Nags of For the Cook in Me blog is hosting a fun event this month - Show Me Your Cookbooks! You don’t even have to cook anything for it, just take a picture of yourself with your favorite cookbook and send it to Nags.

I decided to stay home this Saturday as I’ve been partying pretty hard past three nights. Since there was nothing good on TV and Siv was off to play cricket, I was pretty bored around here. The easiest way to entertain myself was to turn to my obsession, food blogging of course. Since I was in no mood to cook, this event seemed like the perfect time pass for the day.

With nobody in the house to take my picture holding my favorite cookbook - yeah yeah, I know how to use the self timer thingy in the camera, the real reason is I didn’t really want to go through the trouble of making me look presentable to the world right then- I decided to go with just taking a pic of my favorite cookbook sans my beautiful face. Of course Nags had mentioned that “ if you are really shy you can send a pic of your fave cook book, but taken by you, please!” . So, I am going to pretend that I am really shy.

I just counted my cookbooks, and I have 32 totally, at least that’s all I could find… There must be a few hidden in some shelf somewhere! Anyway, I have no idea if that is too much or too less. I have used a few quite extensively, and some of these I have never even looked through all the pages.. Some are just plain old paperbacks with just recipes, no pictures. Some are hardbound, glossy with some beautiful food porn. But out of all these, my favorite is a Kerala cookbook called Flavours of the Spice Coast by Mrs. K.M.Mathew.

Now, Nags also wants me to write, Why I like this book in one sentence.

I like this book because all the dishes in this book taste exactly like the way my mom makes those!

Yes, it is true! The recipes in this book are not the fancy dishes that you would only find in restaurants. Mrs. K.M. Mathew is one of the pioneer women journalists in India, she is the founder editor of the popular Malayalam magazine for women called Vanitha and has written 23 cookbooks! Many malayali women attribute their culinary skills to this amazing lady! Her recipes are not low fat or low calorie or anything like that. These are just regular Kerala dishes in all their glory! My mom doesn’t own any of her cookbooks, but whenever I get a recipe from her, I compare it to Mrs. Mathew’s version, and these are almost always the same!

My sister gave me this book a few years ago, and I loved it because of all the pictures. It truly is a visual delight, I had never seen Kerala dishes photographed so well before! Mind you, this was before the food blogging days, so Indian food porn was not as abundant as it is now.

Here is an Amazon link, it is listed for about $60, but there must be a cheaper version available somewhere. I think it was about Rs.1200/- (~$25) when my sister bought it. http://www.amazon.com/Flavours-Spice-Coast-K-M-Mathew/dp/0143029002/ref=sr_1_1/002-4233436-5953623?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1179715042&sr=8-1

I know, I don’t have to cook for this event, but I had a picture of this egg roast in my drafts, which is a recipe from this book. And if I combine it with this event, I don’t even need to type the recipe…

Here is my version.  I added more onions than the recipe asked for (about a cup of sliced onions). I  also put a few gashes on the boiled eggs and added these to the pan and cooked along with the gravy to get the spices into the egg.  The recipe calls for halving the eggs, but from the picture in the book it looks like they did the same thing.

This egg roast goes great with Dosa, a typical breakfast combination back home.

I’ve tried most of the non-vegetarian recipes from this book, but here are the ones I’ve blogged here:

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Comments

49 Responses to “Egg Roast Recipe from My Favorite Cookbook”

  1. Asha on September 16th, 2007 6:09 pm

    Hey,clever idea to stack books and take one photo.I did it four times with books!:P
    Looks like an authentic Kerala book, expensive!!!
    Egg roast is yum!It rained o Friday after 2 mnts and yesterday was such a great day,we BBQed ribs and veggies,downed with Margarita and Mn,Dew for kids!:))
    It was a good evening to sit out after a long time.

  2. Gini on September 16th, 2007 6:13 pm

    I have never had a bad recipe from Mrs. K.M. Mathew. Didn’t know about this one. I have a few of her books.
    That was a lovely post.

  3. indosungod on September 16th, 2007 7:04 pm

    Sig, love the egg roast, anything cooked with eggs has takers in my house. K.M Mathew’s cookbook I do want to buy (maybe when I visit India).

  4. bee on September 16th, 2007 7:19 pm

    lovely book and post. i’ve seen it in many mallu kitchens.

  5. Mishmash ! on September 16th, 2007 7:36 pm

    Oh myy…I can use your collection instead of the library!! :) though I love to browse through those pics, I never bought one…I dont know why!! and I liked the presentation of the dish in that book,,so creative right :)

    Thanks for sharing that recipe….your version looks quite yum and variety is always appreciated for egg preps :)

    Shn

  6. musical on September 16th, 2007 7:42 pm

    Aha, so you are shy ;). But you compensated by posting a new profile pic :-D. Making some cuts in eggs is what i would do too. Nice post, Sig!

    i don’t own a single cook-book :(.

    i’ll probbaly post pictures of different blogs :-D.

  7. Anh on September 16th, 2007 8:41 pm

    Sig, another recipe from your blog that I have to try. this sounds really good and yummy. And thanks for sharing your fav cookbook with us.

  8. Roopa on September 17th, 2007 12:46 am

    wow oh my Sig you have a huge collection there. this looks more like a very quthentic recipes do they have specific for vegetarion??? will book mark for my next venture!

  9. Nags on September 17th, 2007 3:19 am

    Thank you so much Sig.. You really made my day with such a wonderful mention of the event :)

    hug!

  10. Pravs on September 17th, 2007 3:29 am

    That’s really quite a collection you have there.I don’t own Mrs.K. M.Mathew cookbooks, but have seen her recipes online.

  11. Srivalli on September 17th, 2007 6:06 am

    Sig ..thats a wonderful post …and thats a lovely pciture you have uptated..even I was thinking what to do with that many books I have…nice idea…and your egg curry looks very inviting….

  12. Jyothsna on September 17th, 2007 6:10 am

    I love egg roast too, but there are no other takers for this awesome dish!! You do have a good collection of books!! The first pic was great, and your new pic on the side is nice too :)

  13. Raaga on September 17th, 2007 6:33 am

    Hmmm :-)Nice post and what a great reason to like the book… and what a lazy person you are… like me… to dress up for a photo shoot :-)

  14. Rachna on September 17th, 2007 6:46 am

    hey sig, lovely lovely egg roast recipe, i love to have it the palege (local african staple).. putting gashes on the eggs is a good idea!! loved yur stack of cookbooks! I never heard of Mrs. K. M. Mathew before..lovely post dear

  15. Cinnamon on September 17th, 2007 6:54 am

    The Egg Roast looks delicious.. it is similar to the egg curry I made previously…
    Hmmm the collection is indeed not too less :) I just have half the number of your collection :) But the pic would have been even more lovely with you in it :)

  16. A kitchen scientist & a white rat hubby!!! on September 17th, 2007 8:55 am

    hey, hey!!!..that’s one load of solid guidance ..soo many cookbooks..great!!!
    But hey, shall I beat u on this??

    ckek it out…

    http://thisishowthingsturnouttobe.blogspot.com/2007/09/nags-of-for-cook-in-me-has-come-up-with.html

  17. Sandeepa on September 17th, 2007 12:49 pm

    You changed your profile pic, loved it.
    The egg looks spicy and yumm, give me eggs any day any way

  18. Richa on September 17th, 2007 1:14 pm

    hey, that’s such a cute profile pic, u do look shy in that pic…;)
    you have such a wonderful collection of books, lovely post! i do not hv that many cook books, but i do have a diary with some recipes scribbled :)

  19. sunita on September 17th, 2007 1:46 pm

    Love the roast…I’ve posted a less spicy egg recipe today…

  20. sra on September 17th, 2007 1:47 pm

    I have one book of Ms Mathew, one of my first cookbooks. Haven’t cooked from it in recent times, though - and this is a refreshing recipe, no grating, grinding coconut, just my kind!

  21. Radman on September 17th, 2007 1:59 pm

    the reason the egg is halved instead of “gashes” in it as you have done is a matter of aesthetics. this is not a dish where the gravy/marinade is expected to penetrate the protein.

  22. Happy cook on September 17th, 2007 2:39 pm

    It is true Sig Mrs Mathews book have all the recipes which taste like your mothers. That is the main reason i bought a cooking book from her when i was a full time dummy in cooking, now i think i am partly dummy :-))

    I like the picture of the egg recipe, when i am in India i am going to buy it.

  23. Rashmi on September 17th, 2007 3:48 pm

    Hi Sig…I am a regular reader of ur blog…but never left a comment earlier i guess…Ur egg roast looks delicious i shud say…But one thing I have noticed with Mrs. K. M. Mathews recipe books…the same recipe has different versions in her other books. I have a totally different recipe for the same in her “KERALA COOKERY” book…But watever it be, they r all yummmmy stuff…

  24. Rina on September 17th, 2007 4:33 pm

    I Luv this version of Egg. Have the pictures ready and edited for my version of Egg in Onion and Tomatoe Roast. Your picture makes me feel hungry.

  25. Suganya on September 17th, 2007 5:34 pm

    I like the gravy in yr pic. You have soooo many cookbooks!

  26. Jyothi on September 17th, 2007 7:56 pm

    Wow! what a collection of cook books. Egg roast looks awesome. Thanks for sharing.

  27. Sharmi on September 17th, 2007 8:45 pm

    my God you have such a huge collection! I am amazed. nice looking egg roast.

  28. Rajitha on September 18th, 2007 1:26 am

    sig…u look really cute in that profile pic….

  29. Susan on September 18th, 2007 1:30 am

    Hey Sig,
    Love your new profile picture–you look great!
    Hey, is cricket popular in Seattle? I had no idea!

  30. Sig on September 18th, 2007 4:59 am

    Asha, looks like you guys had a fun weekend… bbq season is over in seattle I think.. :(

    Gini, so true, all her recipes have turned out great so far!

    Indo, yep, get it from India… it is way too overprized here…

    bee, thanks

    Shn…, yeah, I love that picture too… most of the pics in this book are really creative… it is the most beautiful Indian recipe book I own :)

    Musie, what, you don’t own any cookbooks? Wow, that is amazing… so all your recipes are your own then :)

    Anh, :) yeah, it is such a simple recipe, but very tasty

    roopa, yep, there is a vegetarian section in the book with all the authentic kerala veg dishes. Also, sweets and snacks sections too… enough recipes for vegetarians :)

    Nags, this really is a fun event… I had fun participating.. :)

    Pravs, if you ever read the malayalam magazine vanitha, most of the recipes in there are Mrs.Mathew’s :)

    Srivalli, thanks :) I had to take all the books out to count them anyway, so I thought I might as well use those as a backdrop.

    Jyo, what… egg haters in the house? Or is it just the egg roast? you know, you can make the gravy, and just use one egg for yours, and just serve the gravy as it is for the whiners :D

    Raaga, :) yep, I am reallly lazy, I just wanted to be in my pajamas all weekend :)

    Rachna, what is palege? A google search didn’t find anything :(

    Cinnamon, :) I use only about 6 of these anyway, so I guess the numbers doesn’t really matter :)

    Kitchen Scientist. :) I saw your post, very clever :)

    Sandeepa, thanks :)… and yeah I am in the egg fan club too, I can have those anyway any time too…

    Richa, :) thanks.. I am a shy person :). So, another foodie without a cookbook huh? You can get rid of the diary once you have it all published in the blog huh?

    Sunita, I just checked out your egg curry, looks so light and delicious :)

    Sra, wow, you have a Mrs.Mathew cookbook too :) yeah, most of her recipes are very easy… even though she says grid chilli, coriander etc, I always substitute with powders, and coconut milk for ground coconut, and doesn’t make any difference to the taste… :)

    radman, thanks for dropping by

    happy cook, :) part time dummy, I like that… :).. if you have one cookbook of hers, that is enough I guess… but you can buy this one just for the pictures :)

    Rashmi, an official welcome to you :)… I have two of her books too, and you are right, recipes are slightly different in some cases… but as you said, everything tastes great anyway, so no complaints :)

    Rina, can’t wait to check out your version of the egg roast :)

    Suganya, :) thanks… I followed the instructions and ended up with gravy :) I’m sure theirs had too, they made it all dry for the picture ;)

    Jyothi, Sharmi, thanks :) I’m sure there are others out there with many more cookbooks than that…

    Rajitha :) <blush> hey, I told you I’m shy, don’t make me blush… :)

    Susan, :) thanks… And yes, cricket is very popular here in the Northwest… There is a Northwest cricket league with about 17 teams, Microsoft itself has four official teams :)… and that is just the one league playing with real cricket ball, there are about 60 teams playing in a different league with tennis ball too… :)

  31. Rachna on September 18th, 2007 8:07 am

    sweetheart, its the local african food i was talking about on jugalbandi’s postcard… (upma kinda thing made with cornmeal… its bland and goes well with curries)

  32. Cynthia on September 18th, 2007 1:38 pm

    I must have this book! Thanks for sharing it with us, Sig.

    Hey from a quick glance at that list, I see a pattern: party, party, party (lol) - they are among the most attractive foods.

  33. evolvingtastes on September 18th, 2007 2:35 pm

    Hi Sig, I made this Egg Roast for dinner last night, and it turned out just fabulous. So simple, but what a keeper of a recipe, thanks.

  34. Richa on September 18th, 2007 3:42 pm

    i do hv a few cookbooks, just not THAT many :) though in librabries & bookstores that is the first section i go to ;)

  35. shilpa(Aayisrecipes) on September 18th, 2007 6:48 pm

    Ohh that egg roast picture is making me drool…I can just feel the taste from here.
    So many cookbooks Sig? I need to show this post to my hubby. Everytime I buy a new cookbook, he says I already have so many to have a mini library of my own :(. And I hardly have 10 :((.

  36. Sheela on September 18th, 2007 8:05 pm

    ooh, the egg roast looks yummy… and like your new profile picture - makes me want to update mine - preferably minus the kitty:-)

    hm… didn’t know about this event- thanks for sharing… and it has inspired me to gather my cookbooks and post soon… except, i have just a handful of books as I borrow from library a lot, but D has a good collection and what’s his is mine anyway, right ?!

  37. bhags on September 19th, 2007 12:15 am

    the egg roast looks absolutely desirable….thinking how it would taste with dosas

  38. Sig on September 19th, 2007 4:23 am

    Rachna, thanks :) I should’ve guessed

    Cyn, :D you caught me… I always used to panick before I have to throw a party and go buy a cookbook for that… not anymore though ;)

    evolvingtastes, wow, that was fast… :) glad to know you liked it, thanks for the feedback.. and welcome to my blog… :D

    Richa oops, I misread your comment, I thought you said you don’t have any cookbooks… :) SORRY… :D … so, wheres your post?

    Shilpa, lol, yeah tell him for a foodie, 10 is too low a number :)…

    Sheela, I love that picture of yours… but yeah, post a pic where we can actually see your face :)… can’t wait to see your cookbook collection

    Bhags, it goes great with dosa, and with appams too… :)

  39. Padma on September 19th, 2007 5:51 pm

    Lovely egg roast with pile of ur favo books, nice idea of taking photo too..Man you have a huge collection! I feel tiny :(

  40. SteamyKitchen on September 20th, 2007 12:03 pm

    I MUST get this cookbook. I can taste those eggs right through the screen!

  41. Shantanu on September 22nd, 2007 1:59 pm

    Hmm… that’s a lot of cookbooks! You ought to write one too now :-)

    For some reason, my wife’s been experimenting with a lot of egg-based recipes recently. She’s making some kinda new thing tomorrow with stuffed egg covered with minced lamb. That should be fun!

  42. Sig on September 22nd, 2007 6:38 pm

    Padma, :) thanks… u think thats too many?

    Jaden, thanks :)

    Shantanu, wow minced lamb and eggs, that sounds delicious… you should post the recipe

  43. Kaykat on October 3rd, 2007 2:48 pm

    That book looks divine, as does your egg roast. And I love that you have atleast as many cookbooks as I do! :)

    :) after seeing many other posts with a room full of cookbooks, I feel like I need to get me some more cookbooks :)

  44. MAHEK on October 3rd, 2007 10:59 pm

    :grin: WOW!!! great post and very well written… :(Yes):

    Thanks Mahek!

  45. mini on December 15th, 2007 9:24 pm

    i don’t how the original Mrs KM Mathew’s receipe can “to serve 4 ” people with 3 egges in the receipe :???: go figure

    :) cut each egg into four pieces and serve three pieces each… ;) just simple math :D

  46. Venkatesh Iyer on January 10th, 2008 8:19 pm

    You are too good. Very well written. Keep it up.

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