KASHMIRI EGG CURRY

Serves: 4 as part of an Indian meal.

Prep Time: 10 minutes.

Cook Time: 90 minutes.

Dietary Style: GF. DF. Vegetarian.

The simplicity of a boiled egg makes it an incredible vehicle for spice - particularly once it’s been deep fried: to skip this step would be to radically impact the egg’s ability to communicate the depth and warmth of this very traditional Kashmiri Pandit masala.

Cailean, my eldest son, isn’t a fan of eggs and doesn’t love this dish so I don’t make it as much as I’d like to. But for a simple meal served with chapatti and pickle it really is hard to top.

Lastly, one of the big appeals of understanding how to use masala means that basic ingredients can be elevated to hero status. For the cost of 12 eggs and a little it of spice, you can comfortably feed a family.

INGREDIENTS

• 8 eggs
• 2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup mustard oil
• 3 tomatoes, diced and skin on
• 3 tbsp mustard oil
• 1 tsp ground red chilli
• 2 tbsp cold water
• 1 ½ tsp fine pink salt
• ½ tsp turmeric powder

• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 2 tsp fennel powder
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 3 bay leaves
• 6 cloves
• ⅓ tsp asafoetida powder
• 4 black cardamom pods

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1. Place all 8 eggs in a medium-sized pot, cover the eggs with cold water, and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, cook the eggs for seven minutes to ensure they are hard-boiled. Putting them in cold water will help to prevent the eggs from cracking. Remove the pot from the heat, strain the water and leave the eggs to cool completely.

2. Once cool, shell the eggs being careful not to tear the eggs when peeling.

3. In a deep fryer, heavy-based pot, kadai, or cast iron wok, heat the vegetable oil and 1 cup of mustard oil on high heat. Fry the eggs one or two at a time, turning to make sure they blister evenly. Fry until the egg takes on an even, browned skin.

4. Heat 3 tbsp of mustard oil in heavy-bottomed medium-sized frying on medium-high heat.

5. Mix 1 tsp of ground red chilli with 2 tbsp of cold water and stir. When the mustard oil is hot, tip the chilli water in and stir through, watching for the oil spatter. Add the fresh diced tomato to the pan and stir through.

6. Add the remaining dried and whole spice to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium and stir the spice and the tomato masala until the tomato has cooked, thickened and reduced, and the spice has become rich and fragrant. This should take around 15 to 20 minutes.

7. Add the deep-fried boiled eggs to the masala, turn the heat down to medium-low and stir for another 15 to 20 minutes until the masala forms a rich gravy on the outside of the egg. Serve with chapatti and pickle.

8. Serve with chapatti and pickle.

   Note

   • Mustard oil and asafoetida can be found in all Indian and most Asian grocers.