Deep Fried Egg Curry

Someone who has visited Bhawanipore, Elgin Road, Central Calcutta - Esplanade,Chandi Chowk and experienced the street food of the city, will undoubtedly vouch for the fast precision with which the vendors churn out the dishes one by one.The street side fast food outlets that line up the city, usually have a "manager" who doubles up as the cashier and queues up the items for the cook.Generally each shop has a couple of cooks and one helper who garnishes and delivers the plate to the customer.From the point of mouthing your order to the stuff getting delivered on the table is through an efficient, time proven process that only the folks at the lunch counter have mastered over the years.And the other part to the street food
experience is the variety of dishes available: South Indian: Dosa,Upma,Idly,Chinese: Chowmein,Chili Chicken,Bengali:Egg Curry,Fish Fries,Rice,Dal,Mughlai Parantha;North Indian: Chole Batura, Paneer Butter Masala,Paranthas,Chapatti. The Calcutta street food scene truly presents a kaleidoscope of different cultures that have criss-crossed the city over the years.There is indeed something worthwhile to learn from the Manager who never mistakes an order placed, or the cook who prepares 300 Kati Rolls in the hours that he spends there in the suffocating heat of the kitchen without a single complaint.

This recipe which follows is picked up straight from one of the fast food outlets near Rabindra Sadan Metro station but it has subtle twists so that it can make its way right into your dinner table -The Deep Fried Egg Curry.This curry does not use water at all.

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins

Serves:2

Ingredients:

• Eggs: 4. Boil the eggs for 6-7 mins.Submerge the eggs in cold water for 15 mins so that the heat is taken off.This will ensure a half boiled egg, with a gel like yolk.
• Onions: 150 gms.Sliced longitudinally.
• Ginger: One 1.5 inch piece.Crushed and made into a paste.
• Garlic: 4-5 cloves.Made into a fine paste
• Tomato: One medium sized.Made into a paste.
• Slit Green Chilli: 4.For garnishing.
• Vegetable Oil: 7 tbsp.
• 2 tbsp for frying the eggs.
• 3 tbsp for frying the onions.
• 2 tbsp for the curry
• Ghee: 1/2 tsp to be added at the end.

Powdered Spices:

• Turmeric Powder:2 tsp for coating the eggs.1 tsp for the curry.
• Cumin Powder: 1.5 tsp.
• Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder: 1 tsp.

Whole Spices:

• Bay Leaf: 1
• Green Cardamon: 3.Crushed.

Preparation:

• Coat the eggs with turmeric powder and sprinkle some salt over them.
• In medium heat: Heat 7 tbsp of vegetable oil in a wok/kadai. Fry the egg pieces in the oil until they become reddish brown in colour.Keep aside when done.
• In medium heat: In the left over oil, fry the onion slices, by sprinkling 1/2 tsp of sugar until the onion slices turn reddish in colour.This should require 6-8 mins.
• Remove the onions from the wok once done and let it rest over a tissue.

Cooking:

• The wok/kadai should still have left over oil.
• In low heat: add the whole spices in the left over oil and wait till the spices start to sputter and release their aroma.
• Follow that up by adding the ginger and garlic pastes and wait till the aromatic smell of the mixture evolves.
• Then add the tomato paste and powdered spices.
• Stir the mixture, till the point the moisture is almost gone.
• In it, add the fried brown onions.
• Check for the level of salt, and add more if required.
• Add the fried eggs too.
• Stir for 3-4 mins and drizzle the ghee over the curry. 

The Deep Fried Egg Curry is ready.
Serve by halving the eggs and garnishing with the slit green chillies. Enjoy with Roti/Parantha.