Egg Curry, Dhaba (Diner) style, Less oil!
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I have such fond memories of Egg-curry, while growing up. The flavors of cardamom and cinnamon in that rustic blend of onion and tomatoes where deep fried boiled eggs glorify themselves. Ah! an amazing texture, flavor, aroma and just out of this world experience when I dip my Rumali Roti in that golden curry.
My small cozy town, where I grew up, has the best Dhabas (diners), and they make the best Egg-curry in the whole wide world. The small local dhabas (diners) actually hold the food culture of a particular town. The food of these dhabas, tells you the story of the heart and soul of that town.
My town is a great example of bringing food from Hindu and Muslim homes and culture together. The best of its kind. Egg-curry is one such example. Made in Muslim family run Dhabas and enjoyed by Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians equally at the diners and their homes.
The dhaba food is simple, rustic, flavorful, hot, spicy, fingerlicking yummy and served to you in the most humble and simple way. They don’t use grinders or blenders or bread making machines or ovens to cook their food. The sharp rustic iron knife, a wooden board, a steel bowl, may be a hand grater with mortal and pestle are their best friends to make any dish in their earthen small open kitchens.
Another characteristic of the dhaba food is over-flowing oil on the top of their curries. That’s why I wrote less oil in the title.
Here is how to make it!
Serves : 2
Kitchen Equipments Required : Chopping board, knife, hard anodized pan or heavy bottom pan with lid, a stirring spoon.
Ingredients :
Eggs : 4, hard boiled
Oil : 1 tsp + 2 tsp
Onion : 1/2 cup, finely chopped
Tomatoes : 2 medium size, finely chopped
Ginger : 1 tsp, finely chopped or grated
Garlic : 2 tsp, finely chopped or grated
Green chillies : 2 small, slit into 4 long sections (thai green chillies) or 1&1/2 tsp jalapeño
Bay leaf : 1
Cinnamon stick : 1 small
Green cardamom : 4-5, crushed gently
Black pepper corns 6-7
Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp
Turmeric :1/4 tsp
Coriander powder : 1 tbsp
Red chili powder : 1/2 tsp or to taste
Garam Masala : 1/2 tsp + 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Water : 1 cup or as required
Method :
Preparing the Eggs : The hard boiled eggs are traditionally deep fried in the egg curry. Here is how I prepped them.
- Take a heavy bottom or hard-anodized pan. Heat 1 tsp oil in it.
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Add the peeled whole hard boiled eggs to the hot oil in the pan. Sauté them on the medium flame for 3 to 4 minutes.
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Sprinkle 1/2 tsp Garam masala and 1/4 tsp salt on top of the eggs. Sauté them further for 2-3 minutes on the medium flame, till they acquire a light golden color. Switch off the gas stove. Take the eggs out if the pan. Keep them aside. They make a good snack too like that.
Making the curry
- Clean the pan with paper towel. Heat 2 tsp oil in the same pan. Add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, black pepper corns and green cardamoms to the hot oil. Reduce the flame to low. Let the cummins crackle.
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Once the cumin seeds crackle, add ginger and garlic and sauté for few seconds. Add finely chopped onions and slit green chillies to the pan now. Keep the flame to low. Cover and cook the onions till they are dark brown in color. Cooking the onions in covered pan, gives them dark brown color without burning them. Do stir in between for even cooking. This takes about 8-10 minutes. Do not skip this part.
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Once the onions are dark n rich in color, remove the lid. Add finely chopped tomatoes to the pan. Give a quick stir. Add turmeric, coriander powder, red chili powder and salt to the paste. Stir again. Cover with lid and cook on low flame for another 7-8 minutes till tomatoes are well engaged in the curry and no more stand out on their own.
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You will have a thick paste in the pan. Add 1 cup of water or of the desired consistency of the gravy, to the paste. Stir the paste and water well. Bring it to the boil. Let cook for 3-4 minutes. Add 1 tsp Garam Masala. Check for salt. Switch off the flame.
Serving the Egg Curry
Add the crusted prepared whole eggs to the curry. Toss them well and serve in a bowl along with the rice or flat bread of your choice. Naan, parantha, Khobz, lavash, parantha, Rumali roti, Jeera Pulav, mint Pulav will go very well with it.
OR
Pour the curry in the serving dish. Slit the prepped eggs into horizontal halves. Place them in the curry and serve along with the bread and rice of your choice.
Enjoy with family and friends. I often add some boiled pan fried potatoes to the curry for the people who do not like eggs. I am going to enjoy this dish with Angie at Fiesta Friday, to keep her company. After the soup, a hearty curry is must for me ;).
Sonal.
Awesome .. loved the tip and tricks you shared to make it less oily. I will try this way soon
Thank you dear
Like the way u added pepper to this dish …. looks spicy yum and delicious. ..!!! Plz visit my blog too. ..www.bonishealthytwists.blogspot.com .. thank you .
Dhabas are my all time favorite! Out of this world dishes and their secret ingredients! Lovely share Sonal..pictures do full justice to this recipe. 🙂 🙂
Sona
wow wow am drooling at this. In kerala we also make a egg curry like this which we serve with appam and we call is Mutta roast (egg roast) . Your recipe just bought back a lot of memories to me . I literally drooled while I was reading it . Book marked it and definitely making it over weekend , lovely share
Sonal,
I love dhaba food too! Your recipe for egg curry is making me drool! Thanks for sharing.
Pleasure is all mine Sandhya :). It was really good! I am tooting too much?
Not at all! I can see that it must have tasted awesome!
Not at all, Sonal! I am sure it was awesome! Cannot wait to make it.
🙂
Sonal I made this, oh my, oh my, I cannot tell you how fabulous it is, well you know how great it is because you made it lol. I got a 9/10 from the family for it and they were like savages they ate it so fast lol, the fastest lunch we have had in ages. I will be featuring it and doing a shout out on one of the FF’s soon, thank you again so much for sharing it xx
Yayyyyyyy :). Muaah
hah, still yearning for it today lol
🙂
Hey Sonal! What a curry! Looks too good. And lovely lovely fotographs. 🙂
Gorgeous photography and fragrant lovely dish.
Yum!! I love eggs — never thought of cooking with curry — sounds wonderful! 🙂
🙂
Wonderful post, Sonal! Love the story behind your dish… I love egg anything, and I doubt this one would disappoint. Unless, of course, I can’t achieve your beautiful results. 🙂 Bookmarking this one for safekeeping!
Hugs Nancy 🙂
I have always loved egg curries – beginning with the one my mother used to make. I have improved somewhat on that, but now I must try yours. This recipe has been recorded! Can’t wait to try it.
Thanks Hilda :). A very happy 2015 to you!
I am not a big egg fan in dishes but this recipe sure looks very tasty! 🙂
I would love to eat at this dhaba 😀 gorgeous clicks !! 🙂
You made me one happy girl today Angie. I have always been a fan of your clicks and captures. The curry is very easy and delcious. Do try it if you get a chance. I am still learning and experimenting a lot with my pictures. Soon will be bringing ghe colored display boards :).
Sonal, remind me again where you grew up . . . the town you are speaking of. I love this dish! Due to our yoga challenge I am learning about the Sikh religion, very interesting! Have a wonderful New Year!
A very happy new year to you too Sue. I grew up in a small town in northern state of India :). Sikhism is very similar to Hinduism as its an offsrimg of Hinduism. The state of Punjab has the most of sikh popuation and most of the mughal
Food influence.
PS : i will be soon sending my curry powder sample for you along with few more to try :).
Wow Sonal this is an incredible dish, I love rustic, no fuss food like that but just look at that food it jumps out of the page and grabs you. I have to say your photographs are as good if not better than any photo’s in magazines or on professionally photographed sites like Food52. You are a real artist. Love this dish.
OMG ! You made my day Suzanne. Thats a huge compliment. I try my best. Learning and experimneting. I paint and draw but photogrpahy has brought so many more elements of art to me :).
Love egg curry, will have to try your version sometime, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Loretta 🙂
Sonal these pictures are beautiful ! And it’s a lovely recipe- I love eggs and I could eat them every day, so this is on my list of things to do! xx
Thanks Marta :). <3
Oh yay this takes me back to school i used to have egg ciurry though this is wayyy better but now i can reincarnate a better version – yours hehe xx thank you
Muaaah Justine 🙂
😀 perhaps New Years recovery curry!
Hahaa
😀
yum!! I’m Cheryl from another blog and wondered if you have a recipe for Sweet Potato Pie..my son is asking me to make some but there are so many recipes to choose from…you can email me if it is not on your blog at [email protected] Happy Holidays…I still want you to adopt me!!
Hey Cheryl,
Thanks so much. I dont have a recipe for sweet potato pie. I am so sorry dear.
Ahhh that’s ok, I still wants live with you…happy holidays xx
Dhabas seriously have the best food, dont they 😀 The egg curry is making me drool Sonal! Love that it has less oil! Happening soon 🙂
Naina <3 🙂