Dining Companions - Dad

Dining Companions - Dad


One of the best people to eat a meal with is my Dad. Not only is he very knowledgeable about food in general, but his company always makes even the most boring dish taste better (this was put to the test for YEARS)
His stories of the weird food he’s eaten and the weird places he’s eaten them in always make me laugh.

Even accounting for the fact that I read at the table when we’re eating together, he still finds a way to make sure I take part in the conversations happening.
We have a cook in my house, whose an absolute treasure (also the reason we’re all so fat) we download recipe’s and dad explains them to her in simple hindi and viola! We get fatter! Our bacon roast beef and Honey Chicken are prime examples of this.

One of my favorite things about my dad is the gusto with which he lives his life. Obviously, this extends to eating as well!

It is completely because of his perseverance that I now eat fish! Also his patience at removing bone after bone for me!

One of my happiest childhood memories are of when we didn’t have a regular cook and Dad used to make breakfast for us on a Sunday morning, if your idea of breakfast is a feast of such proportion that you can’t eat lunch (or sometimes even dinner) then you would love the breakfast he makes.

When Sante’s opened in Pali Hill a few years ago there was no stopping my dad, he goes there every Saturday evening and practically buy’s up the place.

Our Sunday breakfast looks something like this

2 fried eggs per person/Scrambled eggs

Streaky or Back bacon

Spanish cured ham with olives

Belgian smoked ham

Bacon Sausages/Frankfurters

Cheese and garlic spread

Boursin cheese

And sometimes when Dad is feeling particularly happy, he makes akuri (see recipe below)

Akuri (feeds up to 5 people)

Ingredients

8 eggs
Half a cup of milk

Salt to taste

Milk and or cream

Half an onion finely chopped

2 gloves garlic finely chopped

Half teaspoon haldi powder

Half teaspoon garam masala

1 green chilly finely chopped

1 & half tablespoon oil, preferably from the just fried bacon.

METHOD

Break the eggs in a large bowl and beat them well till they are frothy

Add the milk and salt and beat the mixture well. Keep aside.

Heat the oil in an aluminium kadai

Fry the onions till slightly brown on a slow flame

Add the garlic and fry till onions are golden brown

Add the haldi powder, half the green chillies and garam masala and fry well

Make sure the flame is low and then slowly pour the egg mixture into the kadai.

Use a spatula and constantly stir the mixture, scrapping the bottom and sides of the kadai.

As the mixture starts thickening, lift the kadai off the flame for a few seconds, constantly stir the mixture and set back on the flame.

Again, just before the eggs are cooked, lift the kadai off the flame and allow the mixture to thicken by constant stirring, don't over cook the eggs. The eggs should be moist and only slightly firm. When served in a plate, there should not be any watery liquid seeping out to the sides.

Add the remaining chillies and some chopped coriander on top and serve hot with well-buttered toast.