Dad's South Indian Egg Curry Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Curry

by: Nikhita Venugopal

October6,2018

4.5

11 Ratings

  • Cook time 30 minutes
  • Serves 2

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Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: Far From Home, Dad's Egg Curry Is the One Thing I Didn't Know I'd Miss. —The Editors

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

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Dad's South Indian EggCurry

Ingredients
  • 5 tablespoonscanola or vegetable oil
  • 2 small onions
  • 6 to 7 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tomato, chopped into small pieces
  • 4 medium hard-boiled eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoonturmeric
  • 1 teaspooncumin powder
  • 1/2 teaspoongaram masala
  • 1 tablespoonchili powder
  • 2 tablespoonscoriander powder
  • 1 tablespoonwhole black pepper, crushed (not powdered)
  • 10 to 12 curry leaves
  • 1/2 to 1 cupswater
  • 1/4 cupcoconut milk or cream (optional)
  • Cilantro, for garnish
  • Salt, to taste
  • Rice or bread, for serving
Directions
  1. Heat 4 tablespoons of oil over medium heat in a frying pan or sauté pan. Lower to moderate heat and add the onions and garlic. Fry until the onion caramelizes and cooks down to about half its earlier quantity.
  2. Add the turmeric, cumin, garam masala, chili powder, coriander powder, and black pepper to the pan. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant. If the mixture is very dry, add some water to prevent it from sticking to the pan or burning.
  3. Add chopped tomatoes and fry for another minute or so, until the tomatoes have broken down.
  4. Pour about a cup of water into the pan and season with salt. Bring to a simmer on low heat.
  5. Slice the boiled eggs vertically and place them yolk down into the gravy. Spoon the masala onto the eggs so they're coated in gravy, but try not to break them into pieces. The egg halves should remain as intact as possible.
  6. In a separate pan, heat a tablespoon of oil and fry the curry leaves until fragrant, about a minute. Add to the simmering curry.
  7. To add additional richness to the gravy or to tone down the heat (it’s definitely a hot curry!), you could add either coconut milk or cream to mellow it down. Allow to simmer until the mixture thickens, about 15 minutes.
  8. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rice or bread.

Tags:

  • Stew
  • Indian
  • Curry
  • Egg
  • Dinner

Popular on Food52

17 Reviews

KavenaR June 5, 2020

I made this evening for dinner! It was easy and yummy! A bit on the spicy side so maybe next time I will reduce the amount of chilli powder. I used half and half, about 3/4 cup which tempered the heat down a bit and I also had the curry with some yogurt so that helped with the heat. Thank you for posting the recipe!

Linda D. April 22, 2020

Thank you for this delicious, delightful curry, Nikhita. I did add the 1/4 of the coconut milk and dialed back the 1 tablespoon of the whole black pepper to a half dozen twists. Will consider doubling the recipe next time, which will be next Wednesday. Hope you are yours are staying healthy and well.

Avishek D. February 22, 2020

One of the best egg curries I ever had. I just fried the eggs a little instead of adding the boiled eggs directly.

TLeighf October 1, 2019

Really good. Made as described except used a scant 1 tablespoon of coarsely ground black pepper and 1.5 teaspoons of Indian red chili powder, pepper type unknown. Pleasantly hot for my Midwestern palate. Served over basmati rice and with a side of Indian spiced roasted cauliflower.

HungryJayne January 28, 2019

This is a strong, delicious curry! I intensified the flavors a bit by making this with ~1 teaspoon of a hot red pepper powder and without coconut milk. Also, I'd recommend doubling the recipe to have some leftovers for later (just don't overheat the eggs if you reheat in a microwave or you could have a mess!).

P.S., While my local Indian market is close by, I often will buy a pack of curry leaves and freeze them for use later.

Aidel.K November 15, 2018

This is sooo good! I had some cooked sweet potatoes in the fridge and had those alongside. Delish!

Claudia October 24, 2018

This is a killer recipe. I cannot get enough!! This will be a regular in our home.

Rachael October 14, 2018

I meant to ask, what kind of ‘chili powder’ are you calling for?

Nikhita V. October 14, 2018

At home I use red Kashmiri chili powder, but any standard red chili powder you can find should work just fine.

Rachael October 16, 2018

Thanks that's helpful to know.! Seeing that it calls for 1 Tablespoon, it seems unlikely cayenne pepper would be a good substitute; nor would the common 'chili powder' blend of spices used in Mexican foods if you want Indian flavors.

Rachael October 14, 2018

Your recipe looks so good, but I hav one question before I make it. What kind of ‘chili pepper’ are you calling for?

Richard October 13, 2018

Are the onions sliced or diced? Small medium or large

Nikhita V. October 13, 2018

Diced medium should be fine.

Ana I. October 12, 2018

I made this yesterday. DELICIOUS, to say the least. Thanks for the recipe. I believe is one of my favorites now.

Regards from Buenos Aires.

Eric K. October 12, 2018

So glad to hear. It really is a fantastic curry recipe.

Nikhita V. October 13, 2018

I'm so glad!

Suzy February 28, 2021

Cannot wait to make this - but I am going to order some of that chili powder before I do - I want to do it justice. ! Thank you for adding this !

Dad's South Indian Egg Curry Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between egg curry and egg masala? ›

What is the difference between an Egg Masala and an Egg Curry? In the true sense, Egg Masala is North Indian and Egg Curry is South Indian. However you often see Dhaba Anda Masala is being served as Dhaba Egg Curry.

How to make Indian curry better? ›

Fixing cooked curries and gravies is no less than a challenge, but a simple way to do so is by adding freshly chopped herbs like coriander, basil, fenugreek leaves, spinach, mint leaves. The fresh flavour of these herbs can instantly elevate the taste and texture and give them a health twist.

How do you reduce the bitterness in egg curry? ›

The basic and simplest thing to reduce bitterness caused by burnt masala is to add some dairy product like milk cream or some milk or curd and little bit of sugar…..

What is the Indian seasoning that tastes like eggs? ›

Kala namak (or black salt) is a sulphurous salt used in Indian cooking, and is what gives this seasoning its signature flavour. Kala namak can be found in the Asian section of most large grocery stores, or through online shops such as Amazon.

What is the secret ingredient in Indian curry? ›

It's the ringer that makes so many Indian dishes exceptional. It's a flavor that you can't pinpoint in a dish or even fully explain but that lingers on your taste buds long after all the other spices. Once you start cooking with asafoetida, every Indian dish you eat without it will taste like it's missing something.

How do restaurants make curry so creamy? ›

The actual sweetness and creaminess of such curries meanwhile, usually comes from fried onions and either cashews and/or dairy products. Instead of (or in addition to) onion, ground coconut may be used. White poppy seeds and/or watermelon seeds are also used in some creamy sauces.

What is the difference between masala and curry? ›

Ultimately both curry powder and masala are blended spice mixes that can be added to food to pack a spicy and aromatic kick. In the end, the difference boils down to the different mix of spices, masala being more of a warming aromatic blend and curry powder being more of an earthy blend.

What is the difference between masala and curry food? ›

Curry doesn't necessarily contain any ground spices but relies on chilli peppers, cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, cloves, bay leaves and peppercorns for flavour. The word Masala, on the other hand, means spice mix. It refers to a spice mix of ground seeds like coriander and cumin.

What is egg curry made of? ›

Egg curry is a comforting Indian dish of curried eggs. It is basically made with hard boiled eggs, onions, tomatoes, whole & ground spices and herbs. Indian cuisine is very diverse and an egg curry is made in several ways, with recipes varying by state and even by family.

Is tikka masala and curry the same? ›

Tikka Masala is a curry dish served in a brown or spicy red sauce that originated in South Asia.

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