My father's love for eggs is legendary. When I say legendary I am not merely using a hyperbole. I mean it. My uncle, my father's elder brother, recalls how once my father, then a child of six, had agreed to accompany an absolute stranger for eggs. The man had tried to lure him with the promise of logense (candy) but my father knew how to negotiate. Four boiled eggs he said, then I'll go. Luckily the said stranger was a friend of my grandfather. Phew.
During his teenage years, father spent most of his holidays and weekends at our ancestral home in Serampore, a former Dutch colony in the Hooghly district of Bengal. Back then, in that house, a mansion really, 30 people, (yes it was a big family, still is) would sit down to dinner, in the huge covered courtyard, together. Fridays were Egg Curry Day. And it was a rule that one egg would be served per person. Only my father, the youngest in the family, got two. But that wasn't assurance enough for his cousins. The two people who sat on either side of my dad, had to maintain a strict vigil on their plates. A moment's distraction could mean they would have to do gravy and potatoes that night.
And a few years ago, at our dinner table, I had witnessed one of the noisiest fight between my father and my aunt, his sister. It was over eggs. Well, she had left the table to get some salt and on her plate she had left behind an egg, boiled and fried, laced in onion and tomato gray. My aunt's favourite dish - Dim'er Kalia. When she returned the egg had disappeared and so had my father! He is like a child when it comes to eggs. You should have seen his face when a couple of years ago the family physician advised he gives up eggs, and if not he must stick to egg whites. Anyway, though Dad likes eggs in all forms, he loves scrambled eggs the best. My Mum has mastered the art of scrambling eggs. I love them too. But I get bored easily and though I like scrambled eggs, I am not satisfied with the traditional versions. I want more. And I experiment often.
A few days ago, a member of a very popular Facebook forum for food lovers, asked for out-of-the-box ideas for scrambled eggs. That got me thinking. And I decided to work on this post. This can work as your scrambled eggs journal. Even if you have scrambled eggs every day of the week, you won;t get bored with these seven wonderful recipes. The ingredients are simple and available at home but the flavours are far from regular.
Hope you like it. By the way, do you have your own unique way of making scrambled eggs? Please share your ideas in the comments section.
Cheers!
Chettinad Scrambled Eggs: I love flavours from the South of India and I am a die hard fan of Chettinad Cuisine, the complexity of spices the cuisine entails and well, the peppery zing, The sight of mustard, curry leaves and Urad dal spluttering in hot oil gets my heart racing and the aroma leaves me salivating like a dog. So, it goes without saying that this is one of my favourite ways to make scrambled eggs. It's something I tried only recently and have been hooked ever since. Click for Recipe
Oregano scrambled eggs with potatoes and onions: I love the idea of eggs and potatoes fried together. I am crazy about tortilla. This one time my friend went on a holiday to Spain and took cooking lessons in Seville. For days after she returned I pestered her to make me Tortilla, deal, the original until she finally did. I had my eyes on the Chorizo she had brought back and that went into the Tortilla too. Anyway, so this avatar of the humble scrambled eggs is inspired by the Tortilla. I have added some Piri Piri chilies to up the heat quotient! Read Recipe here.
Akoori: This one is a classic. A Parsi staple and a perennial favourite. Loaded with finely chopped onions, tomatoes and coriander leaves, spiced with a hint of cumin, and cooked to a creamy consistency, Akoori, accompanied with some parathas or rotis make for a wonderful Sunday brunch. Have it hot, right out of the pan. Read recipe here
Oriental Style Scrambled Eggs: This, perhaps tops my list of favourites. Eggs fried and scrambled, with soy sauce, ginger and spring onions.You can have it on toast or have it the way I like it...on plain rice. Add a dash of extra soy sauce, some pickled chilies and vinegar and top it up with some toasted sesame seeds for that bite. Add some shredded boiled chicken to your bowl and you have a wholesome meal! Sometimes I even add caramelised sesame seeds. It simply changes the dynamics of the dish I tell you. Read Recipe here.
Cheese and Tortilla Scrambled Eggs: This one is a fiesta on a platter. It's both a flavour fest and a colour burst on a skillet. I first saw a tortilla scrambled eggs on a Nigella Lawson show.But it was too simple for my taste. I am known for going over board! So I took it and made it my own. Bell peppers, tomatoes, shredded chicken, Mozzarella and homemade tortilla cut in thin strips, laced in creamy scrambled eggs. This Mexican inspired scrambled eggs gala is for those who live it up big and colourful. I prefer to give it a rustic touch and serve it on the very skillet it is cooked. Great to put together for a big gang, after a night long of intoxicated carousing. Works for my hangovers too...somehow! Click for Recipe
Doi Shorshe Scrambled Eggs: This is the simplest of the lot. So while I was making a list of all the different kinds of scrambled eggs I would make for this series I realised while I had different kinds inspired by different cuisines across the country and from around the world, there was nothing with a touch of Bengal. So, I concocted one myself. Bengali cuisine is synonymous with mustard oil. Now in Bengal an omlette is often fried in mustard oil. By the way we are known to call our Omlettes, Mumlettes.Yeah, so I made scrambled eggs in mustard oil and added to it a little Kasundi, a typical Bengali Mustard relish. And instead of whisking the milk with cream or milk, I used yoghurt. The result was fluffy, soft scrambled eggs with a pungent kick that'll keep you asking for more! Click for Recipe
Sweet Caramel Scrambled Eggs: Enough for sapidity, time to After tossing up 6 different savoury scrambled eggs, I reckoned one sweet version was due. So, I tossed up one. I was guided by pure whim while making this one, but I liked the result. You know it is the closest you can get to an instant caramel pudding. A mound of soft sweet flakes of egg and the luscious caramel oozing out from here and there. I loved it alright. Serve it with fresh fruits and cream for a sweet breakfast. Read Recipe here
