Cuisine
Punjabi Egg Curry
HONEY, WHAT'S COOKING?
My husband is sooooo annoying ... yes, he is!
Lately he's been asking me about the spices I use in my cooking because his new thing is, "spices are bad for you."
Uhmm ... say what?
I have a completely different theory on that and I will prove him wrong sooner or later. I believe a lot of spices have healing properties, such as turmeric powder which is known to heal infections and wounds. It also contains anti-cancerous properties.
Cinnamon is known to control blood sugar and is an excellent spice for diabetics.
His main issue is my use of garam masala which is a hot and smoky Punjabi spice made with cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms, cumin, and peppercorns. There are different variations to making garam masala. I usually argue that each ingredient that makes up garam masala is essentially good for you; on the other hand, he believes it causes heartburn and it can lead to other issues.
Perhaps it causes heartburn if you use too much of it, I'll give him that. He cooks all of 20 times the whole year and he's telling me what spices to use! Well, anyway, rather than being defensive about it, as usual I'll do my research. :-)
Today I made Punjabi Egg Curry which uses a whole lot of spices ... oh yeah, well that's what makes it so good.
I basically used the same process that I use for making Punjabi Chhole (chickpeas). This dish turned out amazing.
There isn't a lot of prep work since everything is blended into a paste. However, the cooking time is more than an hour. If you are patient, though, the end result will truly be a delectable dish.
In addition, you can replace the eggs with chicken and you'll end up with Punjabi Style Chicken Curry; just make sure the chicken is cooked all the way.
My husband who usually questions me on my spices didn't question me today because he devoured this dish. You can't make Punjabi-style Egg Curry without spices, c'mon, its Punjabi food, man!
Give it a try and you'll pleasantly surprised.
NUTRITION: Eggs are a good source of Protein and Vitamin D. The yolks do contain a lot of cholesterol, however the yolk contains tons of nutrients that are good for you. To lower the fat, go ahead and remove the yolk from some of the eggs. Tomatoes are a good source of Vitamins A and C.
INGREDIENTS:
Eggs - 8 (boiled & peeled)
Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
Bay Leaves - 2
Cinnamon Stick - 1/2 a stick
Green Cardamom - 2
Cloves - 3
Cumin Seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
Garlic - 3 cloves (chopped)
Ginger - 1 inch piece (chopped)
Green Chillies - 2 (chopped)
Onions - 2 big (blended into paste)
Plum Tomatoes - 4 (blended into paste)
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
Water - 2 1/2 cups
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Fresh Coriander - 1 handful (chopped)
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS:
1 Take a pot on medium heat and boil the eggs for 10 minutes.
2 In the meantime, chop the ginger, garlic, and green chilies. I just used my Magic Bullet. Set aside.
3 Quarter the onions and blend into a paste. You may need a little water to get the onions blended. Again, used my Magic Bullet.
4 Check on the eggs, once boiled, turn off the stove. Set aside.
5 Set your spices aside ... bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamom, and cloves.
6 In a deeper pot on medium heat, add oil, once hot, add the spices from step #5.
7 Once they sizzle, add cumin seeds. Saute for a few seconds or once you smell the aroma.
8 Add the ginger, garlic, and green chillies. Saute for 20 seconds or so.
9 Now add the onion paste and salt. Combine.
10 Cook for 20 minutes on medium heat and keep stirring in between. Leave lid ajar. You are looking for a greenish-brown color.
11 In the meantime, quarter and blend the tomatoes. Again, used my Magic Bullet.
12 This is how the onion paste should look after 20 minutes: the water should be evaporated leaving behind just a paste.
13 Now add the tomato puree to the onion paste.
14 Add salt, red chilli powder, and coriander powder.
15 Allow the onion-tomato paste to cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Leave the lid ajar. The water should be evaporated leaving behind just a paste.
16 In the meantime peel the eggs and make 5 to 6 slits in each egg. This will allow the egg to absorb the gravy.
Another option: At this point you can half the eggs and remove the yolk from, like, 3 to 4 eggs. You do need the yolk for some eggs in order to thicken the gravy.
17 This is how the onion-tomato paste should look after 20 minutes: the water is evaporated.
18 Now add water. Combine.
19 Add eggs and combine.
20 Cover slightly and cook on low heat (dial #3) for 10 minutes.
21 If you haven't done so already, go ahead and half 4 of the eggs, the yolk will help thicken the gravy and leave a yellowish-brown color. Smash the yolk and incorporate it into the gravy. Cook another 5 minutes without a lid.
22 Add garam masala and turn off the stove. Check for salt.
23 Add chopped coriander.
24 This dish is heavenly when eaten with a bowl of hot rice.
[Courtesy: Honey, What's Cooking?]
January 25, 2013