Assam was magical!
In our help’s tiny house behind ours, two birds ruled the four human inhabitants - Mithu (the parrot) with his tart admonishing and Kholi (the hen) with her demure coaxing.
They subjugated us as well, because the chiding and cajoling continued day long, as Mamun went about her work in our huge house. We were wary of Mithu’s sharp tongue, but were completely bowled over by Kholi’s decorous directives.
Vying for Kholi’s attention as she followed Mamun around the yard was a favourite pastime, and each of us imagined ourselves the chosen ones - until one day, our pride was dealt a sudden numbing blow, when Kholi decided she had had enough of us . Mournfully - we ousted humans, brought in a cock.
We, the spurned lovers found the new entrant’s strutting insufferable, but oblivious to fragile crashing egos, Kholi was instantly enamoured of the brutish disposition of our competitor.
Injury compounded insult as His pompous majesty crowed himself hoarse every hour with cuckoo clock like accuracy to stoke our guilt about the hours we were whiling away and the precious minutes we were wasting in bed after the crack of dawn.
Soon Mamun looked exhausted, Mithu looked bleary eyed and we looked guilt ridden. Kholi thankfully in her glowing happiness at last laid eggs. As she contented herself with warming her eggs we quickly banished our rival to the village.
We were triumphant – Kholi was back!
Kholi gave us lots and lots of eggs. These fertilized ones that she warmed hatched into chicks but before and after the arrival of our arch enemy, she gave us lots and lots of unfertilized (vegetarian eggs) that we relished.
Baked Eggs
This is my favourite when I want to eat something different without expending too much energy
1. Take a Microwave safe glass bowl (small katori) and break an egg into it.
2. Top the egg with grated cheese.
3. Add salt (add carefully – cheese is already salty) and pepper.
4. I like it runny so that I can dip in my toast, so I add 2 tablespoons of milk. If you don’t want it runny skip this.
5. Microwave for 1 minute at full power.
6. Eat it hot with toast!
Nice to read about your parrots. How do you differentiate unfertilized eggs from fertilized ones? I am a vegetarian - no eggs! But curious to know this.
ReplyDeleteIn one way you resemble me - I too keep on finding out some short cut to finish my cooking soon!
Well on appaerance it is difficult to tell - but the eggs normally available everywhere are laid by hens just like that without mating with a rooster and these are unfertilised. The eggs called desi anda are the ones that are fertilised. If u look at a desi anda against light u can see the embryo. Of course if you break it open it would be obvious. The desi andas are generally brownish tinged. They are rare nowadays and you would have to specifically go looking to get one. As a microbiologist I have cultured viruses in fertilised eggs and that's how i have encountered several
Deletevery interesting post!........nice eggs.
ReplyDeleteThank you Simran.
DeleteHi Varsha,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info. We used to cut joke - when you keep an egg on the floor and if it starts running (chick inside!) it's non-veg and vice versa!
Also it's a news for me that hens lay eggs just like that!
So many things to learn....
Nice I like that one! I must share it in the lab
ReplyDeletehi varsha....good to know that you're a fauji wife too!we're sailing in the same boat(heh...heh)i've joined up as your follower,it would be great if you could follow me too.:)
ReplyDelete