Bread and egg muffins (Breakfast muffins)

Hello ! Anybody still visiting this neglected space ? Its been in hibernation for a while, though it was totally unintentional. I just got terribly lazy and though I was cooking a lot, taking pictures and writing about it seemed like too much work. I really missed blogging though I was checking the blogs I follow regularly.



To restart after this long break, here are some breakfast muffins that I made last Sunday. If you like your toast and omlette, this is a slight spin off on that. Our Sundays are usually reserved for bread and eggs, masala omlette for TH, scrambled for me and usually its pancakes for my little boy.

I've seen a lot of these breakfast muffins on pinterest and last Sunday I finally made my version of breakfast muffins - bread and Indian style masala omlette in a muffin. And for my son, it was French toast muffins drizzled with honey.



What you need -

8 slices of bread (for 8 muffins)
6 eggs
1 large onion
1 tomato
1 bell pepper / capsicum
1 green chilli
1 tbsp coriander leaves
a pinch of turmeric powder
1/4 tsp chilli powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tbsps butter

What you do with it -

Cut the egdes of the bread and spread a little butter on each bread slice
Finely chop the onion, tomato, green chilli, coriander and capsicum
Break 5 eggs in a large bowl. Add turmeric powder, salt and pepper and beat well
Add the onion, tomato, chilli, capsicum and coriander and mix well
To make the sweet ones, beat the remaining egg in a bowl. Add sugar, vanilla essence and cinnamon powder
Pre heat the oven to 180 C
Grease a muffin pan with some butter and press down a bread slice in each cavity
Spoon in the egg mixture into each bread slice, ensuring that it does not overflow
Place the muffin tray in the oven and bake at 180 C for about 15-18 mins
We had the masala egg ones with ketchup and the sweet ones drizzled with some honey

Spinach Frittata

There was a unexpected drizzle this morning and it was most welcome, since it has started getting pretty warm for a couple of days now. There was this parent-educator meet at my son's school and he had the day off, which meant I didn't have to wake up at 5.30 in the morning !
To complement this lovely weather, and with the time I hand on hand in the morning, I decided to make a frittata.
Frittata is something between an omelette and a quiche. It has eggs, cheese, veggies / meat and is cooked in a pan and served as wedges, like in a quiche.



I made it with just four eggs for the three of us. Served it with some salad, oranges, toast and tea. After this breakfast, we were too full to think of lunch and then we were off to his school, which is a little far away. We had to meet all the teachers and by the time we were back home, it was almost 4 pm. Luckily this breakfast / brunch kept us going through more than half the day.
And the meeting with the teachers went off well, thankfully.

Its really simple to whip up and packed with protein, iron and calcium. Works as a great idea to pack in your lunch box too. You can get creative with what you'd like to add in this - mushrooms, cooked chicken, peppers / capsicum, onions, anything that you'd like. You need a round pan that's slightly deep, to cook this in, and you're all set.

I had lost a good number of pics in blogger and am still trying to take new pics and upload them in the posts. Here's one for a simple corn and methi pulao.

Spinach Frittata
(Serves 3)

What you need -

4 eggs
3-4 tbsp milk
2 tbsp grated cheese
salt (since there is cheese, go easy on the salt)
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 cup chopped spinach leaves
6-8 cherry tomatoes (optional)
1 tsp flour / maida (optional)
1-2 tsp olive oil

What you do with it -

Beat the eggs. If using the flour (just in case you are short on eggs), add it to the milk and then beat along with the eggs
You can easily omit the flour and just beat the eggs with the milk
Once the eggs are beaten well and is all fluffy, add the spinach, salt, pepper and cheese
Beat to combine all the ingredients
Chop the cherry tomatoes in half or use them whole
Heat a skillet / deep pan. I use a copper-bottom pan that's about 6" in diameter and about an inch deep.
Sprinkle the pan with some olive oil
Pour the entire egg mixture in the skillet and then place the cherry tomatoes over it
Add a few drops of olive oil at the sides
Allow it to cook on a low flame for about 10-12 mins, till the top settles well
If you are using a large pan, it may take longer to cook. It the top does not set, and the bottom is browned enough, you can allow it to bake in a oven for 2-3 mins just so you don't have the eggs very runny at the top
I covered the pan and allowed it to cook and it took about 12 mins
Cut in wedges and serve with a salad and some toast or just enjoy it as is

Kothu Parotta / South Indian style minced parottas with egg

Kothu Parotta. And yes, its Parotta, not the North Indian parantha / paratha, but the very South Indian parotta. We were in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, a southern Indian state, for a wedding, when I saw the roadside food stalls with boards of 'Parotta'. I imagined they had just got the spelling wrong, but then realised that this parotta is so completely different - its made of maida, its layered and flaky.



There were veech parottas that were thin and long and of course, the kothu parottas, in which the parotta is chopped and then thrown into a large wok with a lot of spices, onions, tomatoes, egg / meat, some gravy and served !

This was my very first time with a kothu parotta and I loved it ! I had the muttai kothu parotta, or egg kothu parotta. After that, I have made it at home a couple of times, with leftover parottas. Making parottas at home, is something I am still hoping to master. You could use frozen parottas, left over parottas or even, leftover chapatis. This dish uses up the leftover chapatis and makes for a quick dinner when you are too bored to cook something elaborate...



ID, the popular idli batter people in Bangalore, have come up with parottas now. I used this for making the kothu parotta

Kothu Parotta

What you need -

3 parottas
2 onions
2 eggs
1 tomato
1-2 green chillies
1" piece cinnamon
3-4 cloves
1 tsp saunf / fennel seeds
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
a pinch of turmeric powder
1/2 tsp dhania / coriander seed powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
2-3 tbsp milk
3-4 tbsp oil
handful of curry leaves

What you do with it -

If using frozen parottas, fry or microwave them as per the instructions
Cut the parottas in long strips and then diagonally, so you get diamond sized pieces, about an inch long
Put these pieces in a bowl and then sprinkle the milk over it. Keep it aside
Chop the onions, tomatoes, green chillies. Beat the eggs in a bowl and set aside
Beat the eggs and set aside
In a large work / deep pan, add a tbsp of oil, and then add the cinnamon, saunf, cloves
After a minute, add the green chillies, curry leaves and onions
Fry for 3-4 mins and then add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, dhania powder
Saute for a minute and then add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and garam masala
Add the beaten eggs and quickly scramble it. Allow it to cook for 2-3 mins, adding a tbsp or two of oil to it
Add the parotta pieces and stir well
Serve hot with a chutney or raita

Mangalorean Egg Curry

I just realised a couple of days back that I haven't made an egg curry in over a year, which is very strange because I really like it. Eggs have only got into some cake or muffins, and maybe some breakfast omelettes over the last one year !

I decided I just had to have egg curry for dinner and called up Ma for her recipe. She gave me this one. Its typically Mangalorean - its got coconut, red chillies, tamarind and coriander seeds, which is a standard base for so many Konkani dishes...

Had it with steamed rice and a salad and it felt like such a perfect meal...



What you need -

4 eggs
1/2 cup grated coconut
4-6 red chillies
1 stick cinnamon
3 cloves
1/2 inch piece ginger / 1/2 tsp ginger paste
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
5-8 curry leaves
1 medium onion
1 tomato
1 tsp mustard seeds

What you do with it -

Boil the eggs, allow it to cool
Peel and cut into half lengthwise
Heat oil in a small pan
Add the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and red chillies and fry taking care not to burn the chillies
Add the cinnamon, cloves, garlic, ginger and coconut and fry for two more minutes
Keep aside and allow it to cool
Then grind all the ingredients along with tamarind, using about 1/2 cup water into a smooth paste
Chop the onion and tomato into small pieces
In a pan, add a tsp of oil and the mustard seeds - allow it to splutter and then add the curry leaves, onions and tomatoes
Sauté till the onions are brownish and the tomatoes are squishy
Add the ground paste and salt and bring it to a boil, adding more water if required
Lower the flame and add the eggs
Boil for 2 more mins and take it off the heat
Serve hot with rice, parathas or bread

Goan Egg Curry

Most families from the Konkani speaking community have a 'family deity' temple in Goa. Goa, best known for its beaches, food and as a great holiday destination also houses a whole lot of temples and churches.
I remember my friends from school who would be so awed that Goa is my temple town !! Our 'kuladevi' (family deity) is Shantadurga and there is this really beautiful temple in Goa that we have often visited when we were kids.



Rice, coconut and fish is the staple food in most homes in Goa. The cooking styles of the Hindu and Catholic community in Goa varies slightly, in that, the Catholic style of cooking generally uses more vinegar. There is a lot of Potuguese influence in the this cuisine.
The Hindus do not eat fish/meat on Mondays ('Shivraak', the day they pray to Lord Shiva) and do not eat beef for religious reasons.
There are a lot of fresh spices used in this cuisine and along with the coconut, it adds a lot of flavour to any dish.

This recipe was written down in a big hurry, from a recipe book at my uncle's place. He is a great cook and the lunch that day was all Goan cuisine, made from this book. This egg curry was brilliant and I have made it many times after that.
Cant remember the name of the book or author - will definately update it once I check with them.

What you need -

6 eggs
1 cup grated coconut
4 red chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
5 cloves garlic
1/4" piece of ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1 onion
1 tomato
2 tsp tamarind extract / extract from a few rinds of kokum soaked in water
1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

What you do with it -

Hard boil the eggs and cut in half
Grind coconut, chillies, cumin, mustard, garlic and ginger to a paste
Mix in with tumeric and tamarind extract / kokum water
Slice the onion and chop the tomato
Fry onions in a kadai till it turns brown and add the ground masala, salt and chopped tomato
Fry for 2 more mins and add a cup of water and bring to a boil
Cook for 5 mins
Place the eggs over the masala
Cover the pan and cook for 4-5 mins
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves

Peppery Egg Curry

It was one of those cold boring evenings and my little son was asleep and TH wasn't back from work. This is always the best time to go blog-hopping. I always used to read up recipe books like a novel when I buy them, but now since I discovered the food blogging world, that is the best thing to do when I am bored and can't decide on what to make for dinner.

I hadn't made anything with eggs in a long time and was drooling over Sig's blog when I saw this pic of the Egg Roast. Her blog is a real visual treat and this I really couldn't give a miss.
I tweaked the recipe a bit, added some coconut milk so that it could go well with rice. It turned out real nice, peppery and spicy and was wiped out clean for dinner.

Here's my version - Peppery Egg Curry

What you need -

4 eggs
2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp coriander powder
8-10 pepper corns
2 tsp aniseed
1" cinnamon
3 cloves
2 pods cardamom
4-5 pods garlic
3 medium onions chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste

What you do with it -

Hard boil the eggs. Shell and cut in halves.
Grind together the chilli powder, coriander powder, pepper corns, aniseed, cinnamon, cloves, garlic with a little water to make a smooth paste
Heat oil, fry onions till brown
Add the masala paste and fry for 3 mins
Add tomatoes, salt and half a cup of water
Cook till the tomatoes blend well
Add coconut milk, stir well and adjust salt if needed
Add halved eggs.
Garnish with coriander leaves