THE JOHANNESBURG DIARIES - THE ‘EGGSOTIC’ SIDE OF LIFE! #BLOGCHATTERa2z2023

 

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If you were to ask me what my favourite food is, my answer would be instantaneous, “Eggs, of course!” I have many family members and friends who would also subscribe to this view.

Myth had it that I used to eat six eggs when I was a year old, a myth propagated by our beloved Parvathy Amma, who was like a third grandmother and cooked and cleaned for us forever… till she passed away and left us all heartbroken.

My father loved his eggs raw. He would gulp them down for breakfast. Mom, my sisters and I had our own pet versions – I loved my sunny side up version where I would dunk my bread into the runny yolk and savour the golden goodness. 

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My sisters preferred the scrambled and the omelette versions. Parvathy Amma had an absolutely divine recipe, probably self-created, where she would grind chilli and onion, add a spoon of salt and give it a good mix with the eggs. She would then create little roundels which were delicious. Many were the sandwiches we took to school to be devoured by our friends.

When I got married to an Army officer, who is equally enamoured with ‘eggsotic’ dishes, I learnt the unavoidable yet welcome truth – if eggs and bread had never been invented, the Armed Forces would have probably gone hungry. ‘Ande ka bhujjia’ loosely translated as ‘spicy scrambled eggs’ were a staple in every household, especially when one wanted to add that extra dish that added oomph to a meal.

My better half and I discovered a never-fail remedy to lose weight – we turned our breakfast around – two egg whites each with salt and pepper. Easy to eat and tasty to boot!

Since this is a Johannesburg diary, before you wonder why I am talking of the ‘eggsotic’, let me enlighten you on the role eggs play in our household here as well. Our tryst with egg whites continues. Memories assail me when I watch our little ones choose their favourites… Z loves her sunny side up while S prefers his scrambled with cheese or double fried. My daughter likes her omelettes with onion, chillies and spinach, while our son-in-love douses his fried egg with intense chilli oil.

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Johannesburg has wonderful eating joints and we have often gone for breakfast to have poached eggs and eggs Benedict, both delicious.

Eggs are always a go-to when meals need to be made in a jiffy – a scrambled concoction in rice turns into fried rice, a fried egg in a burger transforms it into a club sandwich filling. Our little ones have learnt to cook ‘Mooma’s’ egg curry (Mooma is their name for me! 😊) which is a dish that our daughter grew up on. 

Egg and cheese sandwiches are a must while travelling, the creamier the egg, the better because it glues the bread slices together.

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My Army husband has an amusing story about Scotch eggs when he was in the National Defence Academy during his initial training. Whether it was amusing at the moment is a whole different thing. He was a first termer when a senior sitting close by for breakfast would say succinctly, “Eat your Scotch egg without biting into it!” I put my hands together in gratitude that he did not choke on it because what could be more onerous than having a whole egg sliding down one’s oesophagus? ☹

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All I can say is that eggs have made our lives ‘egg’xhilarating, ‘egg’sotic, ‘egg’citing and ‘egg’xemplary. An ‘egg’xperience I would not trade for anything in the world. 😊

This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z2023.

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