A few days ago, at a dinner at a friend's, we sat dazed by the lavish and delicious meal conjured up by her mother. And we wondered why we can never achieve that creaminess in gravy without a touch of cream, the subtle but just right balance of flavours, and the colour in our curries without any colouring agent, like our mothers did.
“Because you all don't give the dish the time it needs,” said her mother.
Those words sat in my heart with a thud, heavy and leaden. It rang true for me and for many others like you. But honestly, who has two hours on a weeknight to get food to the table? Definitely not me!
Between work, commute, kids and their activities, spending hours over dinner is not a possibility. We want to bring to the table a wholesome, healthy, tasty meal. And yet we cannot afford to spend hours over it. Time is in short supply.
To find a balance between the two, I have my own strategy. I am sure you have too. I usually keep dinners during the week simple. I spend a couple of hours on Sunday to do some prep work for weeknight dinners. And I keep a few ready made products handy. For example, my freezer always has a stock of frozen parathas or healthier corn flour tortillas.
These flaky parathas are the easiest way to quickly churn up the very popular street food, Kolkata egg roll for your dinner. It will take you all of 20 minutes or even less to make these totally delicious rolls which are also known as kaati rolls all over the globe.
For a healthier version, ditch the parathas and choose tortillas or whole wheat chapatis to make them. These egg rolls are so easy to make and so good that believe me, you will be left wanting for more and more.
Kolkata Egg Roll
The quality of the paratha plays an important part in the egg roll. If you’re making your own paratha, make the dough with maida and enough shortening so that the paratha is very soft and pliable. You can use tortilla or whole wheat roti but it will not taste the same.
If you’re using readymade paratha cook according to instructions on the package.
Beat one egg + 1 tbsp whole milk + little salt + little pepper
Smear the tawa/griddle/frying pan with little vegetable oil and pour the egg. Spread it out in a circle like you would do for an omelette.
Once the egg is a little cooked on the edges, put the cooked paratha on top
When the edge of the egg starts to brown, flip the paratha and egg. Give it a couple of seconds, then remove.
While the paratha is cooking, you can get the filling ready. The standard filling for a Kolkata egg roll is thinly sliced red onions and thinly sliced cucumber . Add chopped green chillies if you like spice. Squirt a little lime juice and toss with a spoon.
Now put the filling on the centre of the egg side of the paratha. Add the onions, cucumber and green chilli mixture, a dash of ketchup and chilli sauce.
Place the whole thing on wax paper or newspaper or foil and start rolling from one end, tuck in the bottom end of the paper.
Enjoy.
Sandeepa Mukherjee Datta is Bong Mom, the nom de plume behind Bong Mom's Cookbook ( >www.bongcookbook.com ). She has been entertaining her readers for over six years, and is the go-to for Bengali cooking on the web. An engineer by profession, writing and food are her current passions. Her first book, based on her blog was published in 2013.
