An Indian omelette or masala omelette is a variant of the
omelette
In cuisine, an omelette (also spelled omelet) is a dish made from beaten eggs, fried with butter or oil in a frying pan (without stirring as in scrambled egg). It is quite common for the omelette to be folded around fillings such as chives ...
originating from
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. Its main ingredients are
eggs
Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...
,
herbs,
tomato
The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...
es and
spice
A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Spice ...
s that vary by region.
Grated cheese is sometimes put over the omelette, and they may also be filled with things such as shrimp and/or chicken flavoured with curry.
[Scotson-Clark, George Frederick (G.F.). ''Eating Without Fears''. N.L. Brown, 1923. p]
19
"An ''Indian Omelette'' has curried shrimps, eggs or chicken folded in it, and over it is sifted grated cheese. This is an excellent late supper dish."
The omelette commonly includes finely chopped green
chili pepper
Chili peppers (also chile, chile pepper, chilli pepper, or chilli), from Nahuatl '' chīlli'' (), are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus ''Capsicum'', which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for ...
s and
onion
An onion (''Allium cepa'' L., from Latin ''cepa'' meaning "onion"), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus ''Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onio ...
s (or
shallot
The shallot is a botanical variety (a cultivar) of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with '' Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as the ...
s), finely chopped fresh green
coriander,
salt
Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...
, and ''zeera'' (
cumin). Variations include grated
coconut, ground
black pepper
Black pepper (''Piper nigrum'') is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, known as a peppercorn, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit is a drupe (stonefruit) which is about in dia ...
,
curry leaves
A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included.
There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in tradit ...
, and finely chopped tomatoes.
www.manjumalhi.co.uk/recipes/vegetarian/indian-omelette.html
Accessed 2009-01-21. Grated cheese may also be added. The egg mixture is whisked until fluffy and then cooked on a skillet
A frying pan, frypan, or skillet is a flat-bottomed pan used for frying, searing, and browning foods. It is typically in diameter with relatively low sides that flare outwards, a long handle, and no lid. Larger pans may have a small grab ha ...
. Usually the skillet is not warmed much before the mixture is poured in and it does not immediately solidify. The stove is usually turned on right before the egg is poured in.
George Frederick Scotson-Clark, the author of ''Eating Without Fears'', described it as "an excellent late supper dish."[
]
See also
* Tomato omelette (Chickpea flour-based, not egg-based)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Indian Omelette
Indian cuisine
Omelette
In cuisine, an omelette (also spelled omelet) is a dish made from beaten eggs, fried with butter or oil in a frying pan (without stirring as in scrambled egg). It is quite common for the omelette to be folded around fillings such as chives ...
Egg dishes
Indian snack foods
Omelettes