Easy Egg Curry

Tender eggs are smothered in a super rich curry sauce with a tomato and coconut base. This easy egg curry recipe shows you how to cook a tasty curry using minimal ingredients, making it a perfect dish for a busy weekday dinner. {Gluten-Free}

Egg curry is a dish I came across when traveling in India in 2017. During the trip, I was impressed by the variety of the Indian curry types. I came across many unfamiliar herbs that go into the curry base that make it special. I learned that there is not just one type of “curry powder”. To make a certain type of curry dish, you need to mix different types of herbs and spices together to create the base.

When I got back to the US, I found out that it’s really hard to make traditional Indian curry dishes on a daily basis. It’s just not easy to find all the ingredients to make the proper blend. A dish usually involves a lot of different spices and it takes time and effort to locate and pull out 20 bottles at a time, and put them back.

When I was developing this egg curry recipe, I decided to use a different approach to make it simple.

Why this recipe

1. Easier prep

The dish uses a pre-mixed curry powder from the grocery store instead of making your curry blend at home. To make the taste rich with more depth, I added coconut milk, tomato, and a touch of soy sauce. You’ll be surprised how nice the curry turns out, with such a simple approach.

You might also be surprised to see soy sauce in a curry recipe. It was actually inspired by some of my Chinese recipes that use curry powder as a part of the seasoning, such as stew, fried noodles, and dumplings. We have a family braised beef dish that my mom makes a couple times per month, which also uses curry powder, soy sauce, and tomato paste as the base. The combination works beautifully.

2. Eggs cooked to your desired texture

The traditional Indian egg curry is made with hard boiled eggs. If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I cannot resist a runny egg yolk. I even made traditional Chinese tea eggs (which also use hard boiled eggs) with runny yolks. When I developed this recipe, I decided to change the process so I could get runny egg yolks in the finished dish.

The traditional version of this recipe would simmer the boiled eggs in the curry base for a couple minutes, to infuse the seasoning into the eggs. But I noticed that the extra cooking time doesn’t make a huge difference, since you’ll be serving the eggs covered with a blanket of sauce that adds tons of flavor.

In the recipe below, I’ve included different cooking times so you can cook the eggs to your desired texture. You simply need to add the eggs to the cooked curry base at the end.

Egg curry cooking notes

1. Egg quality matters

I love Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs and I’ve talked about some of their advantages in my previous egg foo young post. Pete and Gerry’s works with more than 125 small independent family farmers to raise humanely treated hens that produce eggs with the highest quality. Their eggs are USDA Certified Organic – containing no pesticides, no added hormones, no antibiotics and no GMOs.

Do all these efforts also translate to better taste? The answer is YES. I noticed their eggs have bigger yolks with a vibrant color. Their eggs are so fresh and have a richer taste that you will notice when you bite into them.

Many grocery stores, including Whole Foods, carry their eggs. Take a look at the egg package in the picture below, so you can find them in the store the next time (or simply use there store locator, here.)

2. How to cook the perfect eggs

Ideally, you should be using an Instant Pot to get the most consistent results. However, I understand that not everyone has an Instant Pot.

I’ve included a foolproof method that my mom taught me. However, do note that egg cooking time varies depending on many factors. For sample, the size of the egg, whether they are at room temperature or just out of the fridge, the stove you use, and the altitude of your location etc. So please do use the timeline I provided as a guideline and tweak the time according to your own situation.

3. Recipe quantity

It might look like a lot of sauce once you’re done cooking. But I found that this is the perfect amount of sauce for six eggs.

If you want to cook up to eight eggs, you don’t need to tweak the sauce quantity. Simply season it with a bit more salt and you will be able to serve more people.

If you’re cooking for a smaller crowd, you can reduce the egg quantity. But I highly recommend making a whole batch of curry gravy. The leftover sauce will taste even better after a night in the fridge. Plus it’s such a great sauce and goes with almost everything. Simply heat up the sauce and throw in some chopped veggies, leftover rotisserie chicken, shrimp, or anything that has little-to-no seasoning. You’ll have a great meal in no time.

More easy egg recipes

• Easy Egg Foo Young
• Chinese Egg Drop Soup
• 3-Ingredient Egg Fried Rice
• Classic Tomato and Egg Stir-Fry
• Cheesy Kimchi Pancakes

If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and @omnivorescookbook and @peteandgerrys on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.

Easy Egg Curry

By Maggie Zhu

5 from 11 votes

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

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Tender eggs are smothered in a super rich curry sauce with a tomato and coconut base. The recipe shows you how to cook a tasty curry using minimal ingredients, making it a perfect dish for a busy weekday dinner. {Gluten-Free}

Ingredients 

• 6 large Pete and Gerry’s Organic Eggs
• 1 tablespoon butter (or vegetable oil)
• 1 white onion , minced
• 4 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger , minced
• 4 tablespoons curry powder (or 3 tablespoons for a less spicy dish) (*Footnote 1)
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 can (14 oz / 400g) tomatoes , diced
• 1 can (14 oz / 400g) full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
• 1/2 cup chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or tamari sauce for gluten-free)
• Salt to taste
• Chopped cilantro leaves for garnish (Optional)

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Instructions

Boil the egg

• To boil the eggs, heat a pot of water (enough to cover all the eggs, but not including the eggs yeover high heat until boiling. Turn to low heat. Carefully place the eggs into the pot using a ladle, to prevent the shells from cracking. Boil 6 minutes for runny yolks, 8 minutes for medium soft-boiled, or 10 minutes for hard-boiled eggs.
• While cooking the eggs, prepare an ice bath by combining ice and tap water in a big bowl.
• Once the eggs are cooked, immediately transfer them to the ice bath to cool for 2 to 3 minutes. If you don’t have ice on hand, simply run cool tap water over the eggs for a couple minutes until they cool down.
• If you plan to serve the curry as soon as the sauce is done, peel the eggs and set them aside. If you’re making the curry ahead and serving it later, store the eggs in the fridge for up to 4 days and peel them when you’re ready to serve.

Cook the curry

• Add butter or oil to a 4-quart / 3.78-liter dutch oven (or a medium-sized nonstick skilleand heat over medium heat until hot. Add onions. Cook and stir until soft and lightly golden, 8 minutes or so.
• Add the garlic and ginger. Cook and stir for 1 minute to release the fragrance.
• Add the curry powder, cumin powder, and ground black pepper. Stir and cook to mix well, 1 minute or so.
• Add the canned tomatoes and coconut milk. Stir and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
• Add the chicken stock or vegetable stock and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Turn to medium-low heat. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, or until the curry thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt if necessary. Turn off heat and remove the pot from the stove. Add the eggs when you’re ready to serve, especially for the runny yolk / soft boiled eggs, so they stay soft.
• Serve hot over steamed rice garnished with cilantro (if desireas a main dish.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Notes

1. I used packaged curry powder mix in this recipe. The mild Madras curry powder will work well, too.

Nutrition

Serving: 4g, Calories: 425kcal, Carbohydrates: 18.9g, Protein: 14.5g, Fat: 35.4g, Saturated Fat: 25.4g, Cholesterol: 287mg, Sodium: 472mg, Potassium: 788mg, Fiber: 6.4g, Sugar: 8.1g, Calcium: 90mg, Iron: 5.9mg

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