Monday, November 17, 2014

Indian-Spiced Hash and Omelet

We had a week marred by coughs and colds. Random khichdis and soups dominated the dinner menu all week. With cough syrup for dessert. On Sunday I pulled myself up by the bootstraps and made some eggs and potatoes for breakfast. This is a standard breakfast on this continent, for sure, but with some help from the masala dabba to give it some sinus-clearing oomph.

Two Potato Hash

1. Heat 2 tbsp. oil/ghee in a cast iron pan.
2. Add 1 diced medium onion, a sprig of curry leaves, 3 cloves minced garlic, 1 tbsp. cumin-coriander powder, 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder and 1/2 tsp. red chili powder (or more to taste). Stir fry for a minute or two.
3. Add 2 medium potatoes and 1 sweet potato, all evenly diced (no need to peel unless the peel is too thick).
4. Stir to coat the potatoes with spices and cook on medium-low heat until potatoes are tender and browned.

Masala Omelet

When a friend visited last Christmas and offered to make breakfast for our crowd, she made one giant omelet instead of making several small ones. So clever. I've used her method here.







1. Beat 5 large eggs.
2. Add 2 tbsp. minced onion, 1/4 cup minced cilantro, salt and pepper to the beaten eggs. Add some minced green chilies if you like the heat.
3. Heat 1 tbsp. oil/butter in a 12 inch nonstick skillet.
4. When oil is hot, add egg mixture and swirl around to spread evenly.
5. Scatter with 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
6. Reduce heat to low and cover skillet.
7. Cook for a few minutes until the eggs are set.

Cut omelet into wedges and serve with the potato hash. There you go- a sunny breakfast for the perfectly lazy morning.


Last week, I got a few requests for the cabbage raita recipe; you'll see it updated at the end of this post.

What did you do this weekend? See you Monday week with some book reviews and a few book giveaways!

28 comments:

  1. Hope you all feel better soon. I love the egg and potatoes combo, two of my favorite ingredients makes it a happy meal for me. :-)

    This weekend we had hubby's best friend visit us from Arizona and to make up for cold snowy weather here I made a spicy indian meal - Saoji egg curry, green beans- black chana in undhiyo masala, beetroot and roasted corn raita, kokum kadhi, a colorful veg pulao cooked in coconut milk with hints of pudina and hot hot chapatis served off the tava. We ended the meal with a rich alphonso mango sheera topped with roasted cashewnuts. We were so lost in endless chatter and loud laughs that we didn't even realize we have a big snow storm outside until it was time for him to leave. There were 7 accidents on our way to the airport. Bad bad weather.

    - Priti

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    1. Oh man your meal sounds outrageously good! On the other hand the weather sounds frightening. Please take care- winter is rough in your neck of the woods.

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  2. Hope you're feeling better soon. For me varan bhat batata bhaji is my patent comfort food in sickness. The second thing is a shudh desi masala omlet :) Love the idea of doing one large one for company.
    It was a lovely crisp but sunny weekend here in California, so we took my husband's folks who are visiting to the local (and fabulous) Ferry Building farmer's market. They loved seeing all the gorgeous produce and loved the whole, sample-as-you-go food/drink setup, It was a fun day.

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    1. Sharmila- I ran out of toor dal, would you believe it? I've heard so much of the fabulous Farmers' Markets of Cali- someday I hope to visit.

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  3. Hope you are all well now! My favourite cough syrup is pounded ginger and cloves and lemon juice added to honey, left for a couple of hours and then sipped as necessary. With the omelet, do you flip it or not? Shubha

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    1. You don't flip the omelet, Shubha, that's what makes it super easy.

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  4. Cough syrup for dessert, ouch!
    Hope that all all of you are feeling better :)

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    1. MUCH better! That was a nasty virus- whew.

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  5. Get well soon Nupur! Try mixing some eucalyptus essential oil in a carrier oil of your choice and rubbing it near your nostrils, on your forehead, and most importantly on the soles of your feet. Also mix some honey and ginger in warm water and sip. A few drops of eucalyptus oil added to steaming hot water and inhaled clears all congestion and feels very good.

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  6. aww..hope you feel better soon. I dont do eggs, but the potato hash sounds divine and coupled with some varan-bhat-ghee will be the ultimate winter comfort food for me :)
    Weekend I was in austin for work. It was horrible weather in austin (a cold wave) so could not do a lot of outdoorsy stuff there. We did manage to visit the san antonio river walk and the Capitol while there. I also ate a LOT of tex mex food the entire week I was in texas, and must have put on atleast couple of pounds in avocado weight.
    Hope you feel better soon. You can try Alepak (ginger-lemon-sugar simmered into a candy) for your cold if it is still there.

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    1. Wow, tex mex food sounds like a real treat, and I can easily eat my own weight in avocados ;)

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  7. Coughs and colds are no fun. Hope you're all feeling better. Indian style omelet is loved in my house as well.
    We had our neighbors over for brunch on Saturday. I served kothimbir vadi, and idli-sambar-chutney, and fresh fruits.

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    1. That's a super brunch menu! Kothimbir vadi is a great idea to include in the meal. In fact, I have lots of cilantro and should probably make some.

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  8. Hope you guys have recovered from cough and cold, don't think the weather is cooperating either. It's just freezing here but we were spred from the snow. How about you guys?
    Masala omlette looks like our Indian version of frittata. We are egg loving family and I'm sure we'll love this dish.

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    1. We had a cold wave, Pavani, it was freezing and nasty! Of course you'll laugh at the temps that are called "cold wave" in GA. But still.

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  9. Our household is currently in the middle of a nasty cough and cold bout. I swear by elderberry syrup for colds, I make it at home with dried elderberries. It's delicious so, the kids don't think of it as medicine.
    I made something similar last night but scrambled the eggs, made waffles too. Breakfast for dinner is always a hit. Made yeast waffles, that recipe is such a keeper, love the super light, crunchy and airy waffles. I followed smittenkitchen's recipe.

    -Anu

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    1. I'll have to find some elderberries, Anu! Yeast waffles are awesome, nothing tastes that crisp and light.

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  10. I'm making this omelet tomorrow! I worked last weekend. Yes, it's been snowing here- it's feels like the thick of winter. All this Christmas stuff doesn't even feel inappropriate with the weather... Have a happy weekend! R.

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    1. Hope you don't have to work over Thanksgiving!

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  11. Love the idea of the sweet potato added to the potato hash. Sunday breakfasts are much loved in our house. Apart from the usual suspects ( eggs, sausages, hashed browns) we often like to add baked beans. I find baked beans on their own too sweet- we spice it up with chopped green chili and cilantro.
    Best Arpita.

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    1. Sweet potato added wonderful flavor, Arpita. Baked beans are my favorite, I too have to doctor it to cut the sweetness. Have been meaning to make them from scratch sometime.

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  12. I hope you are feeling better Nupur and Yay! you made my favorite breakfast combo. In other news, I moved to NYC couple of weeks ago and slowly getting accustomed to this crazy city. :-)

    Love,
    Siri

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    1. YAY, I do so loved living in NYC and hope you find it fun too. I mean, how could you not? :) Good luck!!

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  13. Hope you and your family are feeling much better. Adding Indian Masada to the bland potato hash is such a brilliant idea.. keep it coming and hope you all get well soon to enjoy the upcoming holidays

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    1. I'm SO much better, Ashwini. The virus made me quite miserable for a week or two but all is OK now.

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  14. Is there a substitute for the curry leaves? can you use curry powder? I am not sure where I would find curry leaves. janece

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    1. You can just leave out the curry leaves. The dish will still be tasty. By the way, curry leaves are sold in Indian grocery stores, if you happen to have one near you. They are sprigs with fresh green leaves with a nice savory aroma.

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