Every so often, we meet up with missionaries from a certain Christian order and talk about the Holy Bible and related books. These missionaries are all bright young men, usually far from their homes and families, sometimes their countries, in addition to being polite, friendly and excellent company for discussions of this sort. Having been in their position decades ago, if there’s one thing I absolutely love doing, it is cooking for them.
One of these chaps was 19 years old, and had already lived away from his family for a long time, almost all on his own in the big, wide world. Made us reflect on how sheltered a life Cherie (17 yo) is living.
Two of these young men dropped by yesterday, and after we were done with our discussion, all of us trooped into the kitchen where they peppered us with questions (this was our first meeting) while I cooked for our supper. On the menu this evening, was a Spanish omelette, accompanied by coleslaw, buttered toast and Coke.
This recipe serves 6 as a light meal. The dish however is substantial, easy to cook, easy to eat and tastes quite good. It tastes good when cold/room temperate too, and is a good idea for a picnic or to carry on a train journey as the first meal unwrapped. Leftovers can be made into sandwiches, stuffed into pies or other pastry or rolled into wraps among other ideas.
You’ll need:
- 2 Potatoes, large, diced
- 2 Onions, large, diced
- 1/2 Cup Chicken, boneless, chopped
- 10 Pods Garlic, chopped
- Handful Coriander, fresh, chopped
- 2 – 3 Green chillies, finely chopped (optional)
- 10 Eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp Peppercorns, pounded
- For the tadka / tempering
- 10 leaves, Kadi patta
- 1 tsp Black mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Ginger, fresh, finely chopped
- Cheese, grated (optional)
- Oil for cooking
- Salt to taste
- Non-stick frying pan large enough to hold the lot
To make it:
- Immerse the potatoes for about 8 minutes in boiling water, then drain and let dry.
- Heat oil in a pan, add the potatoes, stir from time to time, until cooked through.
- Add onions, garlic, chicken, black pepper and if using, green chillies too. Saute for a few minutes until the chicken is cooked. Add the chopped coriander. Mix well.
- Add the eggs, mix well and let the lot sit there, on a very low flame, covered, until the top is firm-ish.
- Flip the entire omelette on to a plate and put it back into the pan, so what was on top, is now at the bottom. Do this a couple of times till the omelette is cooked from within.
- If using cheese, place the cheese on top of the omelette and cover it so it cooks.
- Flip the omelette onto a platter for serving.
- Heat some oil, splutter the mustard seeds, then add the kadi patta and ginger, fry for a bit and pour it on top of your omelette.
- Serve hot, with toast and tomato ketchup.
Notes:
- For step #4, if necessary, keep it the oven with the top element turned on. If you don’t have an oven, heat a roti-tawa really well, and place the tawa atop the pan, not touching the eggs, so its heat will cook the eggs from the top. The same methods can be used to melt the cheese in step #6.
- If you want a classic omelette, omit the cheese, chillies, chicken and final tadka. Replace the coriander with flat leaf parsley.
