No fuss egg curry

Egg curry served with tuna cutlets and stir-fried vegetables to go with rice.

I love my mum’s fuss-free egg curry recipe that is both delicious and easy to prepare. It was her go-to dish whenever we wanted a break from meat-based curries, or when we went vegetarian for a change.

When I got married, I was fortunate enough to savour my mother-in-law’s rendition of egg curry, which highlighted the fact that most Indian households have their own delightful take on the egg curry recipe.

This particular recipe combines elements from both my mum and mother-in-law’s styles, using omelettes in place of the traditional hard-boiled eggs. The omelettes soak up the flavourful gravy, and gives the curry a thicker consistency.

Omelette Egg Curry. —Photos: JANITHA SUKUMARAN

For the curry powder, I personally prefer a Jaffna mix as it adds an extra punch to the dish, but any meat curry powder will work just fine.

On cheat days, my husband and I have this with KFC original-flavour chicken. Sinfully good! ― Contributed by JANITHA SUKUMARAN/sjanitha.wixsite.com/injipuliandstuff

Ingredients

5 eggs – make into 2 plain omelettes and tear them into large piece

1 large onion – chopped

1 thumb-size ginger

5 cloves of garlic – pound together

1 medium-size tomato – crush to a pulp by hand

2 tbsp Jaffna curry powder (or any regular meat curry powder)

1 tbsp regular meat curry powder

1 tbsp chilli powder

2 cups water

1 chicken cube (optional)

1/2 cup coconut milk (optional)

Salt and sugar to taste

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 stalks curry leaves

Fresh coriander leaves – roughly chopped

Method

1. Pound the ginger and garlic together.

2. In a deep pan, sauté the ginger-garlic paste in hot oil, then add the onions and fry until translucent.

3. Add all the curry and chilli powders,lower the heat and continue to stir to remove the raw taste of the spices.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to prevent the mixture from burning.

4. When the mixture starts darkening and smells fragrant and no longer raw

(use your senses to figure this out), add water, increase the heat and let it come to a boil.

5. Pour in the tomato pulp.

6. Add the coconut milk, if you want. Alternatively, add more water and boil for 5 minutes.

7. Season to taste. Then, add the omelette pieces and let it boil for a short while so that the curry thickens slightly.

8. Crush the curry leaves with your hand and add it to the curry.

9. Turn off the heat and add the roughly chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot.

If you want to freeze the curry,remove the eggs first. Frozen omelette does not defrost well.