South Indian Egg and Onion Curry

Are you an egg lover? Do you tend to add twice – or thrice – as much onions as written in recipes? If you have answered “yes” to both questions, then you’ve come to the right place! In this Indian curry onions are not just a typical seasoning but, once softened, they act like a thick sauce or maybe even as a second main ingredient… If you are used to what I’d call a “mainstream abroad version of Indian cuisine”, you will also be surprised by the sharpness and freshness of the flavours I have found in other South Indian dishes.

This recipe is based on a video published by Mina Street Food channel (on Youtube it’s called Grandma’s Village Style Egg Curry) Videos are not my favourite source of new recipes, but I loved this one and quickly got addicted to the whole series of an older lady’s cooking sessions, which feature an ancient outdoor cooking method and a cutting tool I was mesmerised by (or rather by the dexterity with which the lady uses it).

The video didn’t list the ingredients, not to mention the amounts, but for me it has made the whole dish even more attractive! Once I started to cook what I hope is at least similar, it was one of those rare moments in my Indian cooking experience where I had a total freedom! I don’t know how close my result was to the genuine south Indian dish (especially since I’ve also also slightly modified what I saw, for example adding coconut milk…), so if you want to see the genuine recipe, check the video to see Grandma cooking sensational “village-style” Indian food!

TIP: Curry leaves make this dish very special, since they are a typical ingredient of South Indian cuisine. There is unfortunately no substitute for them. If you don’t have fresh curry leaves (sold in Indian or Sri Lankan grocery shops), skip them. My experience with dried ones is very bad (practically tasteless), so I cannot advise them. If one day you stumble upon fresh curry leaves, freeze them. They are totally acceptable preserved this way.

If you don’t have curry leaves, you might be interested by this Egg Molee which doesn’t require any and which is even easier than this curry:

Egg Molee

Preparation: about 40 minutes

Ingredients (serves two as a main dish served with some pickles/vegetables and rice or Indian bread):

4 hard-boiled eggs

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds

2 big onions or 8 big shallots, finely sliced

4-6 medium-hot fresh green chillies (sliced horizontally or lengthwise, if they are short)

2 big garlic cloves, crushed

about 2 cm fresh ginger, grated

about 20 curry leaves

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1-2 teaspoons powdered medium hot chilli (I have used Kashmiri chilli)

1/2 teaspoon garam masala 

fresh coriander leaves

(50 ml coconut milk+50 ml water)

Heat the oil in a big pan.

Add the mustard seeds and when they start to pop (it takes 30 seconds to 1 minute), add the onions, the chillies and the curry leaves. Stir-fry for ten minutes at medium heat.

Add the garlic and the ginger and stir-fry for two more minutes.

Now add the turmeric and the powdered chilli and stir-fry for several more minutes.

If you wish, you can now add 50 ml of coconut milk+50 ml water to make the dish creamier, but it’s not necessary.

Now add the shelled eggs and continue frying, delicately turning them until the onions soften completely.

Finally sprinkle with some garam masala, give the dish a final stir and serve with fresh coriander leaves on top.

 

16 Replies to “South Indian Egg and Onion Curry”

  1. I eat a ton of eggs – they are probably my favorite protein next to beans :o) so this has great appeal out of the gate for me. I’m also one of those who uses onion (and garlic) in generous quantities and I really believe it bolsters the flavor (not to mention the health value) of meals – I like how you describe its function here almost as a thickener – I’m intrigued to try! Of course a curry is always welcome (I don’t have the leaves but know where to find them) thanks Sissi – this would surely make my customary egg prep so much more interesting.

    1. Thank you, Kelly. I also eat lots of eggs. If I have 3 eggs left in my pantry, I start panicking 🙂 I am sure you would love this dish, especially if you can find curry leaves (I should have added they are edible – unlike bay leaves – if you use fresh or frozen ones).

  2. Yes and Yes!!!!! Everything requires onion and twice as much as normally called for and eggs – we easily go through a dozen eggs a week. So this is a winner!!! I don’t use Indian spices much even though I have many of them in my pantry including curry leaves; but when I do make something Indian – we both love it. So no excuses…this needs to be on my table! Thanks Sissi! It looks like you did a fabulous job extracting the right amounts from the video.

    1. Thank you so much, dear MJ, for your enthusiastic comment and compliments! I had no idea you ate also lots of eggs (I also buy a dozen every week for two of us and we usually finish the box before next shopping day and sometimes quicker). I hope you will like this egg dish too!

  3. What an interesting recipe, I watched the entire video and it was mesmerizing! I loved her basic but effective tools and she actually sits on the ground to cook. I shall endeavour to hold my tongue next time I have less than ideal circumstances when I food-syle. !The dish sounds aromatic and flavourful. I have cooked shakshuka in the past, so I’m pretty sure I would love this (fewer chilis, of course!).

    1. Thank you, Eva. Impressive, isn’t she? I’ve also watched her other videos and made several other dishes (must post some one day). All were fantastic, in spite of the absence of ingredients or/and ingredients’ amounts. Such cooking sessions make me get bolder with Indian cuisine which is so complex…

  4. Both questions aswered with yes, so I would love to try this dish. My husband is a huge fan of any food containing cooked eggs, so this will definitely be something special for him.

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