Egg curry, a tangy blend of onions, tomatoes and spices that are used as a base for boiled eggs, was a good substitute for vegetarian guests at a luncheon or dinner party. My husband, an officer in the Air Force, lived on the base (the Air Force Station). So any party one had invariably numbered over twenty guests. Buffet-style meals were the way to go, and you catered for vegetarian and non-vegetarian guests.
Egg curry was also a quick go-to to stretch the meal for unexpected lunch or dinner guests.
You can make egg curries in several ways, depending on which state in India you live in. This is the Punjabi version of the various recipes out there.
Anda ki Curry (Egg Curry)
A tangy blend of onions, tomatoes, and spices is a delicious base for boiled eggs—a good dish for vegetarian guests!
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 4 tbsp cooking oil
- 2 medium Bay leaves
- 2 green cardamom
- 1 green chili, slit (more or less chili; optional—adjust to your taste)
- 2 medium yellow or red onion (chopped fine)
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- ¼ tsp red chili powder (more or less chili powder; optional—adjust to your taste)
- 2 medium tomatoes (pureed or 2 tbsp tomato paste)
- ¼ tsp cinnamon powder
- ¼ tsp clove powder
- ¼ tsp pepper powder
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 2 cups warm water
Optional
- 2 medium potatoes (quartered )
Garnish
- ½ tsp garam masala (optional )
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro (coriander leaves) (finely chopped)
Instructions
To Boil Eggs:
- Lay the eggs at the base of a saucepan large enough to hold them. Add enough water to cover them by about 2 inches.
- On medium heat, bring the water to a rolling boil. Turn off the heat. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, transfer the eggs to a bowl of ice-cold water. Crack them slightly before immersing them. (It is easier to peel the eggs when they are cool).
- Peel, rinse and wipe the eggs dry with a paper towel. With a toothpick, carefully poke a few holes around the egg. This allows the gravy to flavor the egg. Set the boiled and peeled eggs aside.
For the Curry
- Heat the oil in a deep skillet or saucepan on medium heat. The oil should be hot, not smoking, or your spices will burn.
- Add the Bay leaves, green cardamom, and slit green chilies. Stir it.
- Add the finely chopped onion and sauté for about 7 minutes until golden.
- Add the ginger/garlic paste, turmeric, chili powder, coriander powder, and cumin powder. Stir for a minute until the ginger sticks to the pan's bottom. Be careful not to burn the masala.
- Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, clove, pepper powder, and salt. Cook, occasionally stirring, until the tomatoes are soft and the oil starts to surface—approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
- Add potatoes to the tomato-onion mixture.
- Lower heat to medium-high and simmer for about 10 minutes until you get a thick gravy and the potatoes are done. At this point, do a taste test for salt.
- Add the eggs and let them simmer on low for another 7-10 minutes while gently rolling them around occasionally to absorb the gravy.
- Add a little more hot water if the gravy gets thicker than you prefer. Be careful not to make the gravy too watery.
- Spoon into a serving dish. You can leave the eggs whole or carefully split the eggs in half-length wise.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro.
- Serve with plain boiled rice or pilaf.
- Anda Curry also tastes good with parathas or any flatbread. I like to have it with any kind of bread to dip in the gravy. It tastes amazing!
Notes
The boiled eggs may be sautéed lightly all around to give it a bit of a crust. I prefer not to do so.
You can use whole cinnamon, cloves, and pepper instead of powders.
If you are using tomato paste, just add it when the recipe calls for you to add the tomatoes.
Mom would add potatoes to expand the dish because we loved curried potatoes or when we had extra guests (which was always a given!).
