Newbie cook! Wanting to add some flavour or kick to a meal. Spices? Ketchup? What?

[Dubious Drewski]

Hey everyone. I'm very new, but I hope to spend a lot of time here in the future.

I just made myself a meal. It was the first time I've ever tried something like this. I'd like a suggestion or two if you guys could.

It was simple scrambled eggs, but with chopped green peppers, celery, cheddar cheese, minced onion, tomato and a bit of tandoori spice. I cooked and scrambled the eggs first and added everything else near the end of the process. It ended up nice and fluffy, with some pleasant pieces of greenery.

One thing I noticed though was that despite the good texture, and the generous sprinkling of Tandoori spice, the flavour was a bit flat.

What could I add to this dish in the future to give it a stronger, more memorable flavour?

 

[masteraznchefjr]

salt, pepper will bring out the flavour but never used tandoori spice before. Probably need more spice if the flavour is bland.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Welcome!

I would suggest putting the tandoori spice in when you beat the eggs. Most spices need any liquid they can pick up to get the best flavor.

 

[vagriller]

It's virtually impossible for me to make scrambled eggs without cheese. Sometimes I put shredded cheddar in when beating the eggs, and a slice of swiss on top right before I take it out of the pan.

 

[jet]

I can't imagine anything with a "generous sprinkling of Tandoori" tasting flat, unless the tandoori is really old.

 

[Robo410]

salt.

personally I would cook the veg , and season them, then add the egg and scramble together.

mixing the egg I would as said above add the seasoning and spice to the egg mix before it hit the pan.

 

[Alix]

I'm with Robo. Saute the veggies with the spices first. It will deepen the flavour of the veggies. Then toss the eggs on and keep on going. Salt and pepper are all I ever use with my eggs. Oh, I'd add a smidge of garlic and onion to the veggies too.

I've never tried tandoori spice either. Welcome to DC!

 

[Dubious Drewski]

Hey thanks guys; this is good information. I'll try it again soon using your advice.

The only reason I thought I'd add the veggies and other things last is because I did the same meal a few days ago for my new girlfriend, and it turned out badly. I didn't use a non-stick pan, so the eggs burned, and because they were burning, I felt the need to stir more often, which broke the eggs down into too-small pieces. And then the extra ingredients were mashed up and lost in the burned egg.

It was a bit of a disaster, and we ended up putting pasta sauce over the eggs to make them edible!

This second meal was a private test, and it turned out MUCH better. I'm hoping my third will be better still! Then I'll try cooking it again for her one morning soon and I'll tell you guys how it goes.

 

[Alix]

Way to persevere! Pretty soon you will be an expert!

 

[DaveSoMD]

salt.

personally I would cook the veg , and season them, then add the egg and scramble together.

mixing the egg I would as said above add the seasoning and spice to the egg mix before it hit the pan.

Yep, that's my advice too. Remeber salt brings out flavors and makes things taste more like what they are.

 

[Dubious Drewski]

It worked! She loved it! Thanks everyone.

I diced two green onions, a quarter of a green pepper, a stalk of celery and sliced some lettuce and button mushrooms. I threw those on to a buttered non-stick pan right away and also added some salt and pepper right from the start. I later added 8 eggs and the Tandoori spice. Then once it was nearly done and scrambled nicely, I added thin strips of cheddar.

It was awesome! A tenfold increase in deliciousness from the first dish.

Ok, so now I know how to make scrambled eggs, haha! How could I use this knowledge to make a killer omelette? Or how about utilizing wraps in some way? That could be interesting, but I'm ready for another level of difficulty.

 

[vagriller]

I've never heard of lettuce or celery in scrambled eggs, but to each his own.

Anything you add to the scrambled eggs can be put in an omelet I would think.

 

[DaveSoMD]

Just cook all the fillings first (not the cheese obviously).

Pour the mixed eggs in your non-sick pan that has had butter melted into it.
Swirl the eggs and cook. Pull in from the end until it starts to come together, making sure you let the uncooked run to the outside. Let it set up some then add your filling and cheest to one side.

Slide the omlet out of the pan, filling side first, onto a plate and as it comes out fold it in half.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

My favorite omelet: roasted asparagus, roasted red peppers served with Hollandaise sauce.

 

[vagriller]

Or how about utilizing wraps in some way? That could be interesting, but I'm ready for another level of difficulty.

Wow, I totally missed this! Breakfast burritos are one of my favorite. I usually just fry some bacon, scramble some eggs, and then put both in a flour tortilla with sour cream, salsa, and cheese. Then roll it up and eat. You can add chili cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and others to the eggs before you cook if you like. Hashbrowns are a welcome addition in bfast burritos too.

This makes me think of something Will Forte was quoted as saying in some magazine (Rolling Stone or Men's Health maybe).

"80% of what I eat is burritos, the other 20% is breakfast burritos."

 

[tzakiel]

Instead of salt, you can also try a few drops of vinegar. (for general seasoning, dunno about omelets.)