Eggs are an integral part of street foods

Over the years, street foods have invaded our lives. Any city in India or abroad boasts of a large variety of eatables and usually eggs play an important if not vital role. Eggs have always been a part of the menu right from the bachelor days. From simple boiled eggs to omelette and poach with the bright yellow undamaged yolk side up, eggs have always been the attraction. Boiled egg is the easiest to prepare – all it needs is a container to hold the egg, water and a heating medium like the gas stove or an electric heater. The omelette is a tasty dish – apart from the egg, there has to be additives that make the final product more tasty and attractive. These are usually onion, green chili, salt, coriander leaves and of course oil to fry. When it comes to the regular kitchen, eggs transform into scrambled eggs or egg curry or egg do-piazza.

Then there are the egg rolls one can find on display on trollies at street corners in Kolkata. Once upon a time, these used to be a craze but with the entry of other options like South Indian fast foods (the idli, dosa, upama, uthappa etcetera) and Chinese fast foods (the noodles, mo-mo chili chicken etcetera) there has emerged variety. Many have become self employed and these have solved the unemployment issue to a large extent. Coming back to eggs, one cannot ignore the delicious but difficult to prepare mughlai paratha – these require expertise. There is also the vanilla flavored egg puddings that are wonderful desserts. Of course, one cannot imagine cakes minus eggs. At times, the egg whites are beaten up and go to make the icing on cakes.

Some popular stories in this and related sites –

Harrowing times in Pakistan - more than 280 people killed in rain-related incidents since mid-June

It is difficult to mop up black money

Floods in Kentucky leave at least 28 dead

The wonderful hobby of throwing mud at each other

Priyanka Chopra eases out Deepika Padukone from Captain Marvel

If only I had become a doctor

TV, the idiot box, has really made us idiots

Akshay Kumar receives ‘samman patra’ from the Income Tax department

Pandora’s Box opened in Kolkata from residences of screen celebrity

Russia could vacate International Space Station by 2024

Momo and sushi gear up to dislodge jilebi and pedhas (satire)

Lord Shiva was pacing up and down his cave in Kailash – he was watching an Indian city gradually turning Japanese and he did not want the identity to be lost.
Devi Durga was keeping an eye on him from a distance – she knew the signs. When he was disturbed, the Lord would go into the mute mood and she just could not tolerate him when he became silent.
‘What is biting you?’ she finally asked.
‘Have you not seem today’s TV news?’ he shot back.
‘There is nothing new,’ she replied. ‘The news was about snowfall in Kashmir, in Nainital, in Amarnath ..’
‘That is not news,’ Shiva grunted. ‘When it is winter and the temperature drops, snow fall is normal. I am talking about Japan.’
Durga was taken aback.
‘I must have missed it,’ she apologized. ‘I was in the kitchen trying out a new dish. It’s all about leaves and how to cook a khichdi of leaves. The celebrity cook used at least ten different varieties of leaves – and, she served it up on a banana leaf!’

‘Please don’t test my temper,’ Shiva growled. ‘I am talking about one of our cities turning into Japan. There is a huge program and soon we will have Japan right here in our country.’
Durga smiled.
‘Oh, you mean the bullet train?’ she asked.
‘No - I mean bye-bye to drains,’ Shiva said. ‘Once the city transforms into a mini Japan, what will happen to all those sadhus who earn their daily bread by sitting on the banks of the Ganga? And – all those bulls on the roads? And – the beggars? They are not seen in Japan.’
‘They will certainly be rehabilitated,’ Durga assured.
‘OK – and all those mithailwallahs? Will they shift to selling momos and sushis?’
‘Well – they are good to eat. The people will love the change from century-old jilebis and pedhas. Actually – they are bad for health. Too much of sweets leads to diabetes and obesity.’
‘My dear, you seem to have an answer for everything.’
Durga smiled.
‘Let me tell you a secret.’
‘What?’
‘An MOU has been signed to set up an academy in this city – it will teach how to make the mouth-watering momo and shushi.’ (to be continued …)

(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

Moody on climate change – promote bullock carts and tonga (satire)

Moody shelves black money, goes for gold (satire)

Moody wants dhokla to be the National dish (satire)


Amy Poehler set to receive Hollywood Walk Of Fame star

Malaika Arora Khan wants to open a restaurant

Nicole Kidman all praises for Bollywood


Laldighi in Kolkata to lose its trams and make way for East-West Metro

Radiation from Fukushima nuclear reactor in Japan has spread to the United States

Electric cars to combat greenhouse effect


RAF jets pound ISIS oil field in Syria

Britain bares its fangs - RAF Tornados bomb ISIS oilfields

United States sending 200 troops to help Iraqi and Kurdish forces take on ISIS

Bengalis rolled out the egg-roll culture

If I remember correctly, the egg-roll culture rolled out sometime in the mid-1960s and it caught the fancy of Kolkattans like wild fire. It must have been some bright eyed Bengali who discovered this method of keeping himself gainfully employed and earn a decent living. All it needed was the willingness to toil for six to seven hours in front the oven – and dish out egg rolls by the dozens to everyone from a school child to the grandmother.
It was a time when these trollies could be seen at eve street corner and the trollies would be stocked with trays of eggs, cans of cooking oil and ready-made paratha-like stuff made of a dough of maida. Plus, of course, the chopped onions, and chilies for the omelet.

There would be a huge frying pan placed on top of the stove and, once a customer arrives, one paratha would be placed on the frying pan and a little bit of oil would be applied at the edges. Then the beaten egg mixed with chopped onions would be poured over it. The combination would be rolled, wrapped in a paper and served- ready to munch.
It was a good and honest business and once the fad caught on, the demands branched out to mutton roll, and, occasionally, chicken roll – these depended on clientele.
Anyway, as long as these were individual initiatives, they went along fine until local goons descended on the scene. They began to demand a cut of the profits and followed up with threats to create problem if they were not kept happy. Needless to say – they had the backing of local political leaders.
Still – the enterprising individuals carried on and, over a period of time, they formed small groups and added other fast foods to their menu – fast foods of Chinese origin like chow mein, noodles, chili chicken, momo etcetera. And, began to operate all through the day – in shifts. They had a huge task to keep feeding the Kolkattans. (to be continued …)
(Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org)

Some more interesting 'must reads'-

ASI hikes entry fees to Taj Mahal by 200%

Heavy rains lash Pune, trains cancelled, passengers stranded for hours in trains

Bangalore does not want people to feed pigeons in Cubbon Park


NBA Superstar 7ft 2in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to publish novel on Mycroft Holmes, elder brother of Sherlock Holmes

Priyanka Chopra and Monica Dogra nominated by VH1for Europe Music Awards 2015

John Abraham and Sonakshi Sinha shoot ‘Force 2’ in Ethnographic Museum Budapest


Death toll rises to 193 in fuel tanker explosion in South Sudan

Taliban attacks mosque in Peshawar Air Force base and leaves 20 dead

Russia sends fighter jets to Syria to bolster Assad’s defenses


36-days for Durga Puja and the dhakis get ready

Industries just do not gel with West Bengal

Bengalis are daydreamers tied to mothers’ apron strings