Egg curry, a tangy blend of onions, tomatoes and spices that are used as a base for boiled eggs, was a good substitute for vegetarian guests at a luncheon or dinner party. My husband, an officer in the Air Force, lived on the base (the Air Force Station). So any party one had invariably numbered over twenty guests. Buffet-style meals were the way to go, and you catered for vegetarian and non-vegetarian guests.
Egg curry was also a quick go-to to stretch the meal for unexpected lunch or dinner guests.
You can make egg curries in several ways, depending on which state in India you live in. This is the Punjabi version of the various recipes out there.
Anda ki Curry (Egg Curry)
A tangy blend of onions, tomatoes, and spices is a delicious base for boiled eggs—a good dish for vegetarian guests!
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 4 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 medium Bay leaves
- 2 green cardamom
- 1 green chili, slit (more or less chili; optional—adjust to your taste)
- 2 medium yellow or red onion (chopped fine)
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- ¼ tsp red chili powder (more or less chili powder; optional—adjust to your taste)
- 2 medium tomatoes (pureed or 2 tbsp tomato paste)
- ¼ tsp cinnamon powder
- ¼ tsp clove powder
- ¼ tsp pepper powder
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 2 cups warm water
Optional
- 2 medium potatoes (quartered )
Garnish
- ½ tsp garam masala (optional )
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro (coriander leaves) (finely chopped)
Instructions
To Boil Eggs:
- Lay the eggs at the base of a saucepan large enough to hold them. Add enough water to cover them by about 2 inches.
- On medium heat, bring the water to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice-cold water. Crack them slightly before immersing them. (It is easier to peel the eggs when they are cool).
- Peel, rinse and wipe the eggs dry with a paper towel. With a toothpick, carefully poke a few holes around the egg. This allows the gravy to flavor the egg. Set the boiled and peeled eggs aside.
For the Curry
- Heat the oil in a deep skillet or saucepan on medium heat. The oil should be hot, not smoking, or your spices will burn.
- Add the Bay leaves, green cardamom, and slit green chilies. Stir it.
- Add the finely chopped onion and sauté for about 7 minutes until golden.
- Add the ginger/garlic paste, turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder. Stir for a minute until the ginger sticks to the pan's bottom. Be careful not to burn the masala.
- Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, clove, pepper powder, and salt. Cook, occasionally stirring, until the tomatoes are soft and the oil starts to surface—approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
- Add potatoes to the tomato-onion mixture.
- Lower heat to medium-high and simmer for about 10 minutes until you get a thick gravy and the potatoes are done. At this point, do a taste test for salt.
- Add the eggs and let them simmer on low for another 7-10 minutes while gently rolling them around occasionally to absorb the gravy.
- Add a little more hot water if the gravy gets thicker than you prefer. Be careful not to make the gravy too watery.
- Spoon into a serving dish. You can leave the eggs whole or carefully split the eggs in half-length wise.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro.
- Serve with plain boiled rice or pilaf.
- Anda Curry also tastes good with parathas or any flatbread. I like to have it with any kind of bread to dip in the gravy. It tastes amazing!
Notes
The boiled eggs may be sautéed lightly all around to give it a bit of a crust. I prefer not to do so.
You can use whole cinnamon, cloves, and pepper instead of powders.
If you are using tomato paste, just add it when the recipe calls for you to add the tomatoes.
Mom would add potatoes to expand the dish because we loved curried potatoes or when we had extra guests (which was always a given!).
A favorite memory: It is a hot summer’s day. This particular evening, Aunty Sheila has invited us to her place for a party. It is always fun to visit her, as we kids on both sides of the family are around the same age and have a great time together. Aunty has a warm, bubbly personality and throws great parties. Her place is not too far from ours, so, giggling and laughing, we girls walk over, we love walking—even in the heat of the day.
Hot and starting to perspire by the time we get there, our eyes light up as we see that Aunty has already set up an outdoor table of party fare. In the center is a large tray with a giant watermelon propped securely on it. Around the watermelon are other delicious treats. She greets us with her usual big smile and hug and tells us to help ourselves to some watermelon juice. We happily walk across the lawn to the table. The top quarter of the melon has been sliced out, and we peer into the cut melon. The fruit inside has been carefully carved out and then blended with cold black tea and lemonade. Chunks of melon still float around for those who want to eat the fruit. We thirstily gulp down the Watermelon Tea Cooler and help ourselves to more. The drink is so cool and refreshing on that Indian hot summer’s day.
Years later, thinking about some of my fun memories of life in India, I decided to try and duplicate the recipe. I enjoy serving this taste of memory to my family and friends who tell me that I have been successful in duplicating the recipe!
Watermelon Tea Cooler
A cool and refreshing drink on an Indian hot summer’s day.
Ingredients
- 3 tea bags black tea (your choice of brand, caffeinated or decaffeinated)
- 4 cups water
- ½ cup simple syrup (see recipe below)
- ½ cup lime or lemon juice
- 2–3 cups watermelon chunks, seeds removed
- 1 tbsp Chopped mint and lemon or melon wedges for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Put tea bags in a container that will hold the 3 cups of water. Boil the 3 cups of water, and when they come to a boil, pour the boiling water over the teabags. Let the bags steep for at least 3 minutes. Remove the tea bags and let the tea cool.
- Once cooled, place it in the refrigerator. You can do this a day ahead or a few hours before you are going to make the cooler.
- Blend the watermelon chunks in until it is like a smoothie. In a pitcher that holds at least 6 cups of water, add the tea, simple syrup, lemon juice, and melon smoothie. Stir it all together until nicely mixed. Add some crushed ice when ready to serve.
- If it is too tangy, you can add more crushed ice or cold water.
Notes
Notes:
-This is a great drink for summer refreshments served with cucumber, watercress or tomato sandwiches.
-You can kick it up a notch for adults by adding a splash of gin or vodka! Check out this site. I love the cause. https://boozeforpaws.org/
-If you want to go the route of scooping out the melon and using it as a container, it makes a wonderful and impressive presentation. Unfortunately, no matter how well I plan, I find myself invariably short on time and scrambling for an easy way out!
-Scooping out the melon and using it as a container makes a wonderful and impressive presentation.
Simple Syrup
Ingredients:
½ cup fine-granulated sugar
½ cup water Directions: 1. In a saucepan, on low heat, dissolve ½ cup of sugar with ½ cup of water (approximately 3 minutes).
2. Take the saucepan off the heat and leave the syrup to cool.
3. When cool, pour the syrup into a clean glass bottle that has a tight lid.
4. Rinse the bottle both with boiling water (do not wipe with a cloth as it may leave bacteria).
5. Refrigerate the syrup until ready to use. It should last a month in the fridge. It should remain a clear liquid. If it turns cloudy, throw it out as that is a sign of bacterial growth!
6. The ratio for simple syrup is one part sugar and one part water so you can always make more to store.
½ cup water Directions: 1. In a saucepan, on low heat, dissolve ½ cup of sugar with ½ cup of water (approximately 3 minutes).
2. Take the saucepan off the heat and leave the syrup to cool.
3. When cool, pour the syrup into a clean glass bottle that has a tight lid.
4. Rinse the bottle both with boiling water (do not wipe with a cloth as it may leave bacteria).
5. Refrigerate the syrup until ready to use. It should last a month in the fridge. It should remain a clear liquid. If it turns cloudy, throw it out as that is a sign of bacterial growth!
6. The ratio for simple syrup is one part sugar and one part water so you can always make more to store.
Dad is stationed in the town of Ajmer in the northwest of India. Ajayadeva, an 11th-century Rajput ruler, founded it. It surrounds the expansive lake of Ana Sagar and is surrounded in part by the Aravalli Hills range. Ajmer’s most historic landmark is the Sharif Dargah, considered among India’s holiest Muslim shrines. Khwaja Moin-ud-din-Chishti, a Sufi Saint from Persia, is enshrined there. Pilgrims worldwide visit to be blessed by the Khwaja and have their wishes and desires come true.
Ajmer is 8 miles from Pushkar, a town that hosts the Pushkar Mela (Fair). It is one of the world’s largest camel/cattle fairs. Like all fairs, it holds other attractions, amusements, local arts, crafts, and food. Multitudes descend on Pushkar to enjoy the fair. Pushkar Lake, located by the town, is a sacred lake to the Hindus.
Ajmer is different from the other towns we have lived in. It is a semi-desert, arid climate.
Dust storms precede the monsoon season—with its welcome rain and coolness from the heat. These dust storms kick up the dry earth and transport it with strong winds into every nook and cranny. It is like a sandstorm; you better get inside if you see it coming!
One such storm is on its way. The wind is picking up, and the sand blots out the sun. Mama calls out to us kids to shut all the doors and windows. We scramble. The dust storm hits and soon passes, followed by the sweet smell of rain. It is pretty heavy for the long-awaited monsoon season’s first rain. I can smell the dry earth soaking up the moisture. Since it is tea time, Mama has cook fix us pakoras to accompany evening tea. They are perfect for a rainy monsoon evening!
Pakoras (aka Bhajis) are deep-fried fritters or dumplings made with chickpea flour (besan). The chickpea flour used is the Indian small brown chickpea, not the garbanzo chickpea. You can fix pakoras with various vegetables such as potatoes, spinach, onions, zucchini, eggplant, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, chilies, or a combination of vegetables. as well as paneer.
Pakoras can be made prepped in two ways. One, you dip the vegetable of your choice into the seasoned chickpea batter to coat, and then deep fry them.
The other method is to chop or grate a combination of vegetables. Add the chickpea flour and seasonings, and then deep fry them.
This recipe is the batter dipped and fried pakoras. Pakoras are served as snacks or appetizers, but generally a tea-time snack served with hot milky sweet chai.
Allu Pakoras (Savory Potato Fritters)
Pakoras(aka Bhajis) are deep-fried savory fritters or dumplings made with chickpea flour(besan).
Ingredients
- 2 cups potatoes (peeled and sliced not thicker than 1/4 inch)
- 1½ cup besan (gram flour)
- ¼ cup rice flour (optional)
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp chili powder (or to your taste)
- ⅛ tsp ajwain seeds (thymol or carom seeds)
- ⅛ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt (or to your taste)
- ½-¾ cups water
- 2 cups oil (for deep frying—use an oil with a high smoke point like peanut or canola, safflower, or soybean)
- Dash chaat masala or black salt (available at any Indian grocery store)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
- Add a little water at a time and whisk until smooth. The consistency should coat the back of a spoon. You don't get delicious pakoras if the batter is too thin.
- Scrub, peel, wash, and slice the potatoes. Keep a bowl of water handy and place the cut potatoes in the bowl as you go along. Do not cut them too thin or too thick.
- Rinse again, drain, and pat dry with paper napkins or a kitchen towel, and place them in the chickpea batter. If you don't pat or drain them dry, the excess water will thin the batter, and the pakoras will end up with a thin layer of batter.
- Heat oil on medium-high heat in a deep wok or pan (approximately 350 degrees if you use a reading thermometer).
- When hot, carefully pick each slice of potatoes from the batter and slide them in slowly and carefully into the hot oil. You can use kitchen tongs to do this. I use my fingers, but you must be careful of the hot oil.
- Deep fry in batches on medium heat till golden brown. It takes about 4-5 minutes on each side.
- Remove with a slotted spoon or sieved spatula and drain on paper towels to absorb excess oil. If any crisp bits are floating around from the batter, remove those too before you put in the next batch to fry.
- Depending on how large your fryer is, it will take several batches. Do not crowd them in.
- Sprinkle chaat masala or black salt over the pakoras and toss gently.
- Place hot pakoras on a serving dish.
- Serve with mint chutney, tamarind chutney, tomato ketchup, or hot sauce.
Notes
Rice flour absorbs excess moisture, giving the pakoras a crispier finish.
You can also cut the potatoes in half and fix many varieties of them.
Pakora Variations
Cauliflower Pakoras
Substitute the potatoes for cauliflower flowerets. Cut about 2 cups of the flowerets to about an inch or a little more in size. Slice lengthwise and in half again in case the pieces are too broad. Wash, pat dry, dip in batter, and fry. Turn gently after 3-4 minutes. Fry until you get a nice golden brown color—approximately 8 minutes.
Zucchini Pakoras
Wash two medium zucchini, pat dry, and slice into circles. Add to batter, coat each slice well, and deep fry in batches, slowly turning them around till golden brown. Approximately 6-7 minutes.
Eggplant Pakoras
Wash the eggplant and cut it into thin circles. If you use the large Black Beauty variety, you can cut the circles in half if they are too large. Wash and pat dry. Dip in batter and fry on medium-high heat till golden brown on both sides. Approximately 8-10 minutes.
Cauliflower Pakoras
Substitute the potatoes for cauliflower flowerets. Cut about 2 cups of the flowerets to about an inch or a little more in size. Slice lengthwise and in half again in case the pieces are too broad. Wash, pat dry, dip in batter, and fry. Turn gently after 3-4 minutes. Fry until you get a nice golden brown color—approximately 8 minutes.
Zucchini Pakoras
Wash two medium zucchini, pat dry, and slice into circles. Add to batter, coat each slice well, and deep fry in batches, slowly turning them around till golden brown. Approximately 6-7 minutes.
Eggplant Pakoras
Wash the eggplant and cut it into thin circles. If you use the large Black Beauty variety, you can cut the circles in half if they are too large. Wash and pat dry. Dip in batter and fry on medium-high heat till golden brown on both sides. Approximately 8-10 minutes.
It is a hot summer’s day. I hear Rosy, our cook, fixing lemonade for our son and his friends in the kitchen. The loud spoon clinking against the glass as she vigorously stirs the sugar into the lemon and water mixture reminds me of when we were kids.
Mom homeschooled us elder ones for a short while before we started schooling in a new town. Nanny was left in charge to make sure we did not goof off. Hearing our cook Daniel fixing lemonade the same way for our ‘elevenses’ signaled that a break was coming, which we were ever ready for!
Our lemon tree at home here gives us plenty of lemons. I fix a bunch of lemonade concentrate in 8 oz glass jars and freeze them. These are time savers when needed.
Nimbu Pani (Lemonade)
A refreshing homemade lemonade to beat the summer heat!
Ingredients
For the Lemonade Concentrate
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup lemon juice (Remove the seeds, but keep a bit of the pulp)
To Make Lemonade
- ¼ cup lemonade concentrate
- ¾ cup water
- ice cubes (to your preference)
Instructions
- In a nonreactive 3-4 quart saucepan, dissolve the sugar and water on medium heat.
- Remove from the heat and set aside until cool. Approximately 30 minutes.
- When cool, add the lemon juice, and stir together.
- Store in an airtight glass bottle in the refrigerator. Suitable for about 10 days.
To Make Lemonade
- Mix together the lemonade concentrate, water, and ice cubes. Do a taste test! And adjust by adding more lemonade concentrate or iced water.
- Serve with a wedge of lemon or a few mint leaves.
Jal-jeera or Jeera Pani is a drink made with spicy, sweet, and tangy ingredients. Chilled, it is a refreshing drink in hot summers and has many health benefits. I got this recipe from one of the many parties we attended when my husband served in the Indian Air Force. Recipe exchanges were never precise, and you would get, “Just put a little bit of this and a little bit of that.” It was up to one to create their exotic version and adjust it to one’s taste. So, while we may have served the same drink, it always tasted a little different.
Jal-jeera (Jeera Pani) (Sweet and Spicy Cumin Water)
Jal-jeera or Jeera Pani is a chilled, refreshing Summer drink made with spicy, sweet, and tangy ingredients.
Ingredients
- 8 cups water
- 2 tsp dried ginger powder ("Sonth" in Hindi)
- 2 tbsp rock salt (kala namak, black salt, so called due to its darker hue—you can buy this at any Indian or health food grocery store)
- 1 tsp tamarind paste (heaped )
- 1 tsp mint paste (about 20 fresh mint leaves)
- ⅛ tsp chili powder (or to your taste)
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 3 tbsp brown sugar or jaggery (or gur, found in Indian grocery stores)
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp chaat masala (optional—found in Indian grocery stores)
- Dash of black pepper, roasted cumin, and garam masala
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a pan and bring to a boil on medium heat while stirring often to dissolve the sugars.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
- Continue to stir occasionally.
- Do a taste test. (FYI - Indians don't use the same spoon to taste and cook. It is considered 'jutha,' a word that conveys food contaminated by double dipping).
- Adjust ingredients to your taste.
- Strain the mixture into a glass jug (pitcher). Add the lemon juice. Stir and chill.
- When chilled, pour in glasses, and serve garnished with mint.
It is dusk in New Delhi. There is a crowd of people jostling around the kebab stall, trying to get the attention of the counter guys. No question of a queue for this hungry crowd, of course! You will get served if you are lucky enough to push your way to the front. The cooks are busy turning the kebabs on the spit. The aroma has my mouth watering. I stand back and watch my brother-in-law and husband push their way through. Amazingly they are back in a short while with the kebabs wrapped in foil with a side of thinly sliced vinegared onions and mint chutney. They also manage to get some rumali rotis (soft, thin, oversized stretchy rotis that go well with tandoori dishes). We head home to feast.
Seekh Kebabs are made out of ground meat, predominantly lamb, beef, or chicken, flavored with aromatic spices. This recipe is with beef. The meat is marinated with spices and shaped into sausage-like cylinders on skewers. Typically cooked in a tandoor in restaurants, it can be grilled or barbequed at home.
Seekh Kebabs (Ground Meat Skewers)
Seekh Kebabs are made out of ground meat, predominantly lamb, beef, or chicken, flavored with aromatic spices.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef ((20% fat content))
- 1 tsp whole coriander seeds
- 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
- ½ medium onion
- 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 medium Serrano green chili (optional)
- 1 cup fresh cilantro (loosely packed, save a little for garnish)
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp chili powder (optional, to taste)
- ¾ tsp dry mango powder (amchur) (found in Indian grocery stores)
- 1½ tsp salt ( or to taste)
- 1 tbsp oil
For Garnish
- 1 lemon (sliced or quartered )
- 1 tsp fresh cilantro (finely chopped)
Instructions
- Using a skillet or griddle, dry roast the whole coriander seeds and cumin seeds on medium heat until fragrant. Approximately 1 minute.
- Pour into a small bowl and set aside to cool.
- Grind to a fairly fine powder in a spice or coffee grinder.
- Process the onion, cilantro, ginger, garlic, and green chili into a fine paste in a processor or blender.
- Pour the mixture through a fine strainer and drain the excess liquid by pressing down on it with a spoon or paper towel.
- Add the beef, the ground paste, and the rest of the spices in a large bowl.
- Knead till all the ingredients are well mixed. Take at least 5 minutes to do this, as it helps keep the kebabs from breaking on the skewer.
- Rest the mixture in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.
- Divide the ground beef mixture into 8-10 portions.
- Form into smooth meatballs.
- On a flat surface, using your fingers, roll the meatballs into sausage shapes about 4" long and 3/4" in diameter. Make sure they are of even thickness.
- Gently slide a skewer through the middle. You can also form and shape the kebabs directly on the skewer. Make sure the meat is evenly distributed on the skewer.
- Place on a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more until ready to use.
- Heat a well-oiled cast iron or nonstick stove top grill on medium-high.
- Grill the kebabs, rotating carefully, until evenly well-browned on the surface and cooked through. It takes about 10-15 minutes. (The kebabs can be cooked in several ways. See notes).
- Garnish with lemon slices or wedges and a sprinkle of chopped cilantro.
- Serve with rumali roti, naan, or flatbread with mint chutney and thinly sliced onions (red or yellow).
Notes
Other ways to cook Seekh Kebabs:
1. Pan fry on medium-high, 4 minutes on each side till done.
2. The kebabs can be baked in an oven at 475 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, but turn them around during cooking to be evenly browned. Remember not to dry them out.
3. Grill them on your rotisserie feature in your air fryer. Approximately 9 minutes.
4. Grill them on a BBQ, but take care that the heat is not high enough to char the Seekh Kebabs. Turn them carefully 8-10 minutes.
Other ways to serve Seekh Kebabs:
1. I will sometimes serve the kebabs with a hot dog bun, mayonnaise, and mint chutney topped with sliced onions for an Indo-American fusion. You can pickle the onions (red or yellow) in vinegar a couple of days ahead to add a little zest.
2. Fix smaller-sized kebabs for cocktail parties.
Other ways to serve Seekh Kebabs:
1. I will sometimes serve the kebabs with a hot dog bun, mayonnaise, and mint chutney topped with sliced onions for an Indo-American fusion. You can pickle the onions (red or yellow) in vinegar a couple of days ahead to add a little zest.
2. Fix smaller-sized kebabs for cocktail parties.