Thursday, November 12, 2009

Tomato and Oregano Omelette

After pruning the Oregano plant ( I had written about it in my last blog), I preserved the leaves to prepare this tasty snack. This is a breakfast snack. Those who are vegetarians/vegans or allergic to eggs will enjoy this. Children just love this.



Tomato and Oregano Omelete




Ingredients

Tomatoes (medium)

2

Onion (medium)

1

Oregano (leaves)

8-10

Green chillies

1

Ginger

½” piece

Gram Flour

2-3 tbsps

Salt

1 tsp

Water

1-2 tbsps

Oil

for frying



Method :

  • Wash and chop - tomatoes, onions, green chilies, oregano and ginger.
  • Put all the chopped ingredients in a bowl.
  • Add salt and gram flour to the mixture.
  • Once the salt is added, the mixture will leave a little water.
  • If the mixture is still dry, you can add a tbsp of water. Do not make the mixture watery. Mix well and keep aside.
  • Now take a frying pan and heat it on a medium flame and spread a little oil on it.
  • When the pan is hot, take a spoonful of the mixture and spread it on the pan and fry it like pancakes or dosas.
  • Dribble oil on the sides and turn it over after about 3-4 mins.
  • Fry the other side too till done and remove.
  • Serve hot.


Makes 4 small omelettes.


Serving Suggestions:

This can be eaten with bread slices either toasted or fresh. It can also be eaten

with the chapattis (as a chapatti roll) or just as a snack by itself.


Note:

Chopped coriander leaves can also be added along with oregano.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Oregano / "Sambharbalipaan"

Oregano




Family functions and other commitments prevented me from posting on my blog. In the meantime, I also noticed that my tiny garden in the balcony was getting neglected so much so that some of the plants were growing out of control and one of it was the Oregano or “Sambharpali Paan” (in Konkani language).

Thus started my spade work! Gardening is hard work but very satisfying in the sense that you can actually see them grow ( from a tiny delicate plant to a sturdy one) and bloom.

Oregano is a medicinal herb and in our native village ( Udupi and Mangalore, Karnataka) this herb is grown in almost every house and is generally used for relieving coughs and cold especially for very young children. Its leaves have a distinct flavour.

I also learnt that it has several health benefits and is used in several countries in different ways. Of course we all know that it is used in Pizzas.

It’s easy to grow and can be grown from cuttings as I have done. It also does not need much looking after. It is growing happily in my pot in the balcony.
The leaves are very thick and juicy and only these are used for salads and some recipes.

Watch out for my next post on the recipe.




Source
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregano
http://gardening.about.com/od/plantprofil2/p/Oregano.htm

The following link will give you some of the Indian names of this herb http://www.indianspices.com/html/s0625oregano.htm