DESI STYLE POACHED EGG CURRY

It happened to be a special day yesterday.... some meat and fish dishes had to be cooked.... a simple cake had to be baked with "kompoman haath"... shivering hands and a sweet something to end  the meal... all went haywire with a phone call day before yesterday.... I was standing in front of  the meat shop calculating exactly what amount of mutton / goat meat to buy.... thats when the old, demon birthday boy called from his office and said, "I have a flight to catch right at 5pm.... coming home in an hour".... The right thing to do was to call one of my boy friends spread island wise, sit by the sea with some black pepper crab which had to be paired with mini steamed buns and ahem... you know what else.... I am not friends with smoothies or soft drinks... Girl friends are equally welcome on such meets but not when you are craving badly for a revenge. Instead, I saved some money not buying the meat, rushed back home and stood at the doorstep with "cholo cholo chokh" Sandhya Ray style.... and bid a goodbye saying "dugga dugga".... The mind was at a boiling point so much so that I wished to employ a detective to find out why he travels to the capital of the neighbouring country often .... but you know I do not earn so had to drop the idea and wait for his return with "duru duru bokkho"!

The above lines speak of a happy home which lives in the lines of sharing and caring..... but not all homes are such, cracking jokes on each other freely .... not all women are fortunate neither all men are as lucky as mine hihi.... off course I will take that credit .... one should love one's self that much. The man of this house does not usually complain about his wife but the wife does to only few trusted people... there is one person who always says S you can say this because you are in a happy environment, it never is a grave situation... my complaints ranges from he shouts to he is unromantic to he does not know the way to the kitchen or the market. The person here is one of the top creams of India with an appropriate wife by his side... who I call a super woman. Both been in high profile jobs which is quite but natural and deserving for them. They have taught me how to be down to the earth, treat and take care of people with warmth.... and well if my mother has not taught me anything before marriage about how to handle a different home where people will not love you naturally but for your work.... I have learnt a major part of "ghar kanna" from this super woman post marriage who been in a high profile job, an university topper does cook dal-rice back from the office, treats guests, in fact their home is abuzz with guests.... extended family, friends 24/7 right from their honey-moon days years back. If they say do not fake S, it is true..... I will take their name in an appropriate post not here in DESI STYLE POACHED EGG CURRY... I must.... they never discuss science, finance .... with me ever... areas where I am blank.... themselves been moving Encyclopaedia. 

Coming to "unfortunate women".... they off course are a majority.... while me or some of my friends are posing with all smiles with family in trips.... the news flashes in front of my eyes .... woman killed by the husband while travelling in a car .... did she ever think about it? This brings back some childhood horrified memories .... we were in lower level of school when the "Swarupa Guha[?]" murder case raised a stir .... she was killed probably by the people who she trusted the most .... the case never got solved because it involved powerful people ..... did the conspirers only consist of men?.... No, there were women too.... so male bashing is not the solution ..... need of the hour is to change the patriarch pattern of the society, neither should feminists run for the ladies sit in buses, trains and trams.... sits should be reserved only for the senior citizens, children, handicaps and pregnant women. As long as a mentally de-ranged pregnant woman lie naked on the streets back there, women are vulnerable.... even cows have a better lives there.... but then its my roots, I was born there.... the love for that land is by default.... neither can I deny that a Nirbhaya case happens every other day there.... now I hear a little boy from a foreign land is been sexually assaulted for years.

Too much of lecture is boring.... I am too boring a company anyway because I cannot talk much in literal sense, always I keep wondering what to say next..... I do not need to bore you more. What I wished to share today was a fish / meat / sweet dish but I did not cook much these two days .... he is arriving tonight ....I will cook properly tomorrow.... a birthday deserves some good food at this home.... if not shared immediately .... I do not wish to drag my readers to the family celebrations however open I am about what goes on a regular basis here. 

However, yesterday evening I used an ingredient he loves.... EGG.... anything for egg is perhaps his tagline. This DESI STYLE POACHED EGG CURRY is not a family recipe, neither do I know how authentic a Bengali recipe it is but it is cooked in some known families. I have also seen recipes similar to DESI STYLE POACHED EGG CURRY in different food groups may be but I did not save any. I followed my own way of doing this non vegetarian, spice laden, tomato based gravy with eggs and potatoes. We had it with half and half rice and chapati... and "peyaj... lanka... achar".... I am not that fond of egg unless it is a duck egg curry but egg is always a better and wiser option when there is scarcity of tyangra, pabda, charapona.... what comes here are too stale. So here is my recipe of DESI STYLE POACHED EGG CURRY which we will cook together now..... For middle class Bengalis like us .... sunny side ups are also poached eggs .... and I will seek some license here... hehe...

INGREDIENTS :

Egg : 4

Potato : 1big [peeled, washed, cut into 4 or 8 pieces

Tomato : 1medium [washed and chopped]

Onion : 1medium [peeled, washed, sliced]

Ginger Paste : 1tbsp

Garlic Paste : 1tsp

Asafoetida : 2pinches

Cumin Seed : 2pinches

Bayleaf : 1

Cumin Powder : 1tsp

Coriander Powder : 1/2tsp

Red Chilli Powder : 1tsp

Cinnamon Powder : 1/4tsp

Cardamom Powder : 2-3pinches

Turmeric Powder : 1/2tsp

Salt : As Required

Oil : 2tbsp

Ghee : 1/4tsp for each egg

Sugar : 1/2tsp [optional]

Coriander Leaves : 1tbsp to garnish.... my most loved fresh herbs

METHOD :

Heat 1/4 tsp ghee in a pan for each of the sunny side ups and prepare them carefully, we will be careful to keep the yolk in tact.

Rub the potato pieces with salt and turmeric and keep aside for 5 minutes. Heat oil in a yolk and add the potato pieces. Fry them light brown and take out.

Temper remaining oil with asafoetida, cumin seeds and bayleaf. Add the onion slices and fry till brown.

Add the ginger and garlic paste and stir for 2 minutes. Add the chopped tomato, salt and turmeric. Fold in well and cover cook at low heat till it melts.

Now add the cumin, red chilli and coriander powders, stir and cook for a minute. Add one big cup of water, let it come to boil.

Add the fried potatoes and cover cook at low heat for 3-4 minutes. Open cover and add the cinnamon and cardamom powder, sugar and the leftover ghee from the pan or a tsp if you wish.

Arrange the sunny side ups in a serving bowl. Pour the gravy gently and garnish with fresh, chopped coriander leaves. We must allow the sunny side ups to soak in the gravy at least for 1/2 an hour before having it.