Egg Masala: Simple, Spicy And Speedy.

Two weeks ago for my What I Ate Wednesday post I posted a picture of egg masala. Egg masala is one of my all-time favourite dishes from home, and it is my go-to recipe when I want something spicy, something quick and when I am too lazy to make lentils or marinate meat.

Especially when one’s spouse will eat vegetarian food for only 2 days in a row and then begin to make a face. I always have eggs in stock…but how many omelettes can one eat? How many frittatas can one prepare? Sometimes, you just gotta have the curry. The masala. The desi raison d’etre. And this works wonderfully.

At home, we always refer to it as ‘mutta roast’ or egg roast, mostly because my grandmom would boil the eggs, and then fry them lightly in spiced oil so that the sides would turn a little brown and crisp. Then, she would remove it from the wok, make the gravy and add the eggs in again once the masala was cooked. This adds a lovely little crunch…think of it as crackling from an egg. And if you ever travel through Kerala and stop at a highway diner or restaurant for breakfast, you can be rest assured that ‘mutta roast’ or ‘mutta curry’ will be on the menu. And you can safely order it, because it is a very rare Malayali dhaba that can screw up a mutta roast. I mean really. You have to be particularly devoid of knife skills and flavour sense to bungle this one up.

EGG MASALA

INGREDIENTS

• 3 eggs
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 small piece of cinnamon
• 3 cardamom pods
• 3 cloves
• 3 teaspoons coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder (I used my bhuna jeera powder.)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste or tomato puree (you can use fresh or packaged)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons oil

METHOD

• Boil the eggs, peel and keep aside. Make some slits along the flesh of the egg with the tip of a knife- this helps the masala seep in.
• In a bowl, mix together the coriander powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder with a little water to make a smooth paste.
• In a wok, add 2 tbsp of oil. When the oil becomes hot, add the whole spices- a small stick of cinnamon, 3 cardamom pods, 3 cloves. Fry gently taking care not to burn. The idea is to release the essential oils of the sweet spices into the oil.
• Now add the masala paste and fry over gentle heat till oil separates.
• Add the chopped onions, tomato, garlic, and saute gently till mixture becomes soft.
• Once the masala begins to come together, add 2 tablespoons of tomato puree and cook some more. At this stage, add in the 1 teaspoon of sugar, as well as salt to taste.
• Add the boiled eggs at this stage, and just saute gently till the eggs are coated with the masala.
• (If you want more gravy, or a runnier gravy, add some coconut milk to the masala, saute for some more time over low heat, and then add eggs.)
• Before serving throw in curry leaves, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

The whole spices

Whole spices are actually so beautiful to look at and inhale…cinnamon is my favourite scent of all!

The powdered spices

Like I really needed to put that in. You know these are powdered spices. Oh well. My bloggy crutch.

Un oeuf- a little bumpy, this one.

The whole spices work their magic- they will release a wonderful aroma, that’s when you add the masala paste

I think cilantro is pretty. What about you?

♥ WHY DON’T YOU ♥

♥Substitute the boiled eggs with cottage cheese or tofu to make a vegetarian/vegan version?

♥ Use chunks or strips of chicken instead of boild eggs?

♥ Throw in some freshly minced ginger along with the onions, tomatoes and garlic for added flavour?