Egg Curry

How to make it

1. Rinse the basmati rice in cold water until the water runs almost clear. Let it soak in plenty of cold water for 20 minutes so the grains stay long and whole instead of breaking during cooking. ⏱ 20 min · passive
2. Place the eggs in a pot and cover them with cold water. Bring the water to a boil and let the eggs cook until the yolk is completely set all the way through — allow about 15 minutes from a cold pot. A soft yolk will fall apart in the sauce. ⏱ 15 min · passive
3. Pour off the hot water and cool the eggs under running cold water until they're cold to the touch. Peel them, and prick each egg in a few places with a fork so the spices and sauce can penetrate the white.
4. Toss the peeled eggs in ½ tsp turmeric and ½ tsp chili powder so they're coated in a thin, dry layer. Heat the neutral oil in a pan over medium heat and fry the eggs for 4 minutes, turning occasionally, until the skin is golden and lightly blistered. Remove them from the pan and set aside.
   Chef's tip Pat the eggs completely dry first, or the turmeric turns to a paste that sticks to the pan instead of blistering. They should sizzle the moment they land; residual water makes them spit, so keep a lid within reach.
5. Heat the ghee in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, and cloves and fry for 1 minute, until the cumin seeds sizzle in the fat and smell toasted.
   Chef's tip The ghee needs to be hot enough that a single cumin seed sizzles up the moment it hits, but it must not smoke. Golden-brown seeds smell toasted; black ones taste burnt, and that bitterness carries through the whole sauce.
6. Add the finely chopped onions and fry for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they've collapsed and turned deeply golden-brown. The browning carries both the sweetness and the color of the finished sauce, so turn the heat down rather than rush through it. ⏱ 10 min
   Chef's tip Add a pinch of the salt early to draw water out; the onions must sweat and collapse before any real browning starts. Watch for even colour — dark flecks welded to the base taste bitter, so loosen them with a spoonful of water as they appear.
7. Stir in the grated garlic, grated ginger, and split green chilies and fry for 2 minutes, until the raw, sharp smell is gone and the mixture smells sweet.
   Chef's tip Grated garlic scorches far quicker than onion, so ease the heat back as it goes in — the sizzle should be gentle, not fierce. Keep it moving; burnt garlic gives a sharp bitterness no amount of simmering removes.
8. Turn the heat down to low and stir in 1 tsp turmeric, the ground coriander, and the Kashmiri chili powder along with a tablespoon of the water for the curry sauce. Fry for 1 minute, until the spices color the fat deep red — the low heat and splash of liquid keep them from scorching and turning bitter.
9. Add the coarsely grated tomatoes and the 1½ tsp salt and cook the mixture down for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's dark red and reduced. It's ready when the ghee separates out in small clear beads along the edge of the pot. ⏱ 8 min–10 min
10. Pour in the rest of the water and scrape the bottom clean, so all the browned bits go into the sauce. Bring the curry to a boil and cover with a lid. Let it simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, until the sauce has thickened enough to just coat the back of a spoon. ⏱ 10 min · passive
11. Drain the soaked rice and put it in another pot with the 6 dl water and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil covered and let the rice cook over low heat until the water is completely absorbed and small steam holes appear on the surface — allow about 15 minutes from a cold pot. ⏱ 15 min · passive
    Chef's tip Leave the lid on the whole time — the rice cooks in trapped steam, and every peek lets it escape and leaves the top layer chalky. If it smells even faintly toasted before the 15 minutes are up, pull it off the heat.
12. Gently lower the fried eggs into the simmering sauce and turn them so they're coated. Let them simmer along for 6 minutes, spooning sauce over them a couple of times as they cook. The sauce should work its way into the fork marks and darken the golden skin.
13. Take the rice pot off the heat and let the rice rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Then fluff it with a fork so the grains separate without being mashed. ⏱ 5 min · passive
14. Take the curry pot off the heat, sprinkle the garam masala and the coarsely chopped fresh cilantro over the top, and cover with a lid. Let the curry rest for 2 minutes, so the garam masala's aroma infuses the whole sauce instead of boiling away. ⏱ 2 min · passive
15. Give each deep plate two eggs with plenty of sauce and a mound of the fluffed rice alongside. Set the curry pot on the table so everyone can spoon more sauce over the rice as they go — the dish is eaten by mixing sauce and rice together bite by bite. The whole spices are pushed aside on the plate; they're not meant to be eaten.