Curried eggs, an old-fashioned family treat

The eggs in curried eggs are hardly curried at all, to be honest. They’re boiled, peeled and added in shortly before serving.

I can’t remember when last I ate this dish; it must have been in my teens. Which means my poor family must have been deprived of it for all those years. Oh well, it’s time to put that to rights.

Plan this simple and affordable weeknight supper of good old-fashioned curried eggs.

I finished the curry with toasted almond flakes.

Tony’s curried eggs

Ingredients

6 eggs, medium-boiled

2 Tbsp ghee

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 small piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 cinnamon stick

6 cardamom pods

4 cloves

1 star anise

1 Tbsp masala

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground fennel

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

1 tsp sugar

1 x 400g can coconut cream

2 Tbsp almond flakes, toasted in a dry pan

2 Tbsp chopped coriander leaves

Method

Melt the ghee in a pan and add the onions. Cook, stirring, until the onions turn opaque, then add the garlic and ginger and continue cooking for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring.

Add the cinnamon quill, star anise, cardamom pods and cloves, and all the dry spices, stir, and add the chopped tomatoes and sugar.

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and let it simmer gently for about 15 minutes. The point is not to reduce it so much as to strengthen the flavours, hence putting a lid on the pot.

Add the coconut cream, bring to a simmer and continue cooking for 5 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make a generous quantity of basmati rice to suit your needs. You need plenty of rice because there will be a lot of sauce for it to soak up.

Boil the eggs for 3½ to 4 minutes, plunge into iced water, and peel them.

Toast the almond flakes in a dry pan.

Immerse the eggs in the curry sauce for 3 to 4 minutes on a low heat. Serve the sauce on or surrounding rice, with the eggs on top.

Garnish with almond flakes and coriander. DM

Follow Tony Jackman on Instagram @tony_jackman_cooks.

This dish is photographed on a plate by Mervyn Gers Ceramics.