Easy Boiled Egg Masala Curry
Egg masala curry is a simple homestyle recipe popular in both Indian & Pakistani homes; my version comes in a delicious tomato-based gravy.
This delicious and easy homestyle curry takes around 45 minutes to cook, but it is an ideal dish to prepare in advance and can be finished in 4-5 minutes.
Anda Masala
The first time I had heard of an egg curry, I probably had the same reaction you are having now... I can see your faces!
Eggs in a biryani absolutely; eggs in a nargis kebab, definitely! But eggs in a masala-style gravy made me raise an eyebrow.
I first ate egg curry at a friend's house, and it blew me away. It is apparently a very common dish in Indian and Pakistani houses.
Sadly, it is a rarity on the menus of Indian restaurants, which is odd as it is gloriously tasty, cheap and simple to make.
It is also a perennial favourite in street-side eateries across India, these are called dhabas. Dhaba-style curries rarely use tomato-based sauces because tomatoes are considered expensive.
Frequently Asked Questions.
Can I make this in advance?
Yes, you can boil eggs and keep them shelled in the fridge for up to a week. The sauce can also be cooked and stored in the fridge for up to a week.
All you would then need to do is reheat the curry sauce in a wide-based pan, and when hot, pop the egg in and reheat for 2-3 minutes.
Do I have to blend the sauce?
No, you can make this a chunky egg curry if you like, but you will need to chop the onion, garlic and ginger much smaller.
Can I use tinned tomatoes?
Yes, especially if you are blending the sauce for this egg curry, just sub in a 200g (7oz) tin of chopped tomatoes.
Can I use dried curry leaves?
I've got a deep dislike of dried curry leaves; as far as I am concerned, they taste of very little, and I would rather omit them than waste my money on them.
A well-appointed Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi store will have fresh or frozen curry leaves, and frozen curry leaves are superb.
My eggs are still runny. What went wrong?
Here in Europe, we do not need to keep our eggs in the fridge. As a result, my timings are based on room-temperature eggs. If you are cooking from the refrigerator, add an extra 30-60 seconds.
I like my eggs for this to be just past a little jammy in the yolk rather than chalky.
Serving Suggestions
As with most curries, I like to serve this egg curry with some form of flatbread. It is pictured here with my homemade chapatis, but a tandoori style naan bread would work equally well.
Of course, rice is always part of the conversation when it comes to side dishes for curry, and a nice pilau rice is a great option.
If you wanted something a little more substantial, then this egg curry is delicious served with bombay potatoes or aloo methi.
I've also served this with my masala chips recipe, but you could just as easily throw some air fryer potato wedges on the plate; there is plenty of the masala sauce to mop up!
Equipment Used
I only mention brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/stovetop.
- Saucepan, large enough to boil eggs.
- 30cm or 12" frying pan.
- Blender.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
Indian Egg Masala Curry Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 Large Eggs (Bring your eggs to room temperature if you keep yours in the fridge)
- 1 Medium Onion 150g
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 15 g Ginger ½ of a thumb-sized piece
- 1 Green Chilli Pepper
- 2 tablespoon Ghee
- 12 Curry Leaves
- ½ tablespoon Chilli Powder
- 1 teaspoon Ground Coriander
- ½ teaspoon Ground Turmeric
- ½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 200 g Tomato Passata ¾ Cup
- 175 ml Water ¾ Cup
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
- ½-¾ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Dried Fenugreek
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala
Instructions
- Bring a saucepan of water (large enough to hold the eggs) to a boil and drop in the eggs, then cook them for 9 minutes. Refresh in cold water and peel.
- Peel the onion and cut it into a medium 1.5-2cm (½-¾") dice.
- Peel and roughly chop the garlic and ginger.
- Cut the chilli pepper in half lengthways.
- Heat a 30cm or 12" frying pan over a medium-high heat and add the ghee. When the ghee has melted, add the onion and cook for 8-10 minutes. You only want to get a light to medium gold colour on the onions; if they colour too quickly, reduce the heat a little.
- Throw in the roughly chopped garlic, ginger, the curry leaves and the sliced chilli and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add the Kashmiri chilli powder, ground turmeric, ground coriander and ground cumin, then give it all a stir.
- Pour in the tomato passata, water, and add the salt and sugar. Bring everything to a boil, then simmer on low for 10 minutes.
- Transfer the masala sauce to a blender and blitz until smooth.
- Return the sauce to the pan and heat it over a medium-low heat (adding more water if needed), crush in the dried fenugreek and the garam masala and stir.
- Finally, cut the eggs in half and add them to the pan and reheat them for 3-4 minutes.
Hi Brian, I've just made the curry sauce as the recipe timings it smells great but on tasting it has a bitter raw onion taste. Please can you advise what I can do to sort this. Thanks
Hey Julie... Sorry I missed this as I was out and about over the weekend, my only thoughts are that the pan was not hot enough and the onion was not cooked out before the sauce was created. Cooking on longer with the addition of a little water to facilitate this would resolve the problem I should imagine.
Oh wow, I've never had this before but the flavors sound amazing! I must admit, I'm "afraid", for lack of a better word, to use curry for some reason but I NEED to!
This is one of my husband favorite dishes.....You took a great picture of this dish, mine never look so good.
I love curry-I can't wait to try this recipe!
We love egg curry and I make it quite often. I never thought of taking pictures of it as I always thought it’s not photogenic at all but you’ve done such a great job here Brian. Gorgeous looking dish. Bravo!
Oh wow, I've never had this before but the flavors sound amazing! I must admit, I'm "afraid", for lack of a better word, to use curry for some reason but I NEED to!
Curry is a word that describes a huge array of foods from vast swathes of the earth. Ain't nor need to be afraid of it, just jump in and play, it is only food 🙂
This is one of my husband favorite dishes.....You took a great picture of this dish, mine never look so good.
Thanks Loyola
I love curry-I can't wait to try this recipe!
Enjoy 🙂
We love egg curry and I make it quite often. I never thought of taking pictures of it as I always thought it’s not photogenic at all but you’ve done such a great job here Brian. Gorgeous looking dish. Bravo!
Thanks Ramona, such a simple dish so not a lot you can do with it visually really but so incredibly tasty!
You most definitely are not getting any crumpled nose faces from me looking at this gorgeous curry dish. It's so visually stunning and I can see why it would be one of your personal favorites. My hubby is a big curry fan and I can't wait to tantalize his taste buds with this beauty. Definitely pinning for later!
Cheers Lynn, I hope you enjoy as much as we do 🙂
One of my very favorite dishes. Believe it or not your afraid of how others would accept it and I zoomed right into this photo and dish. seriously gorgeous photography Brian and a delicious recipe too. Have a super weekend.
You're too kind, I wasn't worried how it would look more a case of how popular it would be an egg curry at one point in time was complete 'what' moment for me but I love it now and glad you do to 🙂
Egg curry sounds amazing--all my favorite flavors wrapped into one dish!
It really is fab, so quick and simple but a king of curries as far as I am concerned.
I am so curious about this dish Brian! I would never have thought egg and curry would work, but yours looks (and sounds) pretty awesome 🙂 Very inspiring!
Thanks Paige, apparently it is a really common dish with different varieties all over India, Pakistan and Bangladesh... It just didn't travel to restaurants, it really is a fabulous quick meal.
This is one of our favourite budget dishes to make. There is just so much that you can do with eggs!
There certainly are, eggs are a go to staple to us thanks to chickens and ducks roaming around the garden and I can't get enough of them 🙂
This is a delicious curry. I keep my pantry stocked with Indian spices since my husband is from India. He would love your curry.
Thank you Christie, I don't think I could survive without my well stocked spice cupboard... Stuff of life for me 😀
This sounds incredibly good!
Thank you Sara.
Wow, I've never had Egg Curry, but it sounds delicious. Love all of the beautiful, aromatic spices and I can imagine that the sauce must be luxurious with the hardboiled eggs.
So many people gave said that Amanda, seems to be a food secret, I have no idea why... So much Inidan food is common place but this classic seems to be a little forgotten.
I am so intrigued! I just hard-cooked some eggs, so I would love to have this tonight, however, I don't have a bunch of those spices. Will have to remedy that.
Hehe, I am sure you could rustle up an Indian style gravy from store cupboard ingredients, garlic, ginger and onion as a base and then work on simple Indian flavours, cumin, turmeric, maybe fennel and take it from there. The great thing about Indian food is you can taste and alter as you go, it really is a cuisine where having a hands on approach is key.
Okay. That's what we'll be having for dinner tonight.
I've got very productive egg layers and I'm always looking for ways to incorporate a gazillion eggs in any meal.
Hehe, I know how that feels, I hope you like it as much as we do.