled overnight in the refrigerator (leftovers are perfect) - the rice needs to be cold. I used Basmati)
3/4 cup or more Bean Sprouts
2-3 cloves Garlic, chopped
2 tsp Soy Sauce
2-3 Spring Onions (white and green parts chopped separately)
1/2 cup Mushrooms (I used button, but shiitake are preferable)
1 Egg, beaten with a tsp of water

Heat a tsp of sesame oil in a pan. When hot add the garlic, white parts of the spring onions, mushrooms and soy sauce. Stir fry until mushrooms are cooked. Remove from heat and keep aside.


Add the egg to the pan and swirl around to form a very thin layer. Let it set (about a minute), then gently slide off the pan and roll into a cigar shape. Cut cross-wise to form the restaurant-style strips.


Now add the cold rice to the pan, saute for a minute and then add the mushroom mixture. Toss with the rice for about 2 minutes until combined. Add the egg and toss through. I like to add some more bean sprouts at this point to add some crunchiness, but its completely optional. Now add the chopped green parts of the spring onion.


Serve with stir-fried greens.


This rice can obviously be made very personal by adding or subtracting any of the veggies. It tastes great with peas, carrots as well. Feel free to leave out the mushrooms or eggs if you don't enjoy them. This is a very basic recipe that can be easily customized for your taste.

Deviled Eggs with Wasabi

The taste of wasabi is indescribable. It's like someone punched you in the face and then your brain starts seeping out of your eyes, nose and ears! :) You want to jump up and scream, and you feel like you are going to explode, but the taste passes all too soon and then you just want to have more! I've loved wasabi from the first moment I tried it.

Here's some pictures which perfectly describe how I felt when I had wasabi for the first time (do check out that link - its amazingly perfect and funny!).

So when KayKat of Cooking from A to Z, announced wasabi as this month's chosen theme for the Think Spice event, I immediately started my search for wasabi in Chennai. I finally did find a tube of the paste. I've had fresh Wasabi several times, and it doesn't compare to the paste, but, in a pinch, it's quite good.


Inspired by Kalyn, Coconut & Lime and Epicurean, I ventured out to make my own version.

Deviled Eggs with Wasabi

4 Eggs, hard boiled
3 tbsp Mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp Wasabi paste
1 tbsp Mustard (I used French Mustard)
3 tbsp Sesame Seeds, toasted
Salt, to taste


First boil the eggs, and set aside to cool. Peel them and cut in half vertically.

Scoop the yolks out and put them in a bowl with the wasabi, mayo and mustard. Mix to combine, making a thick paste. Add salt as needed.


Pipe or spoon the mixture into the egg whites. I scooped the mixture into a Ziploc bag, cut a tiny bit off the corner, and piped the mixture through into the egg whites.

(was trying to pipe and click at the same time!)

Garnish with roasted sesame seeds.


They were just delicious!! I've never made deviled eggs and have always wanted to try. The mixture had the right amount of kick with the wasabi.

For the Chennai folks: S&B Wasabi is available at Maison de Gourmet.

Spaetzle

My love affair with spaetzle started years ago when I went to visit a friend in Germany. We were having lunch in a lovely little restaurant and spaetzle was one of my options as a vegetarian. It tasted lovely - thick egg pasta with a lovely butter and herb sauce. When I came back from my holiday, I searched everywhere in the US to find German restaurants that served spaetzle and though I found a few, they were never as good.

I bought dried spaetzle from specialty grocery stores and tried to recreate it at home, but there's no substitute for fresh pasta, is there?

On the other side of this story, a friend and I have been talking about how it would be incredible if we could make our own pasta at home. I decided I just had to try before deeming it too difficult. And my favorite kind of pasta has to be spaetzle.

I came across the most wonderful recipe in a blog that I read religiously, Eating Out Loud. Allen whips up the most delicious food and makes it all sound so easy, his photographs are great and his writing is so simple and straightforward, that you want to go back to the beginning and read every single post of his.

And, thanks Allen for this recipe because it was perfect and as easy as you described. The spaetzle was outstanding, and I can never go back to eating the store-bought version.

Spaetzle
(original recipe here)

I made a few changes to the recipe - I wanted to recreate the butter and herb sauce, so I omitted the veggies and the poached egg. And we had this for dinner as a full meal. But the basic dough remains the same:

1 cup All-purpose Flour
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Milk
Salt, to taste

First set a saucepan to simmer with salted water.

Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs and milk.


Start slowly folding in the flour, eggs and milk from the inside out, until everything is fully combined. The dough will have a sticky consistency. Set aside the dough for 15-20 minutes.


Now came the part I was dreading. You have to squeeze the dough out of a press and into the boiling water. The general way to do it (in lieu of a special spaetzle maker) is to press the dough through a wide-holed colander into the boiling water. I tried this and got pasta that looked quite bad (it still tasted great, but looked nothing like spaetzle). And then my husband had a brilliant idea to use a Murukku Maker. Murukku is a south Indian fried snack that also requires a special mold which is somewhat like a noodle maker. You can read more about it here.



I tried it with the Murukku mold with fantastic results. I now had noodle-shaped pasta floating in the boiling water (looked a little too much like worms!). Now you have to wait for about 3-5 minutes while the pasta gets cooked and starts rising to the top.


Once its at the top of the water, skim it off and put it into a cold water bath. Let them chill for a bit to stop the cooking. This part seems to be optional - some sites suggest it, while others don't seem to do it.


Heat a saute pan with some butter and minced garlic. Add the pasta and toss around until coated and slightly browned. I added a blend of dried herbs and sauteed for a little while (about 5 minutes).


Plate and serve warm with cheese sprinkled on top (I shaved some Parmesan on top). Its absolutely authentic-tasting and so easy! Do try it at home - it's a keeper!

Want a closer look?


(I also found these sites to be very useful for the actual step-by-step photos - check here and here).

Mango Salsa

Mango Madness is right ... more like Mad that there aren't any mangoes yet! I guess according to the mangoes, summer hasn't truly begun (the weather begs to differ...!). I bought one mango, fully ripened at Rs. 20 (about $0.50), which is still a lot for a mango - just because I couldn't wait any longer. And I used it to make this mango salsa!!

So here goes a precious mango over to Arundati at Escapades for her WBB's Mango Madness. Hopefully, by the time the round-up happens, there'll be lots of mangoes in the market to use! WBB was originally started by Nandita at Saffron Trail.



Mango Salsa for Breakfast

For the Salsa:
1.5 cups ripe Mango, diced
1 red Onion, chopped
1 Cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1/4 cup fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Hot Sauce (I used Sriracha)
Salt and Pepper, to taste

For the Wrap:
3-4 Rotis/ Chapattis or Tortillas
3-4 Eggs, scrambled soft

Mix everything together for the salsa. Let it rest covered in the refrigerator for about 1/2 hour for the flavors to combine.

To assemble, just lay some eggs in the middle of a tortilla. Cover with mango salsa. Enjoy.

Didn't realize that mango salsa would taste good with eggs - it does! The only thing I would change next time is to dice the mango and the cucumber a little smaller.