ANDA CU R RY
Hard-boiled eggs in gravy
You can use any type of egg
here, even quail eggs. In India we leave them whole,
but you can halve them before returning to the pan.
Serves two
INGREDIENTS
4 medium eggs
6 tbsp vegetable oil 1 green cardamom pod
1 clove
1 Indian bay leaf (or regular
bay leaf)
½ tsp cumin seeds 2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tbsp fresh ginger paste ½ tsp ground turmeric 1 tbsp ground coriander
½ tsp chilli powder
6 tbsp natural (plain) yogurt
1 tsp salt Handful fresh herbs, to garnish
METHOD
If you keep your eggs in the refrigerator, take them
out 30 minutes before cooking to bring them to room temperature. Fill a large pan with water and bring to a rolling boil over a high heat. Lower the heat to
a simmer, then place the eggs in the water and cook for 12 minutes. Remove the eggs from the pan and place in cold running water to prevent further cooking. When cool enough to handle, shell the eggs.
In a shallow saucepan, heat the oil over a medium-high heat. Add the hard-boiled eggs and cook until they are
speckled all over with brown patches. Remove eggs from pan and set aside. To the remaining oil, add the cardamom, clove and bay leaf. Add the cumin seeds and cook, stirring, for a few seconds until the seeds darken. Add the chopped onions, garlic and ginger to the pan, cook for a further five minutes until
the onion mixture has softened and coloured to a light brown. Continue to
stir while cooking to prevent the onions from burning and sticking to the base of the pan. If the onion mixture does stick to the base of the pan, sprinkle
over some water. Add the ground turmeric, coriander and chilli powder. Cook, stirring, for 10-20 seconds or until the raw
smell of turmeric has disappeared, taking care not to let the ground spices burn. Pour over 200ml cold water and raise the heat to
high. Once any excess water has evaporated, lower the heat. To avoid lumps in the sauce, stir the yogurt before adding it to the pan. Stir to mix evenly and season with salt. Add the hard-boiled eggs to the pan and heat through before serving. Before serving, scatter over plenty of fresh herbs.
Recipe from Asma’s Indian Kitchen by Asma Khan
(Pavilion, £20)