Egg curry, a Bengali's delight with my own twist

Egg curry can be whipped up in a matter of twenty five or thirty odd minutes if you are in a rush and need to eat dinner where nothing else is there in the fridge. Eggs are quickly boiled in enough water in the pressure cooker and set aside to be cooled down and then the egg shells peeled off of it's skin.

Next comes the process of procuring the ingredients for the cooking process to begin. Finely chopped onions, freshly minced ginger and garlic, salt to taste and some freshly pounded garam masala that consists of half an inch of cinnamon stick, few cardamoms, three to four cloves. Nicely pound them in a mortar and pestle and leave them aside.

Now take a wok and warm it up before adding mustard oil. Once the oil is hot just tip in one bay leaf and the rest of the garam masala mix to it. When the aroma starts to release add in the onions and minced ginger garlic and give them all a good stir for a few minutes until they change color and turn a golden brown in hue. Once that step is over you can then add some dry ingredients like turmeric powder and paprika or red chili just for the extra color without the heat. We always keep in mind that every dish that is procured is less spicy yet the taste and flavor has to be intact for children love different tastes yet the spiciness is always to be avoided at all cost. Once we all mix the ingredients together and keep stirring them occasionally as it changes color and starts leaving oil from the sides we add a bit of tomato sauce just a bit for that extra sauciness and a hint of tomato richness that adds a different dimension to the dish. It is also a quick way to incorporate the taste of tomatoes incase you are running out of it in your own fridge.

A bright red hue is acquired and eventually you add a little bit of water to make sure the masalas all come together and is a concentrated paste which is not catching up on the bottom for that often spoils any dish. Once the masalas or the spices are evenly mixed and stirred enough for you know the raw flavors have gone you add in the fried eggs.

The eggs need to be fried in enough salt and turmeric powder marinade separately and tipped into the rest of the gravy for it gives added taste and texture to the dish allowing adults and children to make it their personal favorite. All Bengalis love their egg curry a bit spicy and eggs has to be fried for without frying half the flavors are lost and a typical Bengali household cannot survive without egg curry that is not up to the mark.

We nicely sauté all the spicy mixture along with the fried eggs until it does not totally become a homogenous mixture without any rawness to it. To let it all come together we add some coconut milk just before we turn off the gas. Half a small cup of coconut milk and sugar and salt for taste suitable for your family's taste buds is all that you have to keep in mind before we end the dish in a milky way that is my own unique touch. Last but not the least, add some fenugreek powder to the dish and ensure that you nicely blend them with a spatula before we turn off the gas. Let it simmer for another four or five minutes more and cover the lid on. Also remembering to add enough water so that it becomes a thick curry and nothing runny for we are looking at a curry that can be eaten both with rotis and rice and ensuring that it's a thick consistency without the water being the main ingredient of the dish.

Turn off the gas and let it sit for another five minutes or even ten for that matter before you let it get transferred into another vessel and enjoy this meal with your family with another carbohydrate of your own choice.