Our household has a soft spot for any south Indian food preparation. Dosa and Idli are our comfort food, we can have curd rice, sambar rice anytime of the day for multiple meals, from time to time we indulge in egg dum biryani; in short we love south Indian food.
As I explored deeper into south Indian cuisine, I had instant liking for the coconut based kurma. It is creamy and sweet; and as for this recipe the coconut gives a perfect balance to the spiciness of black pepper.
Rice is my first choice to serve this dish with; it is equally good with idli and dosa.
Happy Cooking!
Egg Kurma
South Indian style of egg curry preparation with black pepper.
Ingredients
Kurma Masala
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp whole black pepper
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
- 2 springs of curry leaves
- 1 cup onions chopped
- 1 cup tomatoes chopped
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- 1/2 inch tamarind piece
- 1/2 cup coconut freshly shredded/frozen
- 1/4 cup cashews
- 1 cup water to grind
- salt as per taste
Tempering
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 1 spring of curry leave
- 1/4 cup onions chopped
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 cup water
- 6 boiled eggs
- chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
Kurma Masala
- In a medium pan heat the oil, add black pepper, cinnamon, coriander and curry leaves and let them cook for a minute.
- Add in the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are soft.
- Stir in the tomatoes, tamarind and salt (as per your taste) and saute until the tomatoes are soft and mushy.
- Add in the coconut and cashews and continue cooking for another minute.
- Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool down a bit before grinding it into a smooth paste. Add about a cup of water while grinding the mixture.
Tempering
- In the same pan heat 1 tsp of oil, add onions and curry leaves and cook until onions are soft.
- Sprinkle turmeric powder and cook for just a second, you don't want the turmeric to burn.
- Add 1/4 cup of water followed by the ground paste. Wash the bowl with additional 1/4 cup of water and add it back to the pan.
- Cover and let the kurma simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust the salt as per your taste.
- Cut the boiled eggs into half and add to the simmering curry. Personally I don't like egg yolks so I removed the yolks from half of the eggs.
- Let the eggs cook in the kurma for 5 minutes, garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve with plain rice or dosa.
