Just as promised, I'm back with the first recipe from our Indian Summer Canteen! It's the egg puff with the homemade ketchup, by popular demand! Funnily enough, the egg puff wasn't a part of our initial plan, but ended up on the menu when Mr.K suggested he'd do it. So who else but the creator to talk about it!

Here goes, in his own words--

Growing up in the Mylapore area of Chennai, I remember walking home from school everyday and stopping by the local bakery opposite Sanskrit College to eat a fresh egg puff. For me, this simple and cheap street food snack still remains one of the tastiest things, far better than anything I have ever eaten in the best of restaurants, bringing back fond memories of the simple and innocent pleasures of childhood.

With the theme of street food, it seemed quite appropriate to revisit this cherished tasty snack for Sarmishta’s 4th dinner!

Egg Puffs
Makes 4 egg puffs

4 Puff pastry sheets
2 Eggs- hard boiled, shelled and cut in halves
1 Medium-sized onion, finely chopped
1 Medium-sized Paprika, chopped
1 Medium-sized Tomato, diced
1/2 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste
1/2 tsp Chili powder
1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
1/4 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Pepper
A handful of coriander leaves, roughly chopped
2 tbsp Oil

1. Remove the puff pastries from the freezer 10 mins prior to preparation.
2. Heat oil in a pan.
3. Add the chopped onion and sauté till it turns golden brown.
4. Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté till a nice aroma arises.
5. Add the diced paprika and tomato and cook covered on low heat till the tomato turns pulpy.
6. Now add the chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt.
7. Mix well and cook covered until the raw smell disappears.
8. Add the chopped coriander leaves, stir swiftly and remove from fire. Set aside to cool.
9. Preheat your oven to 200ªc, meanwhile spread out the pastry sheets on your working space.
10. Spread the masala along one diagonal end of the pastry sheet and place an egg-half on top.
11. Fold the puff pastry over the egg-half along the diagonal to form a triangle and seal the puff by pressing the corners with a fork.
12. Arrange the puffs on a lined baking tray with enough space between the pastries to allow room for rising.
13. Bake the pastries for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

And the egg puffs are ready to be eaten hot!

Fresh Carrot Greens
Another home-grown ingredient we recently discovered to be so simple to grow! Let the delicious greens of carrots grow out by placing freshly-cut tops in a shallow dish of water. Just snip them as you need and they'll grow right back in a matter of days!

Homemade Indian Ketchup

2 tbsp Oil
1 Medium-sized onion, chopped
4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Chili powder
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/4 tsp Mustard
1/4 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Garam Masala
4 Large-sized tomatoes, diced
2 tbsp Brown sugar
1/2 cup Apple cider vinegar

1. Heat oil in a saucepan and cook the onion and garlic with salt in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, for about 8 minutes.
2. Add the spices and pepper and cook for a minute, stirring frequently.
3. Add the tomatoes, brown sugar, vinegar and simmer, uncovered for about 30 minutes, until thick.
4. Cool for 20 mins and purée the mixture in a blender until smooth.
5. Transfer the ketchup and allow to rest for at least 2 hours for the flavours to develop.

Garnish with fresh carrot greens and enjoy with hot egg puffs!