Into Spain

Spanish Omelette

Spanish Omelette or Spanish Tortilla  is a typical Spanish dish consisting of a thick omelette made with eggs, potatoes and fried in olive oil.  Over the years it has evolved into a thick omelette made with any or every leftover in the kitchen and you can be as innovative and creative as you like.  Eggs have always been one of our back up dishes and eating an omelette can be one of the most satisfying, soulful experiences.

The Recipe:

4 large eggs; a bunch of spring onions, chopped; 1 chicken breast, boiled and diced; 1 cube Amul cheese, grated; vegetables of your choice; 2 green chillies, minced; 1 large onion, minced and fried till glazed in a little oil; salt to taste; oil for frying.

Seperate the eggs and beat whites till stiff.  Add salt and yolks and mix well.  Heat pan and pour 1 dsp oil into it.  Pour in the beaten egg and layer the ingredients one at a time on the beaten eggs- onions, vegetable, chicken, cheese and spring onions.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes.  Remove cover and fold omelette in half.  Make sure both sides are nicely browned.  Garnish with spring onions. Serve immediately with hot buttered toast.

Capsicum Rings With Cottage Cheese And Egg

Weekend Tales

Some years ago, soon after we moved to Kuala Lumpur our bathroom drain got clogged.  There was water everywhere and so I opened the drain to see what I could do about it.  Guess what I found?  Pieces and pieces of golden paneer arranged neatly in a row.  Talk about being creative, that was Ranita then.  Today, paneer is a much loved item and we all enjoy it whenever we can.

The Recipe

250 gms paneer crumbled; 1/2 tsp chilli powder; 1 tsp somph, powdered; 2 tbsp curds; 1 tbsp gram flour; salt to taste;     2 eggs; 1 medium green capsicum;salt & pepper to taste; tomato sauce for topping; some oil for frying.

Marinade the paneer in the chilli powder, somph, curds, gram flour and salt for  30 minutes.

Cut the ends of  the capsicum and slice the remaining into three thick rings.  Chop the sides and keep for use later.  Beat the eggs with pepper & salt lightly.  Heat a non stick pan, add 1 tbsp oil and when hot put the capsicum rings in and fry gently one side for 2 minutes only. The rings should be firm and crunchy.  Flip over and pour the beaten egg into each of the rings until nearly full.  Cover and cook on medium heat until egg has set.  Gently flip over and brown the egg for a minute or two.  Transfer to plate and keep hot.

Next, add 1 tbsp oil to pan and gently stir fry the paneer till golden brown.  Add the chopped capsicum and fry for a couple of minutes.  Transfer to serving plate.  Arrange the capsicum rings on top and dot with tomato sauce.  Serve with Naan or rice.  It's your call.  Simple and satisfying and leaves you wanting for more!

P.S. Thanks to Elizabeth  Dhanaraj for the luscious Paneer Recipe.