Quick Spiced Egg Curry

 

I had the funnniest conversation with one of Adz's classmates today.

Little B - Hello, are you Adz's Mommy?
Me - Why, yes, I am, love.
Little B - But, why are you brown?
Me - Sweetie, cause I was born in India, and we are brown skinned.
Little B (pointing to Adz) - But she's white.
Me - That's because her daddy is white.
At this point, Adz interjects - Little B... in the summer I go brown, just like my mommy... and in the winter I am white, like my daddy. I am multicoloured (I think she meant to say mixed race, but got confused)
Little B (also completely confused at this point) - Well... all my family are white and my mommy and daddy too. But not my grandma... she is pink!

I still haven't stopped laughing... and I really want to see B's grandma now :) Gotta love kids, they are just so innocent, aren't they?

Up until this point, I was having a bit of a difficult day. It was little things really, missing one bus, then the next one turns up late, which means you miss the next one, realising halfway through the journey that you'd forgotten the child's snack for school, then getting stuck in a long lineup at the grocery store, all the while panicking about being late... the list was endless. Typical Monday morning, actually. But the I had the conversation with Little B, and the laughter made it all better. Laughter has a funny way of doing that to you, actually, doesn't it? And kids too... they really have no filter :)

The recipe I am posting today is one of my standby favourites and never fails to make me happy too! I went back to my easiest curry, this delicious egg masala. This recipe started off as an inspiration from one of Madhur Jaffrey's cream sauces, but I have tinkered with it so much that I am going to claim it as my own (forgive me, queen of spices!)

It's a super quick dish to put together. I start with my rice, put the eggs on to boil, then whip up this sauce. By the time the eggs have been boiled and peeled, the sauce is ready and the rice is cooked. Honestly, Indian food doesn't get quicker than this. I like to use cream when I am feeling indulgent or am making it as a side dish for a party, but I use light coconut milk when I am making it at home. I leave that up to your preference. For me, this is one of the first dishes I learned to make when I was away from home, and its still one of my best. Easy and simple doesn't mean sacrificing flavour and this dish is ample proof of that. You can also amp up the spice by adding more cayenne or hot chilli powder, but I like this curry quite mild, as you can really taste the delicate nuances of the spices in it. If you're making it, I urge you to play with the spicing, and do come back and let me know how you liked it, and I do hope that you like it as much as my family does.

Even that rat of a child of mine, who can easily chow down spicy peanuts and crisps that make my eyes water, but whines at any hint of a curry... but that's just kids for you, sigh :)  

Recipe:
(Printable Recipe)

6 eggs, hardboiled
1 tablespoon unscented oil
1 small onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 inch piece of ginger, grated to a pulp
1 tablespoon ground coriander
½ tablespoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon hot cayenne pepper
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 cup coffee cream (18%) cream or you can use light coconut milk
¼ cup hot water, if required
Salt to taste
Fresh chopped cilantro, to garnish
Rice or naan, to serve

Method:

Peel and halve the eggs.

Place the oil in a sauté pan on a medium heat, and add the finely diced onion. Fry for 5 – 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent and just beginning to brown.

Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for a minute, until the garlic is fragrant. Add the ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and cayenne and cook, stirring for an additional minute or two.

Add the crushed tomatoes. Cook for another 5 minutes, until the mixture begins to dry out a little. Season with a little salt.

Gently fold in the cream or coconut milk and bring the sauce up to a gentle simmer. If the sauce thickens too much, add a little hot water to thin it down.

Stir in the chopped cilantro, then adjust seasoning, adding a little more salt if required.

Lower the eggs into the curry. Reheat gently, and serve hot with rice or naan.