You learn new things every day. The other day, I was told that chef Pradip Rozario loves to go past Dalhousie Square in Calcutta. And why, you may ask. It’s because a delicious smell assails his nostrils when he crosses the area. “The aroma of fried eggs and omelettes being cooked on the roadside is so tempting that it acts like an aperitif and enhances my hunger to have more food,” he says.

Chefs, as we know, are all for ways of upping our appetites. So Rozario, who runs K.K.’s Fusion in Calcutta, has been looking at different ways of presenting eggs. If it’s hardboiled, make a salad out of it with mayonnaise, coriander leaves and green chillies. And if you like your eggs scrambled, serve them with pork vindaloo, with the tart flavours of the meat complementing the mild taste of the eggs.

I applaud his effort, for I am quite an egg lover too. In our village house, the cooks used to prepare an egg in the most interesting of ways. They would take a raw egg, roll a cloth around it and then put it under burning embers of coal. When they took it out, the shell would have burst open — but the egg was soft and delicious to eat.

Scrambled eggs with pork vindaloo

Later, when I was a teenager, I remember egg acted as a stimulant when exams were round the corner. Our staple diet at the mess — consisting of urad dal — would get morphed when we asked for an egg to be broken and mashed into it.

Since then, of course, the egg has come a long way. These days, when we say eggs, we are no longer talking just about a hen’s or at best a duck’s eggs. In India, you can get everything from a quail’s eggs and a pheasant’s eggs to an ostrich’s eggs and an emu’s eggs. These eggs are produced in special farms that have sprung up in different parts of India.

India, incidentally, is the fifth largest producer of eggs in the world (though, of course, way behind China and the United States). Yet, for such an innocuous looking thing — I mean, just look at the egg — it’s always been controversial. Food historian KT Achaya says that eggs were taboo in Hindu India, though they were eaten by some sections.

Across the world, scientists can’t seem to agree on eggs. For long years, researchers held that eggs were not all that good for us. Recent studies seem to indicate that the health benefits of the eggs far outweigh the risks. Eggs have everything that we want — from protein and minerals to vitamins. The much maligned egg yolks are one of the few foods to have Vitamin D. And eggs have lutein — which is the new health mantra of the west because of its beneficial effects on the eyes.

Of course, for egg lovers, it’s the taste of the food that acts like a tonic. I, for one, cannot resist a well cooked omelette. There was a time when I cooked quite a mean Spanish omelette. My omelette had everything in it — from mushroom and ham to tomatoes and peppers. Chef Rozario does something similar — a Spanish omelette cooked with bacon.

But being an innovative cook, he happily breaks the boundaries of the world of eggs. Take a dish that he has named Kissa Murgi Ke Ande Ka (the tale of an egg). The dish consists of a regular dosa which, when opened up, reveals a fried egg nestling happily within. He cooks a masala egg pancake — and then fills it with pork vindaloo. What’s even more interesting is a dish of lasagna that he prepares with layers of omelettes stuffed with the roe of hilsa.

Spanish omelette with bacon

Clearly, there are many ways of pushing the envelope when it comes to eggs. Yet, I think eggs are much loved because they are uncomplicated. And as comfort food or a pick-me-up, you can’t beat them. Chef Rozario, like the Indian team, has found an instant source of energy in the eggnog — prepared with hot milk and raw eggs.

Or take something like dim bhaat. For this, you take a plate of steaming hot rice, top it with a dollop of ghee, mash an egg and a boiled potato, and then mix everything together with sliced onions and green chillies. One mouthful of that — and you forget your woes.

Egg salad with chilli coriander mayonnaise (serves 2)

Ingredients:

• 2 boiled and shelled eggs • 300ml mayonnaise • 1 tsp chopped green chillies • 1 tsp chopped coriander leaves • 2 tbs cream

Method

In a mixing bowl whip the mayonnaise, chillies, coriander leaves and cream to a smooth paste. Place the mix in a serving dish and top with boiled eggs. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before serving with garlic toast.