Egg curry

Name: Egg curry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: North India
Ingredients: 4 large eggs; 1 tbsp neutral oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 1 tsp grated ginger; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 300 g chopped tomatoes; ½ tsp cumin seeds; ½ tsp each turmeric, ground coriander and garam masala; ¼ tsp chilli powder, optional; ¼ tsp salt; 150 ml water; 1 tbsp chopped coriander

Hard-cooked eggs warmed in a spiced onion-and-tomato gravy.

North India · Firm · Easy · Researched

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 30 min
Serves: 2

Go to the method

Equipment

Saucepan · Deep frying pan · Wooden spoon

Ingredients

4 large eggs
1 tbsp neutral oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
300 g chopped tomatoes
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp each turmeric, ground coriander and garam masala
¼ tsp chilli powder, optional
¼ tsp salt
150 ml water
1 tbsp chopped coriander

Method

Hard-cook and peel

Lower eggs into gently boiling water for 12 minutes, then chill and peel. Keep whole.

Look for: The whites and yolks are fully firm.

Cook the onion base

Warm oil over moderate heat. Add cumin for 20 seconds, then onion. Cook 8–10 minutes until golden. Add ginger and garlic for 1 minute.

Look for: The onion softens and colours without blackening.

Reduce the tomatoes

Add tomatoes, turmeric, ground coriander, optional chilli and salt. Cook 8–10 minutes, stirring, until thick.

Look for: The tomato loses its raw, watery texture.

Simmer with eggs

Add water and simmer 3 minutes. Add peeled eggs and garam masala and simmer gently for 3–5 minutes to warm through. Finish with coriander.

Look for: The gravy coats the eggs but remains spoonable.

Equipment & heat

Induction, gas and electric all work with compatible cookware. Start over moderate heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer. On induction, avoid boost when reducing a thick sauce. Keep gas flames under the base. Move an electric pan off the ring if the sauce catches.

Nonstick: A nonstick pan suits the gravy over moderate heat.

Troubleshooting

Sharp, raw-tasting gravy needs longer tomato cooking before adding water. Tough whites need less simmering after the eggs enter.

About this version

This is an onion-and-tomato North Indian home version. Coconut-based and other regional egg curries use different gravy methods.

Unless stated otherwise, use large chicken eggs, approximately 60 g in the shell, refrigerated. Timings are starting points: use the visual checkpoints and any stated temperature check.

Sources

This guide was written from the references below. Egg Atlas has not kitchen-tested it.

Illustrations by Egg Atlas. They show the method; they are not photographs of a tested result.