With a brazenness typical of Indian street food, Goa’s delectable offering of Ros Omelette combines two completely different but tasty foods — an omelet and a spicy curry — to multiply the deliciousness many times over. In my vegan — and healthier — version of a Ros Omelet you’ll never miss the eggs, and you’ll be licking your fingers to stubs.

In India’s smallest state, Goa, you will find some of the richest and most diverse food traditions anywhere in the country. This includes a thriving street food culture with offerings that are quite unique, from crunchy croquettes to choris-pav, a sausage and bread combination, to bebinca, a layered, sticky sweet made with coconut milk and eggs.

One of the most popular among these street eats is Ros Omelette, a delectable fusion of an omelette and a spicy Goan curry made with coconut and spices.

In Goa, which is my stepmom’s native state and one I unfailingly gravitate to each time I visit India, you would find Ros (pronounced “ross”) Omelet being sold outside railway stations at “gaddos,” as makeshift food stalls and trucks are known here. For travelers and workers in nearby buildings the gaddos are a welcome convenience: they dish out tasty fast food at extremely affordable prices and without the long wait you might expect at a restaurant.

I wanted to share this vegan and eggless recipe of Ros Omelette with you as part of my long-running series on street foods in India, and also because I like sharing with you veganized versions of Indian foods you will likely never find at an Indian restaurant, but are very much worth making and eating.

Equipment

• Bowl
• Cast iron or nonstick skillet for the omelet
• Saucepan with lid for the gravy

Ingredients

For the vegan omelet

• 1½ cups chickpea flour (besan)
• ¼ cup rice flour
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 medium shallot (or red onion, finely minced)
• 1-2 jalapeno or serrano peppers. (Finely minced)
• 2 tbsp cilantro (finely chopped)
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• Salt to taste

For the vegan xacuti gravy

• 2 large shallots (Slice one and cut the other in a fine dice.)
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 5 cloves
• 12 black peppercorns
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 2 dry Kashmiri red chili peppers (broken into pieces)
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds
• A small piece dagad phool (stoneflower, optional)
• 2 medium tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 cups dry shiitake mushrooms (or use 8 oz fresh crimini or portobello mushrooms, chopped)
• ⅓ cup coconut milk
• Salt to taste

For serving

• Wedges of lemon
• Chopped onions
• Pav or soft bread rolls