IMBB #14- Something bright and orange- Egg curry

When I considered taking part in my first IMBB, I saw orange everywhere. Seriously, coming from India, I find oranges and reds to be a part of even the most ordinary foods. What do I choose now? May be one of the dals or the curries with bright orange-red gravy (gravy, not sauce as is commonly known in North America). This is what it came to: Egg curry, comforting white-yellow of the egg encased in bright orange gravy.

The usual way to make this curry is by grinding the onion, ginger and garlic and then sauteeing the paste in tons of oil. I prefer this recipe from Food Network's 'Calling all cooks'; it is really tasty. The combination of the red tomatoes with the turmeric powder gives it a bright sunny orange. Most western chefs use turmeric for its color but we use at least a pinch in all Indian curries mainly because it is supposed to cleanse the system with its germicidal properties.

Here is the recipe, my way:

6 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled (or 2 eggs for poaching and 4 eggs, hard-boiled)
2 tbsp ground coriander
2 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp vinegar
2 ounces water
2 tsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 inch fresh ginger, chopped
1 tbsp garlic paste or 6 to 8 cloves garlic, chopped
6 to 8 medium tomatoes, chopped
10 button or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 (8-ounce) can of tomato sauce
1 pinch sugar
salt, to taste
1 teaspoon pepper
handful of Cilantro, finely chopped

Mix coriander, cumin, turmeric and chili powder with vinegar and water to make a paste. Set aside. Heat oil in a pan and add onion and ginger and saute until slightly soft. Add garlic paste or minced garlic into pan and saute until mixture is golden brown. Add the mushrooms and saute for a minute.

Add spice paste to onion mixture. Add more water in small amounts if mixture begins to stick. Add chopped tomatoes to onion mixture. Pour tomato sauce into a 2-cup measuring cup and add enough water to make 2 cups of sauce. Add to onion mixture and simmer for 15-20 minutes until reduced by half. Add a pinch of sugar, salt and pepper.

I like to poach the eggs in the sauce, an unusual way of adding the egg component to the curry. Add the egg gently on the simmering curry. Do not disturb and let it cook to your desired stage. I like the softness of the egg when made this way. If you were more organized than me, you would break the egg into a bowl and then drop the egg gently into the simmering curry to get a yolk that is perfectly centered on the white.

Of course, you can proceed the traditional way, by adding sliced hard-boiled eggs to the gravy and the results are prettier this way. Top with cilantro. Serve over steamed basmati rice.


Egg poaching away 

I made this with part poached eggs and part hard-boiled eggs (with yolk removed). The rice is cooked with little turmeric and served with cooked vatana peas on top. It is a real comfort, homey food, especially with poached eggs.


Curry with yellow rice