When I was growing up, this traditional Bengali curry was our go-to store-cupboard dish – the thing we made when there wasn’t any decent fish at the market or we’d forgotten to defrost some chicken. It was made with ingredients we always had and I used to think of it as the poor cousin of the richer meat dishes we had at other times. Nowadays, I remember it far more fondly: a gentle, nutritious and filling meal and, most importantly of all, a taste of home.
Boiled egg curry
I like to serve this with plain basmati rice and perhaps some parathas.
Prep 5 min
Cook 25 min
Serves 2-3
6 large eggs
400g waxy potatoes
Vegetable oil
¾ tsp ground turmeric
Salt
1 large red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
4 bay leaves
3 tsp ground cumin
1 tomato, chopped
2 green cardamom pods
4cm cinnamon stick
Cook the eggs in boiling water for eight minutes, then drain and set aside to cool. Peel the potatoes, then cut them into 3cm chunks.
In a medium bowl, mix a teaspoon of vegetable oil with a third of the turmeric and a quarter-teaspoon of salt, then add the potatoes and toss to coat.
Warm two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large saucepan, add the potatoes, then fry, turning often, for about six minutes, until golden brown. While the potatoes are frying, peel the eggs and make up another batch of the same oil/turmeric mixture you used on the potatoes. Gently toss the eggs in the mix, then lift the potatoes out of the pan and add the eggs to it. Give them a brief, gentle fry for about 20 seconds on each side, until they are lightly golden all over, then lift out of the oil.
Put the onion and bay leaves in the pan and fry for a few minutes until the onion softens. Add the ground cumin, the remaining turmeric, the chopped tomato and 200ml boiling water, and cook for a couple of minutes more.
Return the potatoes and eggs to the pan and simmer gently for eight to 10 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the sauce has reduced. Gently stir in the cardamom, cinnamon and salt to taste, if needed, simmer for another three minutes.
