TANGY TOMATO EGG CURRY

The very sight of eggs remind me of Devang Patel's famous ad "Monday to Sunday ...Roz khao andey hi andey " as part of NECC 's promotional advertisement on the health benefits of having eggs. Oh! How my mother  relentlessly tried to persuade me and my brother to have eggs , the two egg haters, citing example from this particular advertisement.

One cannot deny the health benefits of egg. It is among the most nutritious foods on the planet. Though eggs are high in cholesterol, but they don't adversely affect blood cholesterol. Infact eggs raise the HDL, the good cholesterol . It contains choline..... an important nutrient required by us and help to reduce risk of heart disease  among us. The list is big. Let's stop here with the note..... We should have eggs on a regular basis.

My husband being extremely fond of eggs, it is a regular at my home. For  egg curries, we Bengalis prefer duck eggs, it tastes better. Duck eggs being banned in this island, we remain faithful to  the more popular bird, hen.

Today, let's cook a tangy tomato egg curry. Bengali curries are generally red and hot but this one not so much of an authentic Bengali curry.

INGREDIENTS :

Eggs ( preferably of duck, else hen ) : 6 nos.
Tomato : 4 medium
Onion : 1 big
Garlic paste : 1 tsp
Ginger paste : 1 tsp
Kashmiri Chilli Powder : 1/2 tsp ( it is known more for enhancing the color of the curry but extremely mild )
Green Chilli : 3 nos
Salt : As per taste
Bay Leaf : 1
Cumin Seeds : 2 pinches
Turmeric Powder : 1 tsp
Bengali Garam Masala ( an 1 inch size cinnamon stick, 2 green cardamoms, 3 cloves , roasted and powdered )
Oil ( Mustard or otherwise ) : 2 tablespoon.

PROCEDURE :

Being a cleanliness freak, I prefer washing the eggs before boiling. Boil the eggs with half spoon of salt. This helps the shell to come out quickly without damaging the egg white. Once done, let it cool.

Meanwhile, cut each tomato into 4 pieces, discard the seeds, wash and put into the blender to get a smooth paste. Get a paste of onion,ginger, garlic and green chillies...... all separately .
Now discard the shell of the eggs. Wash again and make 2 slits on each one of them.
Apply some salt and turmeric on them and rub well.

Heat oil in a wok. Lightly fry the eggs. Take out. Temper the oil with bay leaf and cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds start spluttering, add in the onion paste. Fry till the raw smell goes. Now add in the garlic and ginger paste. Fry till the raw smell goes.

Pour in the tomato paste , keep stirring for 3 minutes, now put in the green chilli paste, salt and turmeric, Kashmiri mirch powder. Keep on stirring  till the oil seperates from spice mix.

Add 1 cup water. Let boil for 2-3 minutes. Slowly put in the eggs. Cover and let boil for another 3-4 minutes. Add the garam masala powder. Stir well. Add little sugar if you wish to. It's done. The gravy should be of creamy consistency.

This curry goes well with both steamed rice or roti.