In my cooking classes, people often ask me how long to boil an egg for to make a curry. I prefer the eggs to be well set so that they sit well in the sauce (see method below). Egg curries are popular in Indian homes, but are rarely found on restaurant menus. In India, eggs are considered non-vegetarian.
Serves 4.
Ingredients
- 8 large free-range eggs
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1-3/4 cups coconut milk
- a handful of fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped, to garnish
Directions
- Begin by hard-boiling the eggs. To do this, put the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan and then cover them with plenty of cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the water simmers at a gentle bubble. Cook them for 12 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and plunge the eggs into cold water to stop them cooking. Once they are cool, peel the eggs and cut them in half lengthwise. Set aside.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil in a heavy-based saucepan and fry 1 tablespoon of Ginger-garlic Paste on high heat for a minute, stirring from time to time. Tip in the turmeric, chili powder, and garam masala and fry for a few seconds, then add 4 tablespoons of cold water. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the water has evaporated, leaving the spices in oil.
- Stir in the tomato paste and 2 tablespoons of cold water. Cook for 30 seconds, then pour in the coconut milk, season with salt, and heat through until almost boiling.
- Place the eggs in the pan and baste them with the spice mixture.
- Serve hot, sprinkled with the cilantro to garnish, along with some plain boiled rice to accompany.
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Cover courtesy of Kyle Books
Excerpted with permission from Indian in 7 by Monisha Bharadwaj (Kyle Books, 2019).
