Eggs in Creamy Tomato Curry nod to chef’s heritage
Andy Baraghani is an expert on the subject of upgrading home cooking in a low-stress way. The former senior editor at Bon Appetit is beloved for his “Andy Explores” video series, although he has also logged time on the line at at a pair of renowned restaurants, Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., and Estela in New York.
Baraghani’s first book, “The Cook You Want to Be: Everyday Recipes to Impress” (Penguin Random House; May 24; $35) features about 100 recipes that celebrate his Iranian heritage and the skills he has honed on his culinary journey. The cookbook’s chapters range from his soup obsession to a section on seafood in which he admits to a fixation with Red Lobster commercials from the ’90s. He pays tribute to his mother in several of the book’s recipes including Mom’s Salmon, a lovely dish flavored with saffron and dill that she made for him every few weeks when he was growing up.
One of the most fun sections is devoted to eggs, and Baraghani highlights their adaptability. He offers recipes for garlic-fried eggs to go with crispy rice and a jammy egg and scallion sandwich that will, he promises “ruin deli egg salad for you forever.”
His take on skillet-baked eggs in tomato curry is just as compelling. “This pulls from a few different dishes and cultures,” Baraghani says. “Obviously shakshuka and eggs in purgatory — this version feels very much like a weekend egg brunch moment.”
To make his version, Baraghani cooks down cherry tomatoes with warming spices like fresh ginger, chiles, turmeric and cardamom until they’re jammy. Then he adds a little coconut cream to the skillet. Last, in go the eggs, which steam in the spicy sauce for a few minutes so that the whites are set but the yolks stay gorgeously runny.
It all comes together for an extravagant morning dish. The coconut makes the tomato sauce feel special and luxurious.
Eggs in Creamy Tomato Curry
3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil or neutral oil (such as grapeseed)
1 or 2 red chiles (such as Fresno or Holland), halved, seeded and thinly sliced
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and
very thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 teaspoon ground coriander ½ teaspoon ground cardamom ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
2 pints ripe cherry tomatoes Kosher salt
¼ cup unsweetened coconut cream or heavy cream
4 eggs
Basil, or whichever tender herb you like, for scattering Flatbreads, for serving
In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the coconut oil. Add the chiles, ginger and garlic and give things a stir until everything in the pan starts to get a little soft but doesn’t color, about 2 minutes. Add the coriander, cardamom and turmeric and stir so the spices coat everything and become fragrant — this happens in seconds.
Drop the tomatoes into the pan, season with a bit of salt, and let cook, stirring occasionally and squashing the tomatoes, so they burst and release their juices, about 15 minutes. You want the tomatoes to soften so the sauce will thicken. Stir in the coconut cream and give the sauce a taste. It’ll probably need another pinch of salt. (“Don’t we all,” says Baraghani in the book.)
Using the back of a spoon, make four little nests in the mixture. Crack an egg into each nest and season it with salt. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook until the egg whites are set, but the yolks are still runny, about 3 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the heat, carefully removing the cover so the steam doesn’t drip on the eggs. Scatter the basil over everything. Serve the eggs and sauce straight from the skillet with the flatbread to scoop.
Makes 2 serving.