Shahi Egg

When I found out that A Fridge Full Of Food was hosting a collection of weekend breakfast recipes at the end of the month with the theme Ethnic Dishes with a Twist, I was immediately drawn in. As readers here know by now, I love cooking weekend breakfasts almost as much I love ethnic cuisines, especially Indian. After some thought, this shahi egg curry seemed like the perfect recipe to enter into the event, not only because it is a warming, satisfying and wholesome centerpiece to a weekend breakfast, but also because it's a twist on shahi paneer, the old classic North Indian cheese curry cooked Moghlai-style in a vegetable gravy.

There are dozens if not hundreds of ways to make a shahi gravy, but this version is simple and fast enough not to daunt a weekend breakfast cook who wants to get food on the table without too much fuss or time but still serve up great flavour. And you can also substitute a cup and a half of cubed paneer cheese to make a delicious side dish to any North Indian meal.

Shahi egg

6 large eggs, hard-boiled, peeled and cut into halves lengthwise
2 tablespoons ghee, or a mixture of butter and olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 or 4 large green chillies, seeded and diced
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
1/2 cup milk or yoghurt
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons chopped coriander or parsley leaves

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, stir in the onions and fry for 2 or 3 minutes until the onions just begin to brown at the edges. Stir in the chilli peppers and fry for another couple of minutes. Add the chilli powder, cayenne and turmeric and coat the onions and peppers.

Pour in the tomatoes and garlic. Fry for 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are very soft and well reduced, stirring frequently and adding a few tablespoons of water periodically to prevent the mixture from sticking to the pan.

When the mixture resembles a thick gravy, stir in the milk or yoghurt and cook just briefly enough to incorporate it into the gravy. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the garam masala and salt. Add in the eggs and stir in gently enough to warm them up and coat them in the gravy well. Remove the pan from the heat and ladle the eggs and gravy into a wide shallow bowl for serving. Garnish with the coriander or parsley.

Serves 2 to 4.