Masala Omelette

An omelette with an Indian accent

Indian cooks made the omelette their own by adding onion, chilli and turmeric, and today it is everywhere: at home for breakfast, packed in lunch boxes, and on street carts in every city, where a bread omelette folded in a hot pan is often a student's cheapest proper meal. Every family makes it slightly differently. This version is the standard flat, soft home omelette, not the very thin, well-browned street style.

If you prefer eggs scrambled with the same seasonings, look at egg bhurji, which is much more forgiving of beginners and of a too-hot pan. The omelette page lists sourced nutrition figures for the dish, which is useful if you are counting your intake.

Heat, pan and timing

Medium heat is the whole secret. On high, the underside browns in seconds and turns leathery while the top stays raw, and on low, the egg cooks through without any colour and comes out dry. You are looking for a steady, quiet sizzle when the egg hits the pan. If it spits and rises in big bubbles, pull the pan off the flame for a few seconds.

Pan size changes everything. Two eggs in a 20 cm pan give a thin omelette that sets through quickly. In a large 28 cm pan, the same eggs spread out so far that they tear, while a small pan gives a thick pancake that burns before the middle has cooked. Cook one omelette at a time for the same reason.

Common faults and how to fix them

Watery omelettes come from tomato pulp, wet onion or salt added too soon. Salt draws water out of the vegetables and it thins the eggs, and this is why it goes in at the very last moment. If yours is already weeping liquid, tip the extra water away from the bowl before pouring. Tearing usually means a sticky pan or pieces of vegetable that are too big. Fold the omelette over and call it a half moon, as nobody will object.

Bitterness at the edges means the turmeric or fat has caught. Start again with a clean pan and medium heat. A faint greenish tinge can come from long, slow cooking, and though it is harmless, a shorter cook avoids it. Dry and rubbery eggs have been cooked for too long, so take the omelette off once the centre is just set, because it keeps cooking on the plate.

Changes and a lighter version

Add grated cheese, chopped capsicum, mushrooms or a pinch of garam masala as you like. If you dislike raw onion, cook it for 3 minutes in the fat before adding the eggs, as onion only softens slightly in an omelette this quick. For a lighter version, swap one of the two yolks in each omelette for two extra whites, and keep the vegetables generous. The taste holds up and the protein stays high.

To get more from breakfast, add a handful of chopped spinach to the mix after squeezing it dry, or serve it with sliced cucumber. Building simple protein into the first meal of the day is something NNWA's sports nutrition course comes back to often. For a vegetarian swap with similar seasoning, a besan chilla cooks the same way.

A word on safety

An omelette is meant to be cooked through. Young children, pregnant women, older people and anyone unwell should eat eggs only when no liquid is left in the middle. Buy eggs with clean, uncracked shells, keep them in a cool place, wash your hands after cracking them, and use a clean spoon to taste any seasoning rather than raw egg from the bowl.

Serving and storing

Toast with a little butter is the usual pairing, along with hot masala chai. A paratha or a soft roti makes it a fuller meal, and a roll made by wrapping the omelette in a hot roti with chutney and onions is good for lunch boxes. An omelette is best fresh. If you do need to keep one for later, refrigerate it within 2 hours, eat it within a day, and reheat it in a covered pan on low until hot throughout. A sandwich made in the morning should be kept in an insulated box and eaten by lunchtime.