Kerala-Inspired Egg Curry

I always keep a dozen eggs in the fridge at all times, so when I need to make an emergency supper with no time to shop for meat or fish, I inevitably make an egg curry. My most oft-used recipe is the classic egg curry I grew up eating—made with simple whole garam masala and onions. But in the last few years, I’ve experimented with various spice combinations and have come up with this Kerala-inspired curry, which is fast-becoming my de facto favourite.

  
Ingredients
12–16 Eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
4 tbsp Vegetable oil
2 Onions, sliced
2 whole Cloves
2 whole Cardamom pods
1 Cinnamon stick
2 Bay leaves
1 Tomato, chopped
1 tsp Turmeric powder
3-4 tsp Chilli powder (to taste)
2 tbsp ground Coriander
1 tsp ground Cumin
1 tbsp Fennel seeds, crushed
1 tsp fresh ground Black pepper
1 tbsp fresh ground Ginger
1 tbsp fresh ground Garlic
½ cup coconut milk
½ cup water
Salt (to taste)
1 tbsp Mustard oil
3 tbsp whole Black Mustard
10-12 fresh Curry leaves (Sweet Neem leaves)

1. Hard boil eggs, peel the shells and set aside. 
2. Heat vegetable oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over high heat. Add onions, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaves, and fry for 7–10 mins until golden brown and well caramelized. 
3. Add tomatoes and fry for 5 mins. Add turmeric, chilli powder, coriander, cumin, fennel and black pepper, stir well and fry for 3–5 mins. Add ginger and garlic and continue frying for another 5 mins, until the oil separates from the spice mixture. 
4. Add eggs and stir to coat the eggs with the spices thoroughly. Add coconut milk, water and salt, stir, put the lid on and bring to a brisk boil. Then turn the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 35–40 mins, until the oil separates from the curry and thick, pliant gravy is formed. Turn off heat. 
5. In a large skillet or frying pan, heat mustard oil over high heat until the oil is smoking. Add mustard and curry leaves and briskly fry for 2–3 mins until the mustard starts to sputter. Remove from heat and pour the mustard and curry leaves, oil and all, into the pot with egg curry. Stir well, and let sit covered for 15–20 mins before serving.

Emergency Frittata

I had family visiting this past weekend, and when I opened the fridge on Sunday morning to make breakfast, I realized I had only 5 eggs left—not enough to feed 4 hungry mouths. No worries, no panic, my emergency, suits-all-palates, quick-as-a-lark frittata recipe came in handy and saved the day as it has done numerous times before.

A frittata is basically a one-pan egg pie and it’s great filled with leftover odds and ends from the fridge. I’ve tried all kinds of combinations of vegetables, meats and cheeses, and somehow it always comes out fluffy, golden and delicious. The process is super simple:

1. Fry sausage/bacon in a frying pan or skillet.
2. Add vegetables and sauté.
3. Beat eggs with milk (1 cup for every 6 eggs), salt, pepper and any herbs, pour into pan over meats and vegetables, and cook for 2-3 minutes until the egg starts to bubble gently on the surface.
4. Top with grated cheese and bake in a 375ºF preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the frittata has risen and the top is golden brown. 

On Sunday, I did a combo of sage sausage, pancetta, (leftover) stir-fried lima beans, parsley and parmesan cheese. These are a few more of my favourite variations that I’ve made in the past:

• Chorizo-Asparagus-Goat Cheese (cut raw asparagus in 2" pieces and after adding to pan, saute for 3-5 mins until cooked through; unless you're using leftovers from the fridge!)
• Potato-Salami-Chives-Parmesan (this is great way to use-up leftover roasted potatoes)
• Bacon-Leeks-Gruyere cheese (slice leeks in large half-moon pieces like onions)
• Spinach-Tomatoes-Ricotta cheese 
• Prosciutto-Arugula-Parmesan (in this combo, I add the arugula and prosciutto on the top after the frittata comes out of the oven—almost like a pizza topping.)