QuickSmart Egg Curry

I love egg curry. It is my go to comfort curry whether I am having a bad day and need a pick me up or when it is one of lazy days when I can leisurely whip up a tasty curry, make some fried rice and toss in a couple of fritters while I am at it. I learnt to make egg curry from my grandmother actually. It was one of those days after school when she was minding me and my sister and to make sure that we stayed out trouble showed us how to make this particular dish. Her curries would always begin with caramelizing a little bit of sugar and then tossing in jeera and onions so as to make a slightly sweet and very savory curry to go with hot rice, dal and karela sabzi that she would have prepared earlier. It is one of my favorite memories of her - standing by the window patiently, framed in the afternoon light, as she guided us through the step by step process of cooking.

So returning to the recipe at hand, this was first sampled in the heartland of Kerala as a breakfast treat. The friend I was staying with - her mother had made idiappams and mutta curry which basically meant stringhopper idlis with egg curry. After that, I had the chance to sample it when this friend attempted to recreate it later. And it was delicious. This recipe is an adapation of the tastes that remain in the memory and cause incredible cravings months later.

Ingredients:
2 boiled eggs
1 large onion sliced
1inch ginger chopped
6 cloves garlic chopped
2 green chillies chopped
8 curry leaves
4tbsp tomato puree*
1tsp red chili powder
1tsp cumin powder
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp kitchen king powder
1tsp garam masala
 salt to taste
1/2 cup coconut milk
4tbsp water
Oil for cooking

Method:
Boil eggs for twelve minutes.
Heat oil in a saucepan. Add curry leaves. Be careful as they splatter. Fry onions till light brown - this should take a few minutes. Sprinkle ginger, garlic and one chopped green chilly. Cook for four minutes.
Add the tomato puree, the other chopped chilli, salt, red chili, coriander, cumin and kitchen king powders. Cook for a few minutes. Add a little bit of water so as get a smooth consistency.
Remove from heat and add coconut milk and water. Sprinkle garam masala. Adjust seasonings. The curry should be a thick soupy consistency by now. Add the egg and fold in. Serve hot with rice, rotis or pretty much anything that you choose.

Egg Curry with Green beans and Coconut Milk

Pan frying eggs is a lot of fun. Oh, there are so many childhood memories of mom frying snowy white eggs in oil and watching the skin splitting to form that golden color. And the later taste of curry and rice with fried papad and slices of cucumber. This particular egg curry has become something of a signature for my mom. The fried boiled egg, the grinding of cashew with tomatoes and lightly spiced - all come together to form a beautiful curry. Every time I am home, this curry has to be on the menu at least once a week.

The idea for my version began a week back with a craving for that fried eggs. And strangely for crunchy green beans. The idea kept rolling around my head until a proper dish could be constructed resulting in a spicy as well as creamy curry reminiscent of mom's yet a little different so as to incorporate my crazy ideas. The frying I have kept because I love the texture it adds to the eggs. And the coconut milk takes the role of creaminess that cashews do for the original. Damn, writing this has given me the serious craving for making the original.

This technique comes from the eastern part of India particularly in Bengal and Odisha. Sometimes there is panch phoran involved and sometimes its just mustard seeds. I think my grandmother caramelizes some sugar before frying the onions. So this recipe can be a take on the traditional cuisine and be a tangential to the series of posts on Oriya Cuisine. Try this out on a lazy Saturday evening when you are in the mood to make some spicy curry and rice.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, boiled
1 medium and 2 small onion sliced
2 green chillies
3 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
2 medium tomatoes sliced
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp kitchen king powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
5-6 green beans cut into halves
1/2 cup coconut milk
3 tbsp water
SaltOil for frying and cooking[4 tbsp]

Method:
Boil eggs for ten minutes. Peel skin and dry.
Heat oil to a smoking point. Add the eggs to the oil. There should be sizzle when it hits the oil. Fry till both the sides are golden brown. Remove.
Add the onion slices and 1 cut chilly. Fry till the onions are lightly browned. Sprinkle with garlic. Cook for three minutes.
Add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Cook till the tomatoes mash into the onions. That should be for ten minutes. Sprinkle with red chili powder, turmeric, coriander and kitchen king powder. Add the green beans as well. Season. Cook for two more minutes.
Add the coconut milk and water. Sprinkle the garam masala and simmer. Half the eggs and then add to the curry. Serve hot.

Egg Curry

So, writing the blog for how many months now and no proper egg curry as yet. I mean, yes, there was the curry toofani but that was more of a throwing together of ingredients. This egg curry is a systematic thought of buying ingredients and then going through the right steps. I have grown up with egg curry on the Wednesdays or Fridays served with hot rice, dal, salad and gobi pakoras. It is so delicious and for me the gateway to a complete lunch. The recipe has been one of my mainstays for a long while now.

This egg curry is ideal for a centerpiece for a casual lunch or late night dinner. While you make the curry you can throw in some moong dal into the pressure cooker to be whistled away. The curry is very versatile and can be served with any recipe that you want. If you are adventurous, you can make some omelets and add to the curry for another twist on this dish. The egg is such a blank canvas, ready for any dish that you can set your mind to and for me egg curry is a classic comfort - a remembrance of all those memories from childhood.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 medium onions
1 inch ginger
5 cloves garlic
4 dried red chillies broken
1tsp cumin seeds
1 cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1tsp red chili powder
1tsp turmeric
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp kitchen king powder
1tsp garam masala
3tbsp tomato puree
salt to taste
1/2 cup water
1 bunch coriander leaves
3-4tbsp oil

Method:
Fill a saucepan with water and add eggs. Put in on the stove to cook. Remember the proper boiled egg needs only 10-12 minutes. After that it has that grey tint over the yolk which is not very nice.
While the eggs boil, slice the onions and mince ginger and garlic. Heat oil in a wok.
Splutter the whole spices till they release the aromas. Add the onions with a dash of red chili powder and fry. This should around six-eight minutes.
The eggs will be done by now. Remove from saucepan and put it in a bowl.
Add the ginger and garlic to the browned onions. Cook for two minutes. Add tomato puree and a pinch of salt. Fold the ingredients together and then add the red chili powder, turmeric, coriander and kitchen king powder. Fry. Finally add the water and simmer. This should take eight to ten minutes in order for the flavors of the curry to cook itself.
Peel the eggs. Chop the coriander leaves.
Add the eggs to the curry along with the garam masala. Put the curry over the eggs so as to allow the gravy to seep into the eggs. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve with hot rice and enjoy.