Eggs are perhaps the easiest thing to cook in the kitchen. They pair well with many veggies & go well with meats. Boiled, fried, scrambled or poached, they are convenient for quickly whipping up breakfast, lunch or dinner. However, that fluffy blanket of eggs, wrapped with veggies or cheese, stuffed in buttery toast is absolutely heavenly… Omelette & toast have been my favourite breakfast forever.

Whether or not Napoleon actually ordered huge omelette for his entire army; there is no doubt that omelette is quite an ancient recipe. The word Omelette is most certainly derived from French language but there is no consensus that the dish is actually of French origin. There are different variations of omelettes throughout different countries & cultures. The recipes also somewhat vary.

Spanish omelette (tortilla de patatas/ tortilla Española) mainly contains eggs & potatoes; whereas Denver omelette or more appropriately Denver Omelet mainly contains diced ham, onions & green bell peppers. Irish omelette involves separating egg yolks & whites; mixing mashed potatoes with egg yolks & then adding stiff egg whites whereas basic French omelette contains beaten eggs (without separating yolks & whites), salt, pepper & ham (optional), grated cheese (optional) etc. Tamagoyaki or Japanese rolled egg omelette is made by adding soy sauce or sugar (& sometimes mirin) to eggs.

There could be countless omelette recipes as one can add absolutely any filling of one’s choice in eggs. Omelettes can be both savoury & sweet. Yess….many (disclaimer: including myself) find the idea of sweet omelette weird but there are a number of recipes that include adding vanilla or other flavoured yoghurts, cinnamon, sugar, berries, etc. into eggs.

A typical Indian egg omelette is quite different from what others perceive as an omelette. For starters most of the times the omelette will have brownish tinge or patches as eggs are cooked till done rather than slightly cooking them. The omelette would not be folded rather its served like a pancake. It generally contains onions, green chillies (not subtle green peppers but fiery hot ones), coriander leaves & sometimes tomatoes. Many people even add turmeric powder or red chilli powder & other spices as Indians love their masalas. The inclusion of turmeric powder is quite a standard feature in Indian cooking for its medicinal qualities.

Here’s my version of Indian Egg Omelette:

Ingredients:

1. Eggs
2. Finely chopped onions
3. Finely chopped green chillies/Thai chillies (use bell peppers for subtle taste)
4. Freshly chopped coriander/cilantro leaves
5. Fresh cream/half & half
6. Salt
7. Pepper
8. Butter/clarified butter(ghee)/oil (tastes better with butter or ghee)

Method:

1. Beat the eggs until little frothy
2. Add onions, chillies, chopped cilantro, salt & pepper
3. Add fresh cream/half & half & whisk lightly
4. Add butter in a frying pan (preferably non-stick). Make sure the entire area on which eggs are to be poured is properly greased.
5. Add egg mixture in batches (depending upon the quantity & the size of the omelette of your preference)
6. When sides of the omelette start to leave the pan, flip the omelette & cook from the other side.
7. Serve with generously buttered toast & tomato sauce.