Almost everyone has a favorite food cooked by their mom. I do too—and in fact, I have quite a few. My mom was a wonderful cook, and I often find myself longing for her specialties. One dish in particular that I grew up loving was her humble boiled egg curry. Now, I make it for my own family, and they love it just as much as I do—if not more. It’s a very special curry for me because my mother never cooked meat, so egg curry was a cherished weekend treat in our home all year round.
So, my dear friends, this curry brings back warm memories of my mother. It’s a recipe I hold close to my heart, and I wanted to share it with all of you today, in honour of my mom’s 21st death anniversary, which was yesterday.
Egg curries are very popular in India and are prepared in many styles. This one is a simple recipe made with boiled eggs, onion, besan, and tomato. I haven’t seen any Punjabi family make something quite like this, nor have I come across it in any recipe. The curry for the boiled eggs is silky smooth, and the secret lies in roasting the roughly cut onions and tomatoes with a little besan. The mixture is then blended to make the base of the gravy. The besan adds a robust, nutty flavor that makes the curry extremely comforting and delicious, and it also gives the gravy a beautiful color.
Start by boiling the eggs, depending on how you like them—everyone has their own preference for a perfectly boiled egg. My preferred method for making hard-boiled eggs is to add them to cold water in a pan and bring it to a boil, uncovered. Once the water comes to a boil, let it cook for 1 minute. Then remove the pan from heat, cover it, and let the eggs sit in the hot water for 10–12 minutes (depending on how cooked you want the yolk). While the eggs are resting, I usually begin preparing the gravy.
Once the eggs are done sitting in hot water, transfer them to a cold water bath for 5-10 minutes. You want them cool enough to handle for peeling, but still warm inside. Peel and cut each egg in half lengthwise (pressing straight down) using a sharp, smooth-edged knife with a thin blade. This gives you a clean, even cut. If any egg residue sticks to the knife, wipe it off with a damp kitchen towel. It’s best to wipe the blade after each cut. Slide the eggs into the curry just before serving.
Since this egg curry has a luscious, smooth gravy, it can be enjoyed with both roti and rice. I usually love having egg curry with salted parathas flavoured with carom seeds (ajwain) — so good!
Ingredients
- 6 hard cooked eggs, peeled and cut into halves lengthwise
- 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 1/2 tbsp. besan / Bengal gram flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp. oil
- 1 large onion, roughly diced (1 1/4 cup)
- 2 tsp ginger and garlic paste
- 1/2" piece fresh ginger julienne
- 2 large tomatoes, roughly diced (1 1/2 cup)
- 3-4 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
- 2 cups water (+)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pan. Sauté the roughly diced onions. Once they start to take on some color, add the ginger-garlic and the roughly diced tomatoes. Sauté for 1–2 minutes.
- Add the besan. Stir and fry until the flour is toasted and aromatic—about 2 minutes. (Besan tends to stick to the bottom, so sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of water and stir regularly, scraping the bottom as needed.)
- Add turmeric and red chili powder, and cook for another minute.
- Let the mixture cool slightly, then blend it with a little water in a blender jar until smooth.
- Return the mixture to the wok. Add cumin powder, garam masala, and some water to adjust the consistency. Bring it to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let it simmer gently for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.
- Stir in the chopped cilantro.
- Transfer the curry to a serving bowl. Cut the boiled eggs in half and gently slide them into the curry.
- Sprinkle some ginger juliennes on top. Serve hot with rice or chapati.
Amrita
I could feel your pain at the same time I appreciate your effort of recreating the mom’s dish…
Monica
So sorry your mom is not there to celebrate Mother’s Day with but this is a great way to honor, remember, and celebrate mom. I can see why this egg curry would be a favorite. I love it!
Evelyne CulturEatz
So hard that your mom’s passing is so close to Mother’s Day. It is the same with my grandmother. I have made an egg curry before and LOVED it, great recipe and I have to make it again.
GiGi Eats
This sounds super friggin’ tasty!! I am totally on board!
Norma Chang
I never had egg curry yours look super easy and tasty.
Shirley Tay (Blackswan)
Hard-boiled eggs are best eaten with chilli or curry! Love it! xoxo
Adina
I love a good egg curry, I make them quite often myself. I would love to try your version, recipes coming from mothers or grandmothers are always the best. 🙂
Katerina
Isn’t it amazing how we connect food with memories? I love tried and true family recipes as this one!
Shubha
I am going to try this recipe soon.. My hubby loves egg curry and I am sure he will enjoy this version totally:)
Angie@Angie's Recipes
I have never made a egg curry…must give your mom’s recipe a try soon.
Shumaila | The Novice Housewife
The reason why i love food so much is that it evokes so many memories. Mom’s recipes are always the best. I was trying to think which would I count as my favorite mom recipe and I think it has to be dahi wall chicken which I would request countless times from her. This egg curry looks really good. Thanks for sharing your memories 🙂
Barbara
Love recipes from our moms! What a gorgeous looking dish this is…..looks amazing and sounds delicious.
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
This is a beautiful tribute to your mom. There’s nothing better than food to take us back to special memories. Thanks for sharing.
Abbe@This is How I Cook
Mom’s recipes are always the best. What a loving tribute, Balvinder. Thanks for sharing it with us!
smitha
Thanks Balvinder for sharing your mom’s recipe. This is such a loving tribute. The curry looks exotic and iam sure would taste great. I can see the creamy texture and eggs (my favorite) is making me hungry. Glad to have got such a wonderful person like you. Thanks again and most welcome to my blog