I love eggs and pretty much every preparation of it, but omelettes have a special place in my heart. Bitting into a piece takes me back to long train journeys from Hyderabad to Agra filled with my dads jokes, my moms come backs and us giggling our guts out, early morning stops at Jhansi station and our family ritual to always relish freshly made omelette from one of the street vendors before our final stop at Agra.

For this dish, we start by first making a masala omelette and then simmer it in tal talle jhol (thin and runny gravy) for a fat and fluffy goodness to enjoy with rice, chapati or bread. Why not just the eat the omelette as is? Because this dish takes the omelette from delicious to DELICIOUS!! My dad was in sales and marketing and travelled often in my growing up years. This was something special my mom made for us girls to make those days feel like fun. We called it the ‘Girls Night Jhol’. I make this with left over Frittatas as well. And if you don’t feel like eating an omelette, bake or fry a couple fish fillets and simmer that in the same gravy and you will get classic bengali maacher jhol (Fish curry).

Time to Prep: 10 mins|Time to Cook: 30 mins|Yield: 4 Servings|Level: Easy

Ingredients:

• For the Omlette
  • 4 eggs (I use just egg whites)
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
  • 2 tbsp onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp plum tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 tbsp green bell pepper, finely chopped (optional)
  • 1 green chili peppers, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
  • Red pepper flakes (Optional)
  • salt to taste
  • pinch of sugar
• For the Jhol (Gravy)
  • 1 tbsp oil (or less)
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp caraway seeds
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
  • 2-3 green chili peppers, finely chopped
  • 1/2 inch ginger, mined
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp chile powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 potato, cut in thin half-moon shape (around 1/8 inch thick)
  • 1 carrot, cut in thin half-moon shape (around 1/8 inch thick)
  • 1/2 fresh or frozen green peas
  • 2 cups of water
  • pinch of sugar
  • 2-3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped for garnishing
  • 1 tsp Harissa or Sriracha (optional)

Process:

1. Making the Masala Omelette:
   • Break eggs in a bowl, beat it. Add milk, salt, pepper and sugar and beat some more (this helps making the omelettes nice and fluffy).
   • Fold in the onions, tomatoes, peppers, chiles and cilantro.
   • Heat some oil in a frying pan/omelette pan in medium heat, pour the egg batter and swirl till its evenly distributed. Cover and let it cook.
   • Slide it on a plate and slice it into triangles, stripes or however you fancy.
2. Making the Jhol (gravy):
   • Heat oil in a pan and temper it with cumin and caraway seeds.
   • When you can smell the aroma add the onions and chile peppers, sauté till the onions soften.
   • Add in the potatoes and carrots, turmeric, coriander powder and chilli powder. Fry till they start turning golden.
   • Add the ginger and garlic, sauté
   • Add the tomatoes and green peas, fold everything in. Cover and cook till tomatoes are mushy.
   • Add 2 cups of water, bring it to a simmer then cover and cook till the potatoes are cooked.
   • Taste and adjust seasoning, add a pinch of sugar.
   • Add the omelette pieces and simmer for 3-4 mins.
   • Garnish and serve warm

Notes:

• If you have left over frittata, cut it up into pieces and use instead of omelette. This help converting leftovers into something delicious and new in a jiffy.
• I like to mix in a spoonful of Sriracha or Harissa to the Jhol to add some extra zing to it.
• While traditionally its served with rice, my favorite way of eating this make a sandwich with the omelette piece and dip that in the jhol before every bite.
• If you don’t feel like eating an omelette, bake or fry a couple fish fillets and simmer that in the same gravy and you will get a classic bengali maacher jhol (Fish curry)