The hospitality at the home of my cousin Vinay and his wife Shonu in Greenwich, Connecticut, is unmatched in the family.
Both of them will shower you with gifts, love and lots of food and make sure you have a whale of a time.
Shonu, a Columbia University-educated nutritionist and educator, who hails from Raipur, Chhattisgarh, but has lived for many years in London, Washington, DC and Connecticut, is a practical and very organised cook, who has all her menus and groceries in order way ahead of time and turns out beautiful meals, usually low in fat, that are accompanied with lots of refreshing salads and a range of fresh vegetables grilled or lightly sauteed.
For breakfast one day during my recent visit, Shonu cooked appetising Breakfast Egg and Peppers Fajitas.
Shonu's Breakfast Egg and Peppers Fajitas
Serves: 3-4
Ingredients
For the egg stuffing
- 6-7 eggs, beaten
- 2 tbsp fajita seasoning
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp roasted jeera or cumin powder
- 1 tsp dhania or coriander powder
For the peppers
- 1 large onion, preferably white, sliced lengthwise
- 1 large red capsicum or bell pepper, deseeded, cut into thin long strips
- 1 large green capsicum or bell pepper, deseeded, cut into thin long strips
- 1 large yellow capsicum or bell pepper, deseeded, cut into thin long strips
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp dhania or coriander powder
- 1 tsp roasted jeera or cumin powder
- 1 tsbp fajita seasoning
- 1 tsp smoked paprika or regular paprika
For serving
- 3-4 flour or corn tortillas, lightly warmed
- Salsa (please see the note below)
- Cheese, grated, optional
- Sour cream, optional
Method
For the peppers
- Saute the sliced onion in the olive oil till soft and translucent in a large frying pan over medium heat.
Then add the peppers and fry till just soft.
Take off heat.
Keep aside.
For the egg stuffing
- Season the beaten eggs with the spices and fajita seasoning.
- In the same frying pan, fry the egg mixture till scrambled and cooked for about 5-8 minutes.
Assembly
- Place 2-3 generous tbsp of the scrambled spiced egg in a line along the centre of the warmed tortilla.
Place 2-3 generous tbsp of peppers over the egg mixture.
Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Roll.
Serve with sour cream and salsa.
Note: These breakfast fajitas can be made with chicken too instead of egg. Cut ½ kg chicken, thigh pieces, into thin strips and place in a plastic container with a lid.
Add 2 tbsp fajita seasoning, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp roasted jeera powder, salt to taste, 1 tsp dhania powder and marinate overnight in the fridge.
Fry in a frying pan over medium heat in 1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil till cooked about 10-15 minutes.
For a vegan or Jain version use 250 gm tofu crumbled instead of egg and season with the same spices overnight and fry up in the same way as the eggs. For a Jain version, additionally omit the onions while frying the peppers.
For a healthier versions or a gluten-free version, instead of a white flour tortilla, make the tortillas yourself with whole wheat flour and/or other healthier grains mixed. Adapt the following recipe: MasterChef recipe: Soft Mexican Tacos.
You can make salsa at home. Follow the salsa recipe in Raya's Jackfruit Tacos recipe to make a nice piquant salsa for the fajitas.
