Spiced Egg curry

Today is 11.11.11 and I had to write a post on this date - just to have a post with this date posted on my blog!!See how I'm caught in all the hype and hoopla!

Just the other day, I was reading a very amusing post about eggs. I should have bookmarked it for getting back to later on,but unfortunately I forgot!So forgive my clumsiness  - the gist of the whole matter was that, there is nothing more useful on the face of the earth than eggs. You use eggs for baking(lots of them actually), you use them to perk up the taste of your fish and chicken fries and cutlets, you curry them or you simple poach them or boil them and gulp!!

The Husband is so very fond of eggs that he won't hesitate to ask for a quick Omlette even if the meal has more dishes that one can eat and digest!To him, eggs can be everything, starting right from being appetizers to desserts!I don't say I disagree - but what irks me is the invisible hand I extend to all those evil cholesterol levels swirling inside our bodies, every time I serve an egg. Till sometime back, I believed that the yolks are to be blamed for high cholesterol levels and should be shunned, while the whites cause no harm and can be taken to the heart's fill.That really put me in a dilemma given the Husband's crazy fascination with eggs and my maniacal desire to bake! Neither of these two could do without eggs!

But then, along came this informative post which very lucidly described that eggs are after all good for the health. For people allergic to eggs, it is definitely a strict no-no. But if taken in balanced quantities, they do more good than bad to the body.Ahem,ahem - whether I provide my consent to this is not a concern anymore in my household because anyhow all my worries have always been very un-majestically ''tsked,tsked''! So on one of those days this week, when the mercury plummeted uncannily and the chilly winds sent shivers down the spine, I cooked my authentic Bengali-style Egg Curry or 'Deemer Dalna' (Deem - Egg;Dalna - Curry) and we had it ,all brimming with fragrant spices, with fried Indian Flat bread. Need I say more about how the Husband licked off the plate clean that night?!?


Bengali-style Spiced Egg Curry (Deemer Dalna)
You will need: 
4 large eggs, hard boiled
1 whole onion, roughly cubed
About an inch and a half of fresh ginger, cubed
4-5 fat garlic cloves
Green peppers, roughly chopped
Green chilies, chopped
Tomato - 1 whole,diced
Turmeric powder - 1 tablespoon
Cumin powder - 1 and 1/2 tablespoons
Roasted coriander powder - 1 tablespoon (dry roast the coriander seeds in a skillet and then blend to a powder in the blender)
Red chili powder - 2 teaspoons
Garam masala powder - 1 tablespoon
Bay leaves - 2 to 3
Salt to taste
Mustard/Canola oil for frying the eggs and cooking the curry - About 3 tablespoons
Fresh Cilantro,finely chopped (optional,but good to have) - for garnish


How I made it:
1. Shell the hard-boiled eggs and rub with some salt and turmeric powder. Heat the oil in  pan, and when hot, add the cooked eggs and shallow fry till the outsides are lightly fried. Do not over-fry as that cause the eggs to become hard.


2. In a blender, blend together the onion,ginger,garlic,tomato,green peppers and green chilies to form a smooth paste. Keep a few cloves of garlic aside and chop them up finely.


3. To the same oil in the pan, add the bay leaves and the finely chopped garlic. When the garlic is slightly fried, add about 1 teaspoon of Garam Masala powder and fry it with the bay leaves and garlic for a couple of seconds. Next add in the blended spice mixture and mix everything together quickly.


4. Allow the water from the spice mixture to disappear and when the mixture changes color to a slight reddish, add the turmeric powder, cumin and roasted coriander powder, red chili powder and salt as per taste. Add a little water to dissolve all the dry spices and give a quick stir.Allow to cook and when oil starts leaving the edges, you know that the spice mixture is ready.


5. Now the spice mixture will change color to a deep amber. At this point, slide in the fried whole eggs in the pan and coat well with the cooked spice mixture. Add about half a cup of water to form a nice,simmering,thick gravy and mix everything together.

6. For the final touch, sprinkle the remaining Garam Masala powder over the curry and garnish with coriander and split or whole green chilies.It is usually eaten as an accompaniment to white rice, but it can as well be enjoyed with any kind of bread. Hope you enjoy cooking this dish and have a great weekend ahead!