Egg Curry

by ifrdaily

6-8 eggs
2-3 tbsp oil
1/2 heaped tsp black peppercorns
2 green cardamoms
1 inch piece of cinnamon
5-6 cloves
1 ‘petal’ star anise (optional)
1 cup chopped onion
2 large beefsteak tomatoes, diced
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp grated garlic
1/2 tsp red chile powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala (sambar masala also works well)
1/2 cup coconut milk (optional)
1 tsp salt or to taste

Place eggs in a saucepan, fill with water until eggs are covered by at least 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn off heat, cover, and set the timer for 10 minutes. When timer goes off, drain water, add some cold water to saucepan and add ice until eggs are covered.

In a medium pot, heat oil and add peppercorns, cardamoms, cinnamon, and cloves. Add a small ‘petal’ of star anise, if using.

Add chopped onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt and sauté on medium-high stirring frequently until soft, about 10-12 minutes.

Add diced tomatoes and cook down until you see some oil oozing out from the mixture.

Add ginger, garlic, garam masala, red chile powder and turmeric powder and cook on medium for 3-5 minutes. This is your masala.

Add coconut milk, if using, and mix well together. (I didn’t have any so I skipped this step but I really like it with coconut milk.) Reduce heat to low.

Drain water from pan with eggs. Bring the curry to a simmer. Shell the eggs, poke with a toothpick in several spots and add to the masala. Add 1/2 tsp of salt or more if needed.

It’s not the end of the world if you lose some egg white while peeling the eggs and they aren’t smooth all over.

If you aren’t using coconut milk, add water to the masala to make a curry of the thickness that you like. I usually add about 1/2 – 1 cup of water. There are times when I don’t add water or coconut milk but leave it like a thick coating over the eggs.

Bring the curry to a simmer. Adjust seasonings and serve hot with rotis or over steamed rice.