When the heart bacons

Chicken Fry

A slice of heaven possibly has a whole new meaning for bacon-heads - crispy, greasy, salty, like a summer day at the beach. It's no surprise then that the salt-cured meat cut, which is typically derived from a pig's belly, back or sides, has a day dedicated to it. The United States of America (USA) observed National Bacon Day yesterday (December 30) to celebrate all things bacon - the meat, dishes including it, chips, pop corn, and milkshakes flavoured with it, and of course, those who make it.

Rhea Mitra Dalal

Back in Mumbai, too, the rasher has its own fans, so much so, that chef and caterer Rhea Mitra Dalal, who runs the popular Facebook group The Porkaholics, tells us that at least 50 per cent of the posts on it are about bacon. In fact, when we reach out to her to learn more about bacon, the chef chuckles saying she's cooking with the pork slab. The bacon lover tells us that it's her go-to ingredient when she's confused about what to whip up for the day. "I grew up in Bandra, and luckily, we had good pork shops in the area. Bacon, Goan sausages, ham, salami and other pork-y goodies were common in our house. Once in a while, we would have a lavish breakfast with sausages, bacon, eggs and the works. Wherever I have lived, one of the first things I have looked for is the closest pork shop and the best bacon available," says the bacon-head who started the Facebook page, that now has around 10,000 members, to create a space to discuss culinary experiments with pork.

While bacon with eggs, cheese, burgers, sandwiches, pastas, risottos, and the likes, is a common affair, Mitra Dalal's trials with the meat led to an interesting creation during the lockdown - bacon appe. "I discovered the joys of readymade dosa batter in the lockdown. After trying out the basic appe, I began to experiment by adding various ingredients to the mix. Apart from veggies, bacon seemed to be a good idea and it really worked! I have made bacon appes frequently since then," she adds.

When we ask her about tips for buying bacon, the caterer tells us about back bacon and streaky bacon. "Back bacon usually has a clear demarcation between the fat and meat layers - use this for bacon appe. Drain off the fat and keep it in the fridge in a glass jar. Use the fat to fry eggs for an extra yummy breakfast," she elaborates, adding, "Streaky bacon has meat and fat in layers, and is great for a classic bacon-and-eggs breakfast or any other meal where you're serving bacon rashers as they crisp up beautifully."

RECIPE: BACON APPE
YIELD: 10 to 12 appe pieces (depends on appe pan size)

Ingredients
2 cups dosa batter
200 gms meaty bacon rashers
1 onion
2 chillies
Oil
Salt

Instructions
Fry thinly-sliced strips of bacon, but don't let them get too crispy. Keep them in a plate and chop them into small pieces. Chop an onion finely, along with a green chilli or two. In a bowl, mix dosa batter with the chopped onions and green chillies. Add a little salt and the chopped bacon. Mix everything well. Heat an appe pan and put in a drop or two of oil into each cavity. Once it's hot, drop in enough batter in each cavity, lower the flame to medium, cover and let the appes cook. When the appes are set, flip them to cook the other side and cover. Once cooked after a couple of minutes, remove and serve.