Scrambled Eggs with Ginger

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Let's hope that this one from Rosemary Zwick of Cape Town, South
Africa isn't a true food funny.

A man and woman were having dinner in a fine restaurant. Their
waitress, taking another order at a table a few steps away, suddenly
noticed that the man was slowly sliding down his chair and under
the table, but the woman acted unconcerned. The waitress watched
as the man slid all the way down his chair and out of sight under
the table. Still, the woman dining across from him appeared calm
and unruffled, apparently unaware that her dining companion had
disappeared. After the waitress finished taking the order, she came
over to the table and said to the woman, "Pardon me, ma'am, but I
think your husband just slid under the table."

The woman calmly looked up at her and said, "No he didn't. He
just walked in the door."

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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I seem to be receiving more requests for vegetarian recipes than
usual lately. Even though I publish several vegetarian recipes every
week, I'm happy to oblige because that means I can share a few
more Indian recipes with you. I slipped a couple of meat dishes
in this week's lineup for the omnivores among us, and in keeping
with the Indian practice of serving all the dishes at the same time,
I have dispensed with my standard format this week. I have also
included the recipes for garam masala and ghee, two standard items
in the Indian pantry that you will need to prepare most of the recipes
this week. Here is our "Taste of India":

(Recipes in brackets are in the PLUS Edition only.)

Monday's Side Dish
Scrambled Eggs with Ginger (Akoori)
[Deep-Fried Eggplant (Baingan Pakoras)]

Tuesday's Side Dish
Green Peas and Mushrooms (Khumbi Baji)
[Coconut Rice (Nariyal ka Chaval)]

Wednesday's Side Dish
Green Beans with Coconut (Same ki Bhaji)
[Curried Yellow Lentils (Mung ki Dal)]

Thursday's Side Dish
Shrimp Curry (Jhinga Kari)
[Lamb with Almond Masala (Badami Gosht)]

Friday's Side Dish
Fried Bread (Puris)
[Mint Chutney (Pudine Chatni)]

Most Westerners think of scrambled eggs as strictly a breakfast
dish, but in India they know better.

Scrambled Eggs with Ginger (Akoori)

6 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup (60 ml) milk
3 Tbs (45 ml) chopped cilantro (coriander leaves)
2 tsp (10 ml) finely chopped red or green hot chile, or to taste
1/4 tsp (1 ml) turmeric
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 Tbs (45 ml) ghee (recipe below)
1 tsp (5 ml) finely chopped fresh ginger
3 Tbs (45 ml) finely chopped onion
1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground cumin
Tomato wedges for garnish

Whisk together the eggs, milk, cilantro, hot chile, turmeric, salt,
and pepper. Heat the ghee in a skillet over moderate heat until
very hot. Add the egg mixture and stir constantly until soft curds
are formed. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with the cumin.
Garnish with tomato wedges and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.

Garam Masala

5 three-inch (8 cm) pieces of cinnamon stick
1/2 cup (125 ml) cardamom seeds
1/2 cup (125 ml) whole cloves
1/2 cup (125 ml) whole cumin seed
1/4 cup (60 ml) whole coriander seeds
1/2 cup (125 ml) whole black peppercorns

Combine the whole spices in a heavy skillet over moderate heat
and toast for a few minutes, until they are warm and aromatic.
Allow to cool, then pulverize in an electric blender or coffee grinder
(that you use exclusively for grinding spices) until it forms a fine
powder. This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) and may
be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for several
months without losing its flavor.

Ghee

1 lb (450 g) unsalted butter

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Increase
the heat and bring the butter to a boil. When the surface is
completely covered with foam stir the butter gently and reduce
the heat to the lowest possible setting. Simmer uncovered and
undisturbed for 45 minutes, or until the milk solids in the bottom
of the pan have turned golden brown and the butter on top is
transparent. Strain the butter through a sieve lined with linen or
four layers of cheesecloth. If there are any solids in the ghee, no
matter how small, strain it again until it is perfectly clear. Pour
the ghee into a glass jar and seal tightly. This recipe makes about
1 1/2 cups (375 ml) , and may be kept at room temperature for
several months, or almost indefinitely refrigerated. It will congeal
if refrigerated, and so must be warmed before using if liquid ghee
is called for.
Received on Mon Feb 27 06:21:28 2006