Nils

Cockrell Butterfly Center, Houston Museum

Environment, Houston, Travel, USA / By / July 21, 2021

A visit to the Houston Museum of Natural Science yielded a wonderful surprise. During my sojourn to my company headquarters in Houston, Texas, I used my free weekend to visit one of the most interesting sightseeing places there – The Museum of Natural Science. While I was superficially aware of its attractions, the Butterfly Center coupled with the Hall of Entomology was like an exciting find – a wondrous hidden gem.

A Specially Designed Natural Habitat

The butterfly conservatory is a 3-story glass structure which has been built to emulate a tropical rainforest. It is home to thousands of butterflies of varied species, which are all allowed to grow and thrive in their natural habitat. The butterfly museum, called the Cockrell Butterfly Center, boasts of a central display of a 50-foot-high waterfall and numerous tropical plants and flowers.

Upon entering, my senses were hit with an explosion of colours and movement. Unlike zoos or other museums, these butterflies are live ones and roam around freely in the simulated forest. The innumerable brightly coloured creatures are a delight to watch. I spent ages going around the place, watching these butterflies and their vivid patterned wings, observing the jewel like insects fluttering about or landing on the leaves or flowers. There was also an iguana!

Entomology Hall

The Brown Hall of Entomology precedes the Butterfly Center; it is located on the same floor as the entrance to the latter. The entire floor is dedicated to a large plethora of insects and their study. The experience is an interactive and educating one. From introducing me to new species and hitherto unknown insects to informing me about the sounds they make to their food habits and their life cycles.

There are both live insects as well as preserved specimens The exhibit also contains an area for cocoons from where butterflies actually hatch out! That is something to look out for. There is another play area for further interaction and games with these arthropods. I did not visit that because it was more for kids.

  • Cocoons…some have metamorphosed!

Tip: Learn more here –

  1. The Rainforest
  2. Hall of Entomology
  3. https://www.hmns.org/cockrell-butterfly-center/our-residents/
  4. https://www.hmns.org/cockrell-butterfly-center/pollinator-gardening/

Education and Conservation

While this is mostly an educational experience, this museum does its part in conservation of nature. Breeding new insects, creating a natural, sustainable environment for them goes a long way towards preservation of nature as it was meant to be. Bringing about awareness and knowledge leads to appreciation of God’s creatures which in turn help the next generation carry on the job of environmental preservation and enhancement.

I am doing my bit by raising awareness through this post with the aid of Blogchatter’s Cause a Chatter campaign.

Other Exhibits of Interest

The Houston Museum of Natural Science has various other highly interesting exhibits and shows. Notable ones are:

  • The Paleontology Exhibit – let’s face it, dinosaurs are always interesting!
  • Foucault Pendulum – mimicking the Earth’s rotation.
  • Hall of Gems and Minerals
  • The Planetarium – the Black Holes show is very interesting, and I highly recommend it.

Tip: The museum is full of interesting attractions, you may want to check out the various offerings online to help plan your visit. The HMNS.

Tip: Entry tickets are for $25 while the special exhibits and shows require extra tickets. Butterfly Center (including Entomology Hall) is ~$9.

Check current prices here – https://www.hmns.org/visit/hours-and-pricing/. Also check out the safety policies and precautions: https://www.hmns.org/visit/health/

Z for Zhūròu

Food / By / May 4, 2021

Zhũròu means pork (literally: pig meat) in Chinese. This post is an appreciation post in an ode to my ongoing love affair with all pork dishes. While I have never had the courage to cook pork at home, I have had dishes all round the world and in India as well which have made me go cross-eyed. This meat is not very common in India, however, there are some fabulous places to go to where you can satisfy your pork craving.

Local Favorites

My recommendations for Mumbai are:

  • Imbiss: For melt in the mouth, baby back spare ribs.
  • Indigo: Barbecue ribs in delicious gravy.
Imbiss’ dish

Around the World

  • China: As part of various dishes likes pork dumplings, string beans dish with diced pork meat etc.
  • US: Here, I have had quintessential Texas barbecued pork, giant pulled pork burgers and sandwiches.
  • Spain:
  • London: At a Spanish restaurant just off Fulham.
  • Pan fried spicy pork @Beijing, China
  • Braised pork belly with truffle sauce @Hakkasan, Mumbai
  • Pork ribs @London, Spanish restaurant
  • Barbecue pork with mashed potato, veggies and pudding @London pub
Excursions to world-wide restaurants

In everyday life, I have bacon for breakfast occasionally and ham salami for sandwiches. With mayonnaise and cheese, these make for the ultimate breakfast sandwiches!

This post was written for Blogchatter A2Z challenge; Final Day! Letter no. 26 – “Z”.

Y for Yellow Moong Daal

Food, Indian Cuisine / By / July 25, 2021
Moong Dal

Another quintessential Bengali dish, this recipe is my mother’s – though I suspect it is the same across most bengali households. Daal is a part of a bengali’s daily lunch however the masoor daal is more common. This yellow moong daal dish is made occasionally and is considered a delicacy somewhat – a king among daal if you will. It’s called sona moong because of its bright golden colour – sona means gold or golden. This golden variety of the moong is indigenous to Bengal.

Ingredients:

Yellow Moong – 6-7 tbsp.

Salt – to taste

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp.

Oil – 1 tsp.

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp.

Cumin powder – 1.5 tsp.

Ginger, grated – 1 tsp.

Green chili – 1, sliced

Sugar – 1.5 tbsp.

Water – 3-4 cups

Method:

  1. Dry roast the daal in a pan till they are deep golden in colour.
  2. Boil the daal with salt and turmeric powder, either in a pan or in a pressure cooker.
  3. Heat oil in a pan. Fry cumin seeds till they crackle and give off their aroma.
  4. Add chilli, cumin powder, grated ginger and fry.
  5. Now add the boiled daal and sugar and bring to a boil.
  6. Adjust taste and thickness as required. This is supposed to a sweet and salty daal with the sweet being slightly heavier.
  7. Serve with hot rice and enjoy!

Tip: I generally add a step after (2) and beat the boiled daal to a smooth mixture.

This post was written for Blogchatter A2Z challenge; Day 25 – Letter “Y”.

X for X factor

Food / By / July 25, 2021

X factor includes those category of ingredients or food which no matter what dish it is added to, gives it an extra twist which changes the dynamics of the dish and elevates it to another level.

Chaat Masala – This is an Indian blended spice which consists of salt, cumin, dry mango, pepper, ginger etc. The exact constituents and their proportions are known only to the brands who manufacture them – which is fine by me. It lends mystery to the exotic spice. Sprinkle it over salads, raw fruits, roast chicken, your street foods like rolls, papri chaat etc. or even over your meat preparations and behold the transformation – it adds a delicious zing to any dish!

Kasundi – This is the Bengali mustard sauce, consists of local / indigenous mustard seeds which have their own special aroma, few spices and salt. It is the best accompaniment to any and all deep fried foods like fish fry, egg devil, chicken cutlet etc. None of these feel complete without our favorite dipping sauce. I have even found that dipping the side salads in kasundi gives even the salad an additional wow factor.

Mayonnaise – Even though this is basically a dipping sauce, the use mayonnaise is many and varied. The classic version is made of raw egg yolk, oil, vinegar, and lemon juice. However, eggless versions are also available – made of milk. Slather it onto your bread or add a dollop to your sandwich or wrap fillings – it transforms the ordinary burger into a classy one. You can also use it as a dressing for your salad! And finally, use it as a dipping sauce or aioli for your pakodas, french fries and pretty much any fried items.

Lemon Juice – A little drizzle of lemon juice can add a whole new level to any bland dish or even an already tasty dish. For example, ghoogni / chickpea masala or roast or baked fish / chicken and finally adding it to all kinds of salads.

White Sauce – While this may not have such a wide variety of uses such as the above, this Italian marvel can add such deliciousness to a lot of dishes. Add it baked vegetables, serve it with your grilled chicken and ofcourse it’s the best pasta sauce. It is made of milk, cheese, flour, and butter. Called a béchamel, it can also be used a base sauce for making sauces like mornay sauce, cream sauce etc.

Do you know of anything which falls into this category? Do share your opinion in the comments – I would be highly interested.

This post was written for Blogchatter A2Z challenge; Day 24 – Letter “X”.

W for Whole Roast Chicken

Continental Cuisine, Food, Indian Cuisine / By / July 25, 2021

This is a dish which was adopted in my kitchen out of a combination of pure laziness of a couch potato and the utter greed of a foodie. I didn’t feel like working too hard for a dinner, yet I wanted something decadent to pamper by taste buds. Even though it didn’t happen on that very day, the idea was born. It does require pre-thought to buy the main protein but the ingredients are ones found in every Indian kitchen and the steps laughably simple.

Ingredients:

Whole Chicken – 1 (~800gms.)

Curd – 4 tbsp.

Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tbsp.

Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp.

Salt – to taste

Cumin powder – 1 tsp.

Corinader powder – 1 tsp.

Garam masala – 1 tsp.

Meat Masala – 2 tsp.

OR,

Tandoori masala – 4 tsp.

Oil – 1 tbsp.

Method:

  1. Wash the whole chicken thoroughly. Pat dry. With a fork, make pricks in the chicken so that the spices are absorbed well.
  2. Add all the ingredients and mix well. Massage onto the chicken with a gentle hand. This helps in absorption. Marinade for 2 hours at the least.
  3. Preheat an oven to 180°C for 10 minutes.
  4. Place the marinaded chicken on the rotisserie stick, making sure the weight is distributed evenly on both sides. Tie the legs together if required.
  5. Now cook for 40 minutes at 180°C.
  6. Turn up the heat to 220°C and cook for 15 more minutes or until chicken and spices are cooked.
  7. Garnish with chaat masala and serve hot with green chutney and sliced onions.

This dish is best accompanied with garlic toast speaking from personal experience, but it is an amazing meal on its own. It requires minimal amount of intervention but it gives you the maximum enriching experience!

This post was written for Blogchatter A2Z challenge; Day 23 – Letter “W”.

V for Vegetable Pizza

Food, Italian Cuisine / By / July 25, 2021
Chicken Pizza

The final trio in my Italian repertoire is the Pizza. This is another universally loved dish, irrespective of nationality. The melty cheese and the spicy tomato sauce combination makes this dish the go to mood uplifter, the random evening snack, the I-don’t-feel-like-cooking dinner or simply the I-feel-like-a-pizza dish.

While I do not claim to have ever made the pizza base at home, I can do wonders with toppings and I like to make my own sauce.

Ingredients:

Pizza Base – 2 nos. 6”

For sauce:

Tomato – 4, medium, roughly chopped

Garlic – 2 cloves, chopped

Onion – 1, small, chopped

Salt – to taste

Pepper – 3 tsp.

Oregano powder – 2 tsp.

Thyme powder – 2 tsp.

Red chilli powder – 1 tsp.

Sugar – 1 tsp.

Oil – 2 tsp.

Water – as reruired

For the topping:

Onion – 2, small

Capsicum – 1, medium

Cheese – 2 cubes

Sweet corn – ½ cup

Mushrooms – ½ cup

Bell pepper red & yellow – 1 each, small

Oil – 3 tsp.

Method:

  1. In a frying pan, heat 2 tsp. oil. Add the chopped garlic and fry till aromatic.
  2. Add the onions and fry till translucent.
  3. Add the chopped tomatoes and salt and mix. Add a little water and cook on low flame till mushy. Mash with a flat spatula or a masher.
  4. Add pepper, red chilli, oregano and thyme powder, and sugar. Mix well and fry till raw smell is gone.
  5. Add water as required and bring to a boil to reduce. The final result should be a mushy sauce texture.
  6. Boil the sweet corn.
  7. For the topping, slice the onions and capsicum and chop the mushrooms and bell peppers.
  8. In a frying pan, heat 2 tsp oil and lightly fry the mushrooms and bell peppers till cooked and lightly fried. Remove and keep aside.
  9. In the same pan, add the remaining 1 tsp oil and fry the onions and capsicum till golden brown.
  10. Assembling the pizza: On the pizza base, spread the prepared tomato sauce generously. Place the fried veggies all over the base. Now sprinkle the fried onions and capsicum. Grate cheese over the whole pizza.
  11. In an oven, toast the pizza at 180°C for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts.
  12. Veg pizza is ready!

Admittedly, I mostly make chicken pizzas and veggies are an accompanying topping to my dish, the veggies on their own make a delish pizza as well. Do try this one out.

Tip: I recently discovered Wingreens Pizza dough mix which is a premixed flour mix. You simply add water, knead and let it rest in a warm place. It triples up in size in 30/40 minutes. Then you roll out and bake for 12 minutes with your sauce and toppings. Its much better than a store bought base.

This post was written for Blogchatter A2Z challenge; Day 22 – Letter “V”.

U for Ultimate Street Foods

Food, Indian Cuisine / By / July 25, 2021
U cover pic

Standing on the roadside and having spicy Phuchkas crack open in your mouth and cover your tongue with that blast of flavors – this is a feeling unparalleled. Or maybe its comparable to licking your lips after having a plate of even spicier Ghoogni (chickpea masala). This group of food is what we lovingly call “street food”. But it’s a mere label which encompasses a world of joy, taste, colors and fun.

The extreme joy that these street foods such as these can give us is something we have missed sorely for the past year. So, here’s how we can recreate that feeling by trying these dishes at home.

  • Papri Chaat or Sev Puri

Ingredients:

For the Papri/Sev:

Maida (Refined flour) – 200gms.

Salt – a pinch

Oil – 2 tsp. for dough + for deep frying

Water – ½ cup or as required

For the topping:

Potato – 2, medium

Chickpeas – 1 cup (~75gms.)

Onion – 1, medium

Curd – 1 cup (~200gms.)

Sugar – 1 tsp.

Cumin seeds – 3 tsp.

Black Salt –  to taste

Jhuri bhaja / Sev – 1 cup

Sweet Tamarind Chutney:

Tamarind – 5gms. (small pulp)

Water – as required

Salt – a pinch

Sugar – 4/5 tbsp. Or as required to taste

Method:

  1. Take the maida in a bowl. Sieve it once for smoother dough. Add the salt and oil and knead gently till the maida forms loose clumps in your hand.
  2. Now add water little by little and keep kneading. The final dough should be soft and stretchy. Pat oil lightly over the dough and set aside for atleast 30 minutes.
  3. Soak the tamarind in bowl of water for about 15 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes and the chickpeas (separately).
  5. Once the 30 minutes are up, roll out the dough to 6” round and 2 cm. thick circles. From these using a bottle cap or a small glass, cut out smaller rounds. Make 3 slices over these rounds to prevent them from puffing up.
  6. Heat oil in a deep pan and fry these small papris till they are golden blonde.
  7. In a pan/kadhai, add the tamarind soaked water, salt and sugar and let it boil and thicken. Adjust taste and thickness. It should be mostly sweet and tangy and of trickly texture.
  8. Dry roast the cumin seeds in a frying pan. Once it cools, grind to a fine powder in a mixer.
  9. Chop the onions to a fine dice.
  10. Take the curd in a bowl, add sugar and beat well till its smooth.
  11. Mash the potatoes. Mix the chopped onions and chickpeas.
  12. All mis en place is ready. Time for it all to come together.
    1. Lay out the 6 papris on a plate.
    2. Put a dollop of potato mixture on each. Sprinkle black salt.
    3. Cover generously with the beaten curd. Drizzle the tamarind sauce all over.
    4. Sprinkle the roasted jeera powder and finally top them with sev / jhuri bhaja.
Image sourced from internet
  • Phuchka or Golgappa or Pani Puri

Ingredients:

Phuchka –  1 packet

Potato – 2, medium

Bengal gram (brown)/ chhola – ½ cup

Onion – 1, medium

Tamarind – 5 gms.

Salt – to taste

Lemon juice – 2 tsp.

Green chilli – 1

Coriander leaves – a bunch

Jaljeera – 2 tsp.

Water – 1 bowl

Method:

  1. Boil the potatoes and the chhola.
  2. Soak the tamarind pump in a small bowl of water for about 15 minutes.
  3. Chop the onions, green chilli and the coriander leaves.
  4. Mash the boiled potatoes. Add the chhola, onions, coriander leaves, green chili.
  5. Add salt, 1 tsp. lemon juice and part of the tamarind pulp. Mix well together. It should taste salty and tangy.
  6. In a big bowl of water, add the tamarind water, remaining lemon juice, jaljeera and salt and mix. Alternatively, you can add panipuri masala.
  7. Now, you eat. Crack open each phuchka ball, stuff with a dollop of potato mixture and dip the whole thing in the tangy water. Eat in one go!

Tip: To make the phuchkas from scratch, watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQNW67WtaYU

  • Jhalmuri or Dry Bhel

Ingredients:

Puffed rice (muri / bhel) – 75 gms.

Potato – 1, medium

Onion – 1, medium

Tomato – 1, medium

Coriander leaves – 1 bunch

Green chilli – 1

Lemon juice – 1 tsp.

Salt – to taste

Tamarind chutney – 1 tbsp.

Chanachur / farsan / Sev –  2 tbsp.

Peanuts (optional) – handful

Oil (optional) – 1 tsp.

Method:

  1. Boil the potato. Peel and chop into medium chunks.
  2. Chop the onion, tomato, coriander leaves and green chilli.
  3. Prepare tamarind chutney as in steps 3 & 7 of Papri Chaat recipe.
  4. In a bowl, take the puffed rice. Add all ingredients and mix well.
  5. Jhalmuri is ready!
Image sourced from internet

Sitting at home can be really demotivating and at times can leave you totally listless. Spicing up your lulling routine with these recipes on weekends or holidays will inject the very much required happiness in your life. For me atleast, food is joy!

This post was written for Blogchatter A2Z challenge; Day 21 – Letter “U”.

T for Tomato Soup

Food, Healthy Food / By / July 25, 2021
T cover pic

In these troubled times, it’s very important to stay healthy. Improving your health will help boost immunity. Additionally, staying at home gives us very little opportunity for exercise so we need to stay fit by having a healthy diet. I try in my many small ways to eat nutritious food and yet make them tasty. This is such an example.

Fond Memories

Weirdly, some of my happy memories of sipping warm tomato soup are those aboard a speeding train. Trips on trains meant it was vacation time. Nowadays, due to time constraints and other factors, majority of my recent travel are via flights but my favorite way to travel is still trains. Seated at a window, watching the world flash by while being gently rocked by the chugging train are some of by best memories. Playing card games, eating packed lunch on paper plates and claiming the upper berth for sleep. Then came those rare trips on Rajdhani and Duronto where they serve food which, in those days, seemed exotic. Part of that was steaming cups of tomato soup with soup sticks. That tangy soup coupled with colorful view outside the window was the perfect combination.

Nostalgia aside, here’s my mom’s tomato soup recipe.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes – 6

Carrot (optional) – 1

Garlic – 4/5 cloves

Water – 4 cups

Oil – 1 tsp.

Salt – to taste

Sugar – 2 tsp.

Butter – 1 tsp.

Pepper – 1 tsp.

Method:

  1. Boil the tomatoes and carrot with 2-3 cloves of garlic with 4 cups of water in a cooker for 2-3 whistles.
  2. Mash the tomatoes, carrot and garlic through a strainer.
  3. In a pan, heat the oil. Chop and add the remaining 2 cloves of garlic. Fry till aromatic.
  4. Add the strained broth and add salt and sugar.
  5. Cook on high heat till the broth boils. Adjust taste and switch off heat.
  6. Serve the steaming soup in 2 bowls garnished with ½ tsp. butter and ½ tsp. pepper per bowl.

Tip: Optionally, for step 2, you may blend the whole boiled broth in a mixer.

Best had on a cold winter evening, but it is still a filling evening meal along with a couple of toasted breads.

Photo sourced from internet

This post was written for Blogchatter A2Z challenge; Day 20 – Letter “T”.

S for Sandwiches

Food / By / July 22, 2021
S cover pic

Often, we are at a loss how to make your breakfast more interesting or what to make at all. Toast sounds boring after a few days, so does cereal. Well then, what to do??

Here’s me bringing a simple solution – sandwiches! It too may sound run of the mill but take a look at the various ideas below on how to make them more interesting. You can change up between the different types which can take out the “normal” out of the equation.

  • Vegetarian Sandwich

Ingredients:

Bread – 8 slices

Cucumber – 1

Onion – 1

Tomato – 1

Potato – 1, boiled

Salt – to taste

Pepper – 2 tsp. or as per taste

Butter – 4 tsp.

Cheese slice (Optional) – 4

Method:

  1. On a flat frying pan or a toaster, lightly toast the bread slices.
  2. Cut the cucumber, onion, tomato and potato into thin round slices.
  3. Butter the toasted bread pieces on one side.
  4. Place one cheese slice on one piece of bread and layer the sliced veggies. Sprinkle salt and pepper and place a second bread piece over the lot, buttered side inside.
  5. Place the whole sandwich back on the tawa to heat it lightly such that the cheese melts.
  6. Light and healthy vegetable sandwich is ready. Easy to make and makes for a filling breakfast snack.
Source: Internet (closest representation I could find)
  • Egg Sandwich

Ingredients:

Bread – 8 slices

Eggs – 3, boiled

Potato – 1, boiled

Salt – to taste

Pepper – 2 tsp. or as per taste

Mayonnaise – 2 tbsp.

Cheese Slice (Optional) – 4

Method:

  1. On a flat frying pan or a toaster, lightly toast the bread slices.
  2. Method 1: Cut the boiled eggs and potatoes into thin round slices.
  3. Spread mayonnaise on one side of each bread.
  4. Place one cheese slice on one piece of bread and layer the sliced eggs and potato. Sprinkle salt and pepper and place a second bread piece over them, mayo side inside.
  5. Place the whole sandwich back on the tawa to heat it lightly such that the cheese melts.
  6. Method 2: Mash the boiled eggs and potato, leaving them a little chunky.
  7. Add salt, pepper and mayonnaise and mix well.
  8. Place one cheese slice on a bread piece, dollop a spoonful of the egg-potato mash and spread. Cover with a second piece of bread.
  9. Place the whole sandwich back on the tawa to heat it lightly such that the cheese melts.
  10. Method 3: This one is a little different. Instead of boiling the eggs, fry the eggs sunny side up but over easy. That is, both sides are fried but the yolk shall be a bit runny still.
  11. Apply mayonnaise to each piece of bread on one side.
  12. Place the fried eggs between 2 pieces of bread. And, that’s it!
  • Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients:

Bread – 8 slices

Chicken – 200gms, boiled

Onion – 1, small chopped

Capsicum – ½, small, chopped

Carrot – 1, small, grated

Oil – 2 tsp.

Salt – to taste

Pepper – 1 tsp.

Mayonnaise – 2 tbsp.

Cheese (Optional) – 4

Method:

  1. Heat a frying pan and add oil.
  2. Add chopped onions, capsicum and grated carrots. Fry till cooked.
  3. In a bowl, shred the boiled chicken. Add the fried onion-capsicum-carrot.
  4. Add mayonnaise, salt, pepper and grated cheese. Mix well.
  5. On a flat frying pan or a toaster, lightly toast the bread slices.
  6. Spread the chicken filling between 2 slices of toasted bread and put back on the pan to heat for 1 minute so that the cheese melts.
  7. Chicken sandwich is ready!

I have made these sandwiches a hundred times but unfortunately, could not find a single photo, so I’m using the closest interpretations from the world wide web.

Tip: You may add the onion-capsicum-carrot fry to the mashed egg-potato sandwich filling as well.

Tip: You can lightly fry the shredded chicken pieces with ketchup, soya sauce and chilli sauce to make a spicier filling.

Tip: If you have a sandwich toaster, you should put the egg and chicken fillings between raw bread and toast the sandwich as a whole. Enjoy with ketchup!

So now you know what to do when you run out of breakfast ideas. Use these quick and simple sandwich recipes to make your morning bright!!

This post was written for Blogchatter A2Z challenge; Day 19 – Letter “S”.

R for Roll

Food, Indian Cuisine / By / July 25, 2021
Chicken roll

A Bengali delicacy! This may be a street food but this is one dish which is given royalty status because of its popularity and overall awesomeness. Rolled up maida (flour) flatbread filled with spiced chicken or mutton pieces, sliced onions and drizzled with sauces and garnished with masala.

What’s in a name?

A rose by any other name would still smell as sweet, said Shakespeare. The humble Bengali “roll” is called by a variety of names all round the globe, yes the globe. Called “Wraps” globally, it is called Shawarma in the Middle East, Gyro in Greece, Burrito in Mexico, Spring rolls in East Asia and Frankie in our very own Mumbai! The essence remains the same and though I do not know which can be called the “original”, what I do know – to me and to every Bengali, it will always be THE Roll!

The most favorite version is the Egg Roll which has a layer of fried egg over the flatbread and is universally the best! So here’s my recipe for Egg Roll; serves 2 (about 6 rolls).

Ingredients:

For the flatbread:

Maida (Refined flour) – 2 cups (~300gms.)

Salt – a pinch

Oil – 2-3 tsp. for dough + 2-3 tsp. for frying

Water – ¾ cup or as required

For the filling:

Eggs – 4

Cucumber – ½, medium

Onion – 1, small,

Tomato – ½, medium

Lemon juice – 1 tsp.

Salt – to taste

Tomato ketchup – as required

Chilli sauce – as required

Chaat Masala – a pinch

Optional (Chicken filling):

Chicken – 50 gms., boiled and shredded/cubed

Onion – 1/2, thinly sliced

Capsicum – ¼, thinly sliced

Oil – 2 tsp.

Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp.

Coriander powder – ½ tsp.

Red Chilli powder – ½ tsp.

Method:

  1. Take the maida in a bowl. Sieve it once for smoother dough. Add the salt and oil and knead gently till the maida forms loose clumps in your hand.
  2. Now add water little by little and keep kneading. The final dough should be soft and stretchy. Pat oil lightly over the dough and set aside for atleast 30 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile chop the cucumber, onions and tomatoes for the filling and mix together.
  4. Add the lemon juice and salt and mix well.
  5. Beat the eggs in a bowl. Add salt to it and mix.
  6. Once the 30 minutes are up, roll out the dough to 6” round and 2 cm. thick circles.
  7. Heat a flat frying pan (a tawa). Lightly dry roast the flatbread on each side till they are cooked. Roast all the flatbreads and keep aside.
  8. Lightly oil the pan and add a portion of the beaten eggs. Quickly place a flatbread over it. Let it fry for 1-2 minutes.
  9. Brush oil on the upper side of the flatbread and turn the whole thing over. Fry for another couple minutes till it is just crispy.
  10. Repeat steps 8 & 9 for all the flatbreads.
  11. Take a flatbread and place the cucumber-onion-tomato mixture on one side of it over the egg fried side. Drizzle ketchup and chilli sauce and sprinkle chaat masala over the lot. Roll up the flatbread.
  12. Egg roll is ready! Repeat for all the flatbreads.
  13. Optional: If you want an egg-chicken roll, follow below steps.
  14. In a frying pan, add oil and fry the onions and capsicums till they are translucent.
  15. Add cumin, coriander and red chilli powder and fry till spices are roasted.
  16. Then add the boiled and diced chicken pieces and fry till the spices mix well. Switch off the heat.
  17. Add this chicken filling to the egg-fried flatbreads on top of the other filling.
  18. There you have it, egg-chicken roll!

Step wise, it is actually quite a bit but the dish is worth it and the labour will be much appreciated by all who taste it. What takes so long to took will be devoured in minutes! Believe me. You can have this as a snack or as a full fledged meal.

This post was written for Blogchatter A2Z challenge; Day 18 – Letter “R”.