This masala egg curry is super simple to make and downright delicious. It is quick and can make for a great dinner meal. The secret is the base, where the thinly sliced onions are caramelized to perfection, and then married to some basic Indian spices.
Once the eggs are ready, slit them in thin and straight lines with a knife. Marinate them with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon turmeric powder.
Heat mustard oil in a kadhai or wok. Let the mustard oil heat and once it starts smoking, fry the eggs in it. Fry the eggs till they are crispy from all the sides. Set aside.
In the same pan, add the thinly sliced onions. Fry these onions for about three to four minutes till they become transparent.
Add sugar into the semi-cooked onions. The sugar will help the onions cook faster, and also add beautiful brown color to the gravy along with its sweetness.
The onions need to be cooked in low to medium heat till they cook completely and their strands start to melt. This will take about ten to fifteen minutes of constant stirring. Make sure the heat is at medium or low so that you don’t burn it.
Add the ginger garlic paste to the cooked onions and mix till its raw aroma disappears.
Once the onions caramelize and cook completely, season the gravy with salt, turmeric powder, cumin powder, black pepper powder, coriander powder, and red chili powder. The fresher your spices, the better your curry will taste. Mix well.
Slit the green chili in half and add to the onions and masala.
Depending on the consistency you want, add hot water and let it boil. I like my masala egg curry in a super thick gravy so I add only 200 ml of hot water.
By this time your gravy should take a beautiful color and oil should start separating on the edges. Once that happens, add the thick yogurt and mix well.
Finally, add some fresh garam masala to your gravy and mix well. Add the fried eggs, give it one last stir and it’s ready!
Serve hot with plain rice, pulao, jeera rice or parathas.
Recipe Notes
Since the champion of this masala egg curry is the masala – it will taste better if you can grind the spices fresh. For example, dry roast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and black peppercorns and grind them into a powder. Buying store bought always has the risk of adulteration and low freshness.
Make your own garam masala by dry roasting cardamom (1/4th), cloves (1/4th) and cinnamon sticks (2/4th). Grind them all together, store in an airtight jar and use for Indian gravies.
The thinner you slice your onions, the better your gravy will be. Use a sharp knife and cut them into thin slices diagonally.
Always check on the salt before you add more. The eggs already have salt so make sure you do not add too much to the gravy.