Omelette A La Mexicana

I am sure that you all would have gone through this phase of packing, moving, unpacking and setting up a new home. We just moved in a new apartment on last Saturday and are now sitting amidst a sea of cardboard cartons. What did we set up first? Well, the kitchen and the living room of course! However, to tell you the truth, the past few days have been extremely tiring. What comes out of this state of exhaustion…an excuse to eat out! We found this Mexican place in a complex nearby and decided to check it out. We ordered a couple of crispy tacos and one quesadilla and they were delicious. The restaurant boasts five salsas, which are complementary with any entrée and since it was our first time there, we asked for a sampling of all five: Roja (Red), Verde (Green), La Famosa (the famous one-their version of pico de gallo), Chipotle and Habanero (extremely spicy chili).

Anyway, we could not finish all the salsas, so I mixed them all and put them in the refrigerator for later use. Last night, I had a brainwave; why not use them up in an omelette; and that is exactly what I did.

Ingredients

Eggs – 3

Chopped onion – 3 tbsps

Water – 2 tsps

Salsa mixture – 2 tbsps + more for spooning over the omelette

Oil – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Method

Beat together the eggs, water and salt, until frothy. Add the salsa and mix well. Add the oil to a pan and place it on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, pour the egg mixture, cover and let it cook until the eggs are no longer runny. Flip and cook the other side. Remove onto a plate, spoon some salsa over the omelette and serve with buttered toast. Bon Appétit.

Note: 

1) I did this to use up the left over salsa, but you could make your own salsa, or use store bought varieties to suit your palate. 

2) My iron skillet is still inside some box; else, I would have made a frittata. You could try that out.

Recipe sent to
Delicious Dish Tuesday Recipe Link Up 

Thank you so much Ashwini from http://indulge-ashscorner.blogspot.com/ for this wonderful award.

Corn Chaat: In Memoriam

Let's rewind six years and travel to Chennai; to the days when Gomathi and I used to work together. I used to park my two-wheeler in her house and we would then walk to work (approximately 20 minutes). Had we become health conscious? Yes. Was there any other intention? Yes. We would get that much more time to spend with each other, just like it was in college. An added bonus, a reward if you will, was an occasional pani puri or  bhel puri from a small Calcutta Chaat shop or corn chaat from vendors outside supermarkets like Nilgiris.

This recipe is in honor of those wonderful days!!!

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Corn kernels – 1 ¼ cups

Chopped onion – 2 tbsps

Chopped tomatoes – 1-2 tbsps (optional)

Chaat masala – 1 tsp (or to taste)

Finely chopped green chili – 1 tsp (optional)

Salt to taste

Lemon juice to taste

Chopped herbs (cilantro/mint) for garnish

Method

I used very tender sweet corn, so I did not cook it. But if you are using Indian corn, boil it as required.

Mix all the ingredients (except herbs) well, garnish with herbs and serve. Bon Appétit. 

Note

1. Visit Warm Salad for a Cold Night to see how to easily cut corn. 
2. You can increase the amount of onions and add green chilies if you please. The red onions I used were spicy and I did  not want the flavor to overpower the mild flavor of the corn.

Recipe linked to Delicious Dish Tuesday Recipe Link Up

       

Paruppu/dal Poli

Poli is a sweet that always makes my stomach go in knots. I have had varying degrees of luck with this dish. In total I have made this sweet about five to six times, but every time I make it my limbs are all crossed.

I made poli this time with the same kind of apprehension, but it turned out great.

Ingredients

Channa dal – 1 cup

Jaggery – 1 cup

Cardamom powder – a pinch

Grated coconut – 1 tbsp

Maida or all-purpose flour – 1 cup

Turmeric  powder – a pinch

Salt – a pinch

Gingely oil – 2 or 3 tbsp

Ghee – 2 or 3 tbsp

Method

Roast channa dal in a pan until it turns slightly brown. Soak the roasted dal in water for a couple of hours. Drain the dal and dry it using a paper towel. Once the dal is dry and grind it in a mixer to make a fine powder.

Mix maida, salt and water and knead to make a soft dough. Brush two or three spoons of gingely oil on top of the dough and keep it aside for a couple of hours.

In a saucepan, melt jaggery in a little water. Once the jaggery starts boiling, mix the ground dal powder and mix it nicely. Once the puran turns into a dough consistency, remove it from stove. Add cardamom powder and grated coconut.

Divide the maida dough and puran into equal parts. Oil a flat surface and spread one ball of maida evenly. Keep a ball of puran inside the spread maida and cover all the sides. Now make a flat bread using your finger tips. Cook the bread on a hot tawa. Use ghee to make the sides crisp.

Serve paruppu poli with warm milk or ghee.

Recipe linked to Delicious Dish Tuesday Recipe Link Up.