Aunty Manty's Breakfast

Here's an e-mail I got from Jennifer Mirza about Aunt Mary, called Aunty Manty by her kids.

Aunty Manty's Breakfast - best enjoyed on a rainy day!

It's raining cats and dogs, there's no way one can even go for a morning walk, and so I decided make the most of it by treating myself to what my children used to call

The Aunty Manty Breakfast!

What, you may ask, is that? Well, when Aunt Mary made her annual visits to Mumbai in the mid-80s, she used to love to come up from the empty flat on the 1st floor of the Nair Road mansion, and and see what was cooking on my floor upstairs! Our kids used to wait for her visits, as she had a magical way of making the ordinary taste extra-ordinary. This was the break fast she could quickly whip up for them before they rushed off to school.

2 eggs, fried sunny side up, in a teflon pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and wait for the "side dish" to get readied.

Side Dish

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons oil

4 flakes of garlic, each slit in half

1 large onion, sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced thick

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

2 green chilles slit down the centre

A walnut size ball of Gur (molasses), grated or crushed

Salt to taste

Chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

While the eggs are frying on low heat in a covered teflon pan, take another pan, heat oil, then add the garlic flakes and fry for a minute. Next put in the onions and saute till soft and light brown, Next add the tomatoes and fry for another minute. Lastly add the salt, red chilli powder, slit green chillies and gur and cook for 2 minutes till the gur melts to form a nice light red sauce. Take off the stove and sprinkle with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with buttered toast and a large cup of coffee.

What a simple breakfast -- yet so delicious!

I bet our parents' never thought we would remember them so fondly long after they had passed away. I'm glad I prove them wrong, over and over again!

Jennifer