Here is the much talked about Poached Egg Curry. It can be made with just eggs or make it more nutritious by adding choice of greens. I have tried with Spinach and Moringa and served with Malabar flatbread like Orotti, pathiri, idiyappam etc. 

Phew… to say that I encumbered willingly to the cleaning spree knowing that my blog is nose diving into the almost non-existent state is an understatement. I have been keeping myself “actively” busy with household chores that are convincingly equivalent to much-needed workouts. :-) And when the blog began to threaten me of abandoning, I decided to come over and write up a quick post.

This particular post of Poached Egg Curry has been in drafts since – forever and all I actually had to do was insert images and give a brief introduction. Would you believe I have been sitting on this post for the past three days with zero advancements? I ain’t lying! This time, it is nothing to do with any kind of “block”, I think it is more to do with the fact that my thoughts and ideas or perspectives and goals everything is blurred out – in the sense, they are changing and is not definite yet. Like I am re-inventing myself to bring significant changes so that I don't end up being unhappy with self.

Although I am thinking of doing new things in life, today I am sharing a very old recipe handed down from mom! This Poached Egg Curry is what I always ask my mom to make when I am home. She makes this to pair with rice flour flatbreads (orottis and idiyappam) or sometimes even with chapatis. Some days she also adds Moringa leaves to this curry and that is the perfect meatless combination with Orotti. I mentioned meatless because meat and fish is an everyday thing and egg is considered as veg! LOL! 

MENA Cooking Club is back after two months of Summer break! I was so eager to know what would happen to the club after we were done with the last MENA country – Yemen. So now, we are going for a second round of cooking a dish from each of the MENA (Middle East North African) countries in alphabetical order.

Though I had joined MENA Cooking Club when it was time to cook Oman, I had started cooking a dish for GlobeCookingMad too through which I have already covered Algeria. And if you remember I had mentioned that there is so much to try from this land that I won’t be moving forward to the next country very soon. :-P

For the first country - Algeria, we were given these options:

• Khobz Eddar
• Chorba Beïda 
• Mahjouba

INGREDIENTS:

Check here for How to make Harrisa Paste - The Kitchn

For the Dough:
2 cups of fine semolina
Salt to taste
250 ml water warm water + more for sprinkling (this will depend on the quality of the semolina so add little by little)
Sunflower oil – for coating the surface, dough and while spreading the dough (keep a bowl of oil close to the work area)

For the Tomato Sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 teaspoon tomato paste
2 medium tomatoes, chopped roughly
2 teaspoon Harissa paste (add gradually according to your taste)
½ teaspoon black pepper powder
½ teaspoon hot paprika powder
Salt to taste
A fistful of chopped coriander leaves to mix into the sauce at the end - optional

METHOD:

For the Dough:

1. On a large flat plate or surface, mix the semolina and salt. Start adding warm water little by little until you can bring together all of the semolina into a dough. Start kneading the dough using the lower part of the palm or with both your hands and keep sprinkling water every few minutes until the dough is non-sticky, stretchy and a big blob! Not like chapati dough.
2. Keep kneading even after you “think” you have achieved the desired state. Your mind can fool you because your hands are hurting! 
3. Grease a large tray with enough oil 
4. Squeeze as many balls of dough between index and thumb and lay them on a flat plate with lot of space between each dough balls 
5. Spread some oil on each dough ball and cover the plate with cling wrap
6. Keep this to rest for minimum 30 minutes

For the Sauce:

1. Heat a saucepan on medium flame and add olive oil
2. Add in the finely chopped onions along with a dash of salt, sauté until translucent.
3. Add the grated garlic, and tomato paste, let it cook for a minute
4. Add the chopped tomatoes along with the spice powders and harissa paste. 
5. Cover and cook until the tomatoes are all soft. Do open and stir to prevent it from sticking to the pan. Add more oil or drops of water if the mixture is too dry.
6. Taste test and adjust the spices and salt
7. Switch off and add freshly chopped coriander leaves

1. Keep the tawa on low heat so it is ready by the time your first Mahjouba is ready to be cooked 
2. Oil your hands and work surface very well 
3. Take one dough ball and cover the rest. 
4. Keep it on the oiled surface and start to gently pat it with your four fingers or palm while stretching it outwards. 
5. Gently use both your hands to stretch dough all way around until transparent. You may end up with a few holes and that is totally okay. 
6. Put a tablespoon or more of cooled sauce in the centre of the sheet, and with the back of a spoon gently spread it out evenly. 
7. Fold by carefully bringing the top side of the dough down over the sauce then fold the bottom side up. 
8. Do the same with the right and left side so you get a square. 
9. Now is the most difficult task. You can try and lift the Mahjouba and lay it on the hot pan OR if you have trouble, then choose to fold the Mahjouba on a large plate so you can topple the prepared square onto your hand and then onto the pan.
10. Roast it both sides until cooked crisp and serve immediately!

It is almost two years since I started living in Yanbu but it is only now that I am busy like never before. Busy with things that don’t include the blog. So much that I have conveniently pushed my blog behind every time my “old-me-inside-my-heart” makes a presence with a reminder,  “Girl, there are a few drafts you have to give final review”, “Hey would you write a post today?” “Why don’t you hit the publish button?” Sadly, I always gave her a deaf ear, because I am addicted to a new hobby! Now Don’t LAUGH at me, I myself can’t believe I am into this. I binge watch Melissa Maker’s Clean My Space!

LOL! You can laugh with me now! :-P I am into the thorough cleaning of every nook and corner of my home. My grocery list has more cleaning products than veggies, I am also buying a few spray bottles to make her DIY cleaning solutions. As much as I love to have a clean space, I use to abhor the task. Some days I just do it for the sake of it without really wanting to do it. I dump everything in the closet and shelves so outside it looks neat! Not anymore! Just like we get bored of our own cooking and try something new or go out and dine, a newer way of cleaning or folding the laundry just makes you enjoy the task like never before! That is exactly what happened to me. I went in to clean the washroom totally with her ideas and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Like who says that? I enjoyed cleaning the bathroom! :-P 

How to make Idli Upma with leftover idlis

INGREDIENTS