Egg Curry is the ultimate comfort food for egg lovers. I am sharing a spicy, robust, and rustic Punjabi-style egg curry recipe. It is delicious, easy to prepare, gluten-free, and requires a few basic pantry staples.
Basics of Egg Curry
There are a variety of egg curry recipes followed across the Indian subcontinent. But each one of these egg curry recipes has a few basics in common.
1) Homemade Curry Base
2) Hard Boiled Eggs
Let’s get started on these two pillars of classic egg curry.
Curry Base: For a Punjabi style egg curry I make the curry using chopped onion, ripe tomato, salt, and spices. A typical Indian-style bhuna masala.
There is no cream, butter, or flour in this Punjabi egg curry. The simple technique of frying and sauteing the masala to perfection does all the magic work.
If you are wondering about the bright red color of this egg curry then the ripe tomatoes and Kashmiri red chili powder are responsible for the same.
These two key ingredients always give the glorious natural color to my egg curry or Matar Paneer.
Boiled Eggs: The masala-coated hard-boiled eggs, late pan-fried till crisp as the soul of Indian egg curry.
The raw eggs are first boiled in water. After peeling the shell, the eggs are sliced into equal halves. Then coated in turmeric, red chili powder, and salt.
The masala-coated boiled eggs are fried in a pan till they are slightly crisp from all sides. These pan-fried eggs are then dunked in a spicy, soupy curry.
Ingredient Substitutes
If you are in a location where Indian ingredients required for this egg curry recipe are hard to find, DON’T Worry!
These key ingredient substitutes will help you to make a delicious curry.
Mustard Oil: Vegetable oil, coconut oil, or ghee.
Red Onion: Use finely chopped white onion or onion paste
Fresh Tomato: Canned tomato or puree.
Ginger-Garlic Paste: Blend an equal amount of ginger and garlic to a smooth paste using water.
Red Chili Powder: Red Paprika or Curry Powder.
Garam Masala: Indian Curry Powder
Kasuri Methi: It is only for flavor and aroma. Skip adding if not available.
White Eggs: Brown Eggs or Country Eggs
Step-By-Step Cooking Method
Prepare Curry
Heat oil in a kadhai. Once the oil starts fuming, reduce the gas flame to medium. Add a bay leaf and chopped onion. Fry the onion over low – medium heat till they turn light golden in color (images 1 & 2).
Next, add the ginger-garlic paste and fry the masala for 20 – 30 seconds.
Add blended tomatoes, turmeric, red chili, coriander powder, salt, and mix nicely. Fry till the oil leaves from the sides of the pan. Keep stirring at regular intervals to avoid burning the masala. This usually takes 5 – 6 minutes over low – medium heat (images 4 & 5).
Add 1 Cup of water and bring the gravy to a boil on high heat. Adjust the quantity of water to get the desired amount of gravy.
Add sliced green chili, kasuri methi, garam masala, and combine.
Add the fried/boiled eggs to the gravy. Make sure they are fully dipped in the curry. Reduce the heat to low and allow the curry to simmer for 3 – 5 minutes for eggs to absorb the flavor of the curry.
Garnish Egg Curry with the chopped coriander.
Serving Suggestion
Punjabi Egg Curry is on our weekly menu whenever we are short of vegetables or lentils. I like to it an egg curry night.
The bold and spicy egg curry with crisp, flaky paratha is a perfect dinner for us. The plain, steamed basmati rice is also a good choice of a side dish to be served with egg curry.
Many people like to enjoy egg curry with naan, dosa, or poori as well.
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Punjabi Egg Curry Recipe
- Saucepan
- Heavy Bottom Kadhai
Ingredients
- 4 hard boiled eggs
- 4 tablespoon mustard oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Cup finely chopped onion
- ½ Cup chopped tomato (grind into a paste)
- 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste
- 1 – 2 green chili, sliced
- Salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
- ½ teaspoon Garam Masala see recipe
- 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
Instructions
- Boil eggs in water with a teaspoon of salt. Once hard boiled, peel the eggshell, cut the eggs into equal halves lengthwise (vertically). Set aside.
- if you want to fry them, coat eggs in 1 teaspoon turmeric, 1 teaspoon red chili powder, ¼ teaspoon salt. Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan. Fry the eggs still slightly crisp and golden from all sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Heat oil in a kadhai. Once the oil starts fuming, reduce the gas flame to medium. Add a bay leaf and chopped onion. Fry the onion over low – medium heat till they turn light golden in color.
- Next, add the ginger-garlic paste and fry the masala for 20 – 30 seconds.
- Add blended tomatoes, turmeric, red chili, coriander powder, salt, and mix nicely. Fry till the oil leaves from the sides of the pan. Keep stirring at regular intervals to avoid burning the masala. This usually takes 5 – 6 minutes over low – medium heat.
- Add 1 Cup of water and bring the gravy to a boil on high heat. Adjust the quantity of water to get the desired amount of gravy.
- Add sliced green chili, kasuri methi, garam masala, and combine.
- Add the fried/boiled eggs to the gravy. Make sure they are fully dipped in the curry. Reduce the heat to low and allow the curry to simmer for 3 – 5 minutes for eggs to absorb the flavor of the curry.
- Garnish Egg Curry with the chopped coriander.
- Serve Punjabi Egg Curry with chapati, paratha, or rice.
Recipe Notes:
- I do not prefer fried eggs in the egg curry. But if you want, pan fry the masala coated eggs till crisp before adding to the curry.
- Adjust the quantity of water to get the desired consistency of the curry.
- Store the leftover egg curry in the refrigerator. It remains fresh for consumption 2 – 3 days.
Andrew Macmilan says
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