In your opinion, which food group do eggs belong to – vegetarian or non-vegetarian? Chances are that if you grew up in India, you consider eggs non-vegetarian. Now vegan vs. vegetarian advocates might differ on this. However, growing up in a traditional Hindu Brahmin family, I grew up thinking that eggs were strictly non-veg. In my grandma’s kitchen, no eggs were allowed. My mom, who has never tasted an egg to date, is more liberal. We grew up eating eggs cooked in all different forms. If you think about it, for someone who follows ovo-lacto diet, eggs are like the most prized delicacy. And when you are talking about eggs coated with a flavorful masala of onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and major aromatics, it is a whole different ball game.
The recipe run down is simple – a masala that has a depth of flavor, hard boiled eggs, peeled and pan fried to get a crispy skin and then the masala and the eggs get married to live happily ever after. Amen! It is a simple dish, so quality of the ingredients used matters, especially the eggs. There is a huge difference between the taste and flavor of a fresh, farm-raised (may I say organic?) egg and eggs that have been stored in the walk-ins of grocery store for days. If possible, take a walk (or drive – duh) to your local farmers market and try the eggs from a local farmer’s stall. You will enjoy the freshness and flavor of what you paid for while supporting a local farmer. A total win-win situation! Eggs are protein bombs – so if you want to add a protein punch to your vegetarian diet (there we go again!), eggs are your best-friends!
Ingredients:
Eggs – 6
Onion – ½, medium, roughly chopped
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Garlic – 2 cloves
Tomatoes – 2, large, roughly chopped
Green chili – 1
Oil – 1.5 tablespoon
Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
Kalaunji/Nigella seeds – 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
Red chili powder – ¼ teaspoon (optional)
Coriander powder – 1 tablespoon
Tomato ketchup – 1 tablespoon
Sugar/honey – 1 teaspoon
Garam masala – ¼ teaspoon
Salt – to taste
Cilantro – 4-5 sprigs, leaves stripped and chopped (optional)
Method:
Set a medium sauce pan three fourth full of water on high heat. Cover and let the water come to a boil. Using a ladle, gently add the whole eggs to the pan, one by one. Set the timer to 12 minutes to cook the eggs. Perfect hard boiled eggs every time!
While the eggs are cooking, blend together onion, ginger, garlic, tomatoes and green chili into a fine paste. Set a heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat and add oil to it. Once the oil is nice and shiny, add the cumin and nigella seeds. After about 30 seconds, carefully add the blended paste. I say carefully because it might splutter. Add turmeric, red chili, coriander powders and mix. Cook the masala until all the moisture evaporates and you can see tiny droplets of oil appear on the edges of the masala. The masala slowly begins to come together and this method is called “bhoono”. I love bhoonoing all my masalas for my curries as it adds a deep flavor that is otherwise hard to achieve. The whole bhoonoing the masala will take 10-15 minutes. If at some point, the masala begins to stick to the bottom of the skillet, sprinkle a few drops of water to loosen the bits and continue bhoonoing.
Once the timer on the eggs get done, turn the heat off and carefully drain the hot water. Fill the sauce pan with eggs in it with cold water and let sit for few minutes. After the eggs have cooled down a bit, peel the eggs. Set a non-stick pan over medium heat and add just a few drops of oil to it. Add the peeled, boiled eggs to this pan and cook them for just a few minutes to get a crispy texture on the egg surface. Set aside.
If your masala is almost done, add the tomato ketchup and sugar/honey to it to take care of the tartness of the masala. Add about a cup of water to the masala along with salt and increase the heat to high to bring the curry to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and let the curry bubble away. I like to cut the eggs in half before adding them to the prepared masala. This way some of the yolk flavor goes into the curry. But totally your call – keep the boiled eggs whole or cut in half.
Add the eggs to the masala along with garam masala and gently mix. Turn the heat off, give a taste check and cover with a lid to let the flavors marry. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro before serving. Enjoy with chapathi (recipe here) or rice (recipe here).
Love – Vaishali.
Tools used:
Sauce pan
Skillets
Spatula
Knife and chopping board
Blender
Measuring spoons and cups
Alexandra
This looks amazing, Vaishali! I can't wait to try this recipe out on my own. 🙂
Vaishali
Thanks Alexandra
Sophia
Oh my gosh, my husband would LOVEthis!
Yolanda
Looks delicious 🙂 I love eggs and I love Indian food even more. Looks pretty easy to make too, so I'm definitely going to try soon!
Vaishali
Thanks Yolanda. Please let me know if you try it..:)
Shannon
I'm not sure I would have thought of putting eggs in masala but this sounds and looks so good!
Vaishali
ha ha...everything tastes good in a masala..:)
Joi
MMM I cannot wait to try this! I've been on an egg kick lately so this is right on time. Thank you!
Joi | https://joi-knows-how.com
Karla
I love cooking, and I can't wait to try this one! Thanks for sharing this amazing dish.
Jen
This looks like an amazing ethnic dish to try. When our kitchen renovation is done and I can get back in there, I'll have to give it a try for my husband and I!
Jenaleigh | Naughty Kitchen
oh yumz! I love anything curry. I have never had this way with the eggs before so I look forward to experimenting your recipe! 🙂
Veronica Bareman
What an interesting combination! I love Indian food, so it's time to give this a go!
Ashli Ferguson
OH I am going to have to add this to my recipe book!! it looks delicious!
Neil Alvin
That looks so mouth watering. I would love to taste it. 🙂
Van Cast
Curry fans here! My hubby is going to love this dish. Thank you
happyhearthhappyhome
What a creative recipe! I’ve never thought about making curry with boiled eggs!
pooja Malkani
I love Egg curry! tasty and easy to make
jeff
mmmm that does look pretty good. 30 mins until lunch time
aisasami
I never had a hard-boiled egg with curry before and I love curry. I have to try this!
Vaishali
Thanks Aisasami. Yup, this curry is very common in India.
Hackytips
Delicious. Egg curry is my favorite! I cut the boiled egg into small pieces instead of adding the whole egg.
Bri
A very unique dish to me, but it sounds amazing!!
Vaishali
Thank You, Bri! It is good and easy to make.
Itzel Gomez
Definitely gonna be passing this recipe on to my roommate. He would love this!
Robert
It looks delicious and your photography is spot on. Good job
Vaishali
Thanks, Robert!!
Sommer Garcia
I would have liked to see more photos of the whole process to help me follow along. I am excited to make this dish
Juliet
This is so much informative
Hailey
Looks delicious. Thanks for sharing!