Nepali Breakfast of Omlette & Potatoes

Nepali Breakfast – Serves 2

I visited Nepal back in November 2008 and the breakfasts out there were definitely one of the highlights of my trip! These went down an absolute treat most mornings, but particularly before a long day’s trekking as I needed all the energy I could get! I decided that I would try and pick up a Nepali cookbook in Kathmandu so that I could recreate this (and the other fabulous food I tasted) when I got home. The book I found was called the ‘The Joys of Nepalese cooking’ and it is a really great book. If you want to read about my trip you can do so here.

I used a combination of the information found in my Nepali cookbook, and an excellent recipe for Bombay potatoes by Rick Stein (Goodfood Magazine, January 2009) where he actually poaches an egg on top of the potatoes. I was also inspired in a strange kind of way by Saturday Kitchen‘s omelette challenge – although I’ll need to make sure my omelette’s not ‘running round the farmyard’ as most of them are on the show!

 

Ingredients for 2 Omelettes

• 4 large eggs
• Splash of milk 
• 1/2 red chilli, finely chopped (remove seeds if you like things milder)
• 50g cheese, grated
• 2 tsp chives, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 5 button mushrooms, finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes, seeds removed and finely chopped
• 2 knobs of butter (1 for each omelette)
• Salt & Pepper

Method for the Omelette

Step 1
Break the eggs into a bowl and whisk with a fork until the egg yolk is completely mixed into the egg whites. Add a splash of milk and give the mixture another stir.

Step 2
Add all the other ingredients to the mixture (except the cheese & the butter) and give it a good mix.

Step 3
Melt the butter in a frying pan on a medium heat, then add the egg mixture. Use a small spatula to run around the edges of the pan, tipping the frying pan so the uncooked egg from the center of the pan can run under the bottom of the cooked egg. Continue to use this method until the egg in the center is nearly cooked (it should still be just a little moist), and now add the cheese to the pan. 

 Step 4
Once the cheese has just started to melt, the omelette should be ready. Fold the omelette over and serve with the potatoes.

Ingredients for the Potatoes

• 2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 cm thumb of root ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 5 dried curry leaves
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped (add more if you like things hot)
• 3/4 tsp turmeric
• Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Method for the Potatoes

Step 1
Boil the Potatoes for around 12 minutes or until they are tender but not breaking up. Remove from the pan and allow the potatoes to cool.

Step 2
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add the cumin & mustard seeds and fry for 1 minute. After around one minute the seeds should start popping – at this point add in the garlic, onion, curry leaves and chilli to the pan and stir fry for a further 2 minutes, or until the onions have started to soften.

Step 3
Add the turmeric and potatoes to the frying pan and mix well so that everything is coated in the lovely yellow colour of the turmeric. You will probably need to cook the potatoes on a medium heat for around 4 – 5 minutes depending on how small you cubed your potatoes. Make sure the heat is not on too high as the potatoes will burn – although you can always add a bit of water if the potatoes are sticking to the pan.

Authentic Thai Green Curry

Thai Green Curry – Serves 2

If I have a signature dish then this is definately it. Just ask pretty much any of my friends who have been round for dinner; they’ve all had this cooked for them at some point, and there’s a running joke that it’s the only thing I can cook! I first learnt how to make this on a cooking course in Thailand (Koh Phi Phi) back in 2006 and it’s been my favourite dish to make ever since. In fact it’s probably down to this cooking course that I became interested in cooking, and in particular fuelled my fascination for international food. 

The great thing about Thai curries is that you can make them as spicy or as mild as you like – in Thailand they have them hot, and I do mean HOT! Nearly all of the ingredients used should be fairly accessible – if your struggling, you can replace the galagal with ginger and use normal basil leaves instead of the Thai sweet basil although it will give the curry a slightly different taste. If you live near a specialist oriental store then get yourself down there and see what you can find!

 

 Ingredients for the Paste

• 3 large green chillies (to taste), seeds removed & finely chopped 
• 1 tsp grated galangal (ginger is a good substitute)
• 2 tsp lemongrass, finely chopped
• 3 kaffir limeleaves, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp shallot, finely chopped
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 handfulls of Thai sweet basil, roughly chopped

 Ingredients for the Curry

• 2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
• 400ml can of coconut milk
• 1 green curry paste recipe (see above)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil (for frying)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 handful green beans, cut in half
• 1 small tin of bamboo shoots
• 1 small handful basil leaves, for garnishing
• Red chilli flakes or finely chopped fresh red chilli to garnish (optional)

Method

Step 1
First make the paste. Take all the ingredients for the paste (except the oil) and put them into a pestle and mortar and give them a good bashing. Add the oil and continue to pound the ingredients until you have a smooth paste consistency. You can use a food processor if you like but I just love using my pestle and mortar. I usually use all of the paste in one go, but if you want to make extra, you can stick the paste into a container, cover with oil and it should last for a week or so in the fridge.

Step 2
Now for the curry itself. On a low heat, add the oil and all of the green curry paste into a pan and mix well – this will ensure that the flavour of the paste will really come out in the chicken. Add the chicken and fry on a low / medium heat until the chicken is starting to cook through.

Step 3
Give the can of coconut milk a good shake and add to the pan, along with the fish sauce and the sugar and simmer until the chicken is cooked. Just before the chicken has cooked, add in the bamboo shoots and green beans, and simmer until the green beans are cooked but still retain their ‘bite’.

Serving Suggestion
I usually serve this curry with rice, although it works just as well with noodles or some type of roti / flatbread. Garnish the curry with a few basil leaves, a wedge of lime and a sprinkle of red chilli flakes.

Note: It actually doesn’t matter if you use only red chillies as it is the basil that gives the colour, not the chilli – in fact I think a mixture gives a great colour to the dish.