Curried Oven Omelets

Ronda L. Halpin

About a month ago, I was challenged to bring a dish to pass at a weekly gathering. This week's theme was English food. Now, not wanting to fall to delicious, but predictable fish and chips or something on the bland side, I opted to turn to one of England's biggest cravings: curry. Go to London and you'll find Indian restaurants all over serving a wide assortment of curries. I decided to turn to my favorite onion curry and float pockets of a simple cheese oven omelet in it. The result was very well-received. The simple eggs dish picked up the spices and richness of the sauce and plates came back licked completely clean. I count that as a success!

You could, of course, skip the oven omelets and use this sauce any number of other ways. It pair nicely with chicken, shrimp and fish. However, I like the simplicity of eggs and it does help the dish come together in about a half an hour, which is a gift in and of itself when it comes to Indian food! You can serve this with rice or, if you have it, hot buttered naan. Enjoy!

Curried Oven Omelets

  • 4 tsp. olive oil - divided
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 dried red chilies
  • 1 large onion - chopped
  • 1 T. cumin powder
  • Turmeric powder, red chili powder, and salt - according to taste
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 5 eggs
  • 1/2 c. ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 c. skim milk
  • 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
  • 1 tsp. butter
Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in a nonstick skillet. Add the bay leaf and dried red chillies to the heated oil and let it fry for 1 minute. Add the chopped onions and fry until they turn light brown. To this, add the cumin powder, turmeric powder, red chili powder, and salt. Stir for 1 minute until the aroma of the spices spread and the oil separates. Add to this the coconut milk and let it simmer over low heat for 5 minutes until the of all the ingredients mix well. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat in a nonstick, ovenproof skillet. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, ricotta cheese and skim milk together to form a homogenous mixture. Pour into the preheated pan and gently lift the edges frequently with a heat-resistant spatula. After 3 minutes of cooking, transfer the skillet to the oven and broil for 1-2 minutes or until the eggs are set. Using the spatula, slice the oven omelet into several pieces and gently add to the curry sauce. Place a lid over the sauce and cook for 2 minutes. Remove the lid and add the garam masala powder. Just before taking the dish off the stove, add the butter to it for extra flavor. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
  • Yields: 4-6 servings
  • Preparation Time: 30 minutes

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