As weird as this is, yes, we have our own version of French Toast in India. I always thought that this was just a weird family thing – something that my grandmother used to make and that we learnt it from her – but no! While researching a little for this post, I found that there are several versions of Bombay Toast out there, and now I’m really excited to show you my family version.

As easy as French Toast is, this is too. Because it’s exactly like French toast, with the addition of two more ingredients: black pepper and turmeric. Does that sound weird? Let me explain.

I’ve probably already said this before, my mother did not have a lot of rules for us growing up, save a choice few. This was one of them. Always, A-L-W-A-Y-S add black pepper and turmeric when you cook eggs. Why? Read on:

Turmeric

Eggs are prone to Salmonella infections, you’ll never know it until you start showing symptoms, and while it’s easy to avoid infections by cooking the eggs completely, if you are are a runny-yolk person like me, that’s a kinda hard to follow rule. Now, turmeric is a natural antiseptic, and finds its place in so many home remedies for a variety of ailments. Adding them to eggs protects you from potential salmonella poisoning, improves skin and cleans your blood.

Turmeric pimple home remedy: If you have a pimple that you want to get rid off in 1-2 days, mix turmeric powder and a little face wash to form a thick paste and dab onto the pimple. Let it stay for as long as possible (best overnight), and you’ll see that the pimple has dried out in the morning. Repeat until the pimple falls off. No scars, promise!

Black pepper

While egg whites are a great source of daily protein, more than one yolk can get a little ‘fattening’. This is where the black pepper comes in. Black pepper fights fat, making your indulgence a lot less guilty. Often referred to as ‘Black Gold’, it’s been used for centuries in Eastern medicine to fight gastrointestinal issues, inflammation and more. It also has antioxidant properties, if you’re interested in that sorta thing! 🙂 If you catch a cold, or when sick, we were given a hot, peppery stew and it always works wonders. You’d be surprised how comforting hot, steaming, spicy pepper stew is when you’re nose is blocked – melts down the phlegm like fire on ice.

Black pepper home remedy for coughs and cold: If you are constantly coughing up phlegm, unable to sleep, take 1-2 black peppercorns and keep it between your inner cheek and teeth. Don’t bite, just lock it in place with your tongue. Go to bed. Throughout the night, your saliva will breakdown the pepper and deliver small dosages of pipperine and abate your cough slowly, letting you get some much needed sleep.

Have I convinced you on these magical ingredients? Good. Now let’s make some toast!

How does this taste?

Just like French Toast. It’s not going to be spicy, it’s not going to smell like turmeric, if anything, the pepper brings out the ‘cake-like’ flavour very well!  Trust me, this would be the healthiest +tastiest French Toast you’ve ever had!

The measurements below serve exactly 1 person, so feel free to scale up. I am not great in math, so I always found it easier to add and multiply than minus or divide. So if you’re like me, multiply away for more people at your breakfast table!