Egg Curry Recipe (Anda Curry)
Egg curry, also known as Anda curry, is a hearty and comforting Indian dish made with hard-boiled eggs that get pan-fried and simmered in a homemade sauce that’s simply bursting with flavor. Easy to make, lunch or dinner is served in just 30 minutes!
Curry, anyone? Curries are one of my favorite Indian-inspired dishes to whip up — and eat! If you’re familiar with the blog, you may have already tried one of my many curry recipes. Mango curry chicken, lamb vindaloo curry, beef rendang curry, and cauliflower curry (called gobi masala) are just a few.
Today’s egg curry recipe goes out to all of my vegetarian readers. Some other curries rely on chicken, beef, lamb, or some other type of meat-based protein. This one is all about eggs! Featuring half a dozen or more hard-boiled eggs, it’s satisfying and naturally vegetarian-friendly. If you’re vegan, I recommend checking out the cauliflower curry recipe linked above.
The star of this dish is most definitely the homemade curry sauce. You will need several spices and seasonings to prepare it, but you may have everything you need on hand if you make Indian food often. If not, it’s a great excuse to stock your pantry!
INGREDIENT NOTES AND SUBSTITUTIONS
- Eggs – You’ll need 6-8 hard-boiled eggs for this dish.
- Ghee – To lightly pan-sear the eggs. You can also use vegetable oil.
- Garam Masala – To season the eggs and for the sauce. Try my homemade version!
- Chili Powder – Again, you’ll need this for the eggs as well as the curry.
- Onion – I like a red onion for this recipe. Use it for the tomato and onion-based curry sauce.
- Tomatoes – I like Roma best, but use your preference.
- Indian Bay Leaf – If you can’t find an Indian bay leaf, don’t be tempted to replace it with standard bay leaves. Use an extra pinch of cinnamon, clove, or cassia instead.
- Cinnamon – I like using a whole cinnamon stick for the curry, but you could also use ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
- Cardamom – Here you can use 2 cardamom pods or ⅛ teaspoon of ground cardamom. It’s another key ingredient for your curry sauce!
- Green Chili Serrano – My spice lovers will love the addition of fiery Serrano chili peppers to the curry. You could also use a jalapeño as a substitute for less heat.
- Sugar – To add a touch of sweetness and balance out the other ingredients.
- Other Spices & Seasonings – The sauce for this egg curry recipe is full of flavorful aromatics, spices, and seasonings like salt, ginger, coriander, turmeric, fenugreek leaves, and more. You can find the full list of ingredients on the recipe card below. Don’t be intimidated, go for it!
HOW TO MAKE EGG CURRY
1. Pan Sear the Eggs. Place a deep skillet with sides over medium heat and add the ghee or vegetable oil. When warm, add the hard-boiled eggs. Swirl them around the pan until they become golden and blistered. Remove the eggs from the pan to a paper towel-lined plate and season with garam masala and chili powder.
2. Sauté the Aromatics. Using the same pan, add more ghee or oil and heat over medium. Add the Indian bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom, and green chili. Sauté for 1 minute and then add the garlic and ginger. Stir and allow the mixture to sauté for another minute until fragrant.
3. Add the Vegetables. Incorporate the red onion and tomatoes and stir. Sauté for 6-8 minutes or until the onion becomes translucent and the tomatoes have broken down a bit.
4. Incorporate the Other Seasonings. Remove the bay leaf, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods (if using whole) and discard. Add the coriander, garam masala, sugar, salt, chili powder, and turmeric. Cook for another minute, then add 1 ½ cups of water. Allow the sauce to cook for 3 more minutes on high, making sure to stir often.
5. Blend. Pour your curry sauce into a blender (or use an immersion blender) until it becomes smooth. Transfer the sauce back into the skillet and stir through the fenugreek leaves. Side note: I love fenugreek leaves, they have this wonderful maple aroma and are a wonderful addition!
7. Add the Eggs. Reduce the heat to low and then add your eggs. Cook for 5 minutes spooning curry sauce over eggs and then serve with cilantro, warm naan or roti, and jeera rice. Enjoy!
What Curry Can Be Made With Eggs?
My egg curry recipe is a great place to start! Also called Anda curry, it’s made with hard-boiled eggs. If you’ve ever had Moroccan shakshuka, the two dishes look very similar. That said, the flavors in egg curry are more Indian leaning than Moroccan or Middle Eastern and rely on seasonings like garam masala.
What is the Difference Between Egg Masala and Egg Curry?
The words curry and masala are often used interchangeably, but they do mean different things. Curry refers to an actual meal, typically featuring some sort of protein and vegetables that are prepared in spices and seasonings. Masala is another word for a mixture of spices.
How Do You Thicken Egg Curry?
If you find that your egg curry recipe is on the watery side, you can simmer longer to reduce or add a touch of flour, cornstarch, or tapioca starch and stir it through. It will thicken your curry sauce in no time!
Egg Curry Recipe (Anda Curry)
Ingredients
Eggs
- 6-8 hard boiled eggs peeled
- 1 tsp ghee or vegetable oil
- 1/8 tsp garam masala
- 1/8 tsp chili powder
Curry (Tomato Onion Gravy)
- 1 tablespoon ghee or vegetable oil
- 1 Indian bay leaf (See Note 1)
- 1 cinnamon stick or 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 cardamom pods or 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 green chili serrano slit lengthwise (or jalapeno for less heat)
- 4 cloves garlic minced (or garlic paste)
- 1 tablespoon ginger grated (or ginger paste)
- 1 red onion chopped (1.5 cups)
- 2 roma (plum) tomatoes chopped (1.5 cups)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons fenugreek leaves
- cilantro leaves for garnish
Instructions
- In a deep skillet with sides heat the ghee over medium heat and add the hard boiled eggs. Swirl around the pan until golden and blistered. Remove from pan to a paper towel lined plate. Season with garam masala and chili powder.
- To the same pan melt the tablespoon of ghee over medium heat. Add the Indian bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom and green chili. Stir fry a minute and add the garlic and ginger, stirring to sauté for another minute until fragrant.
- Add the red onion, tomatoes and stir through. Sauté for 6-8 minutes, or until onion is wilted and translucent and tomatoes have broken down.
- Remove the whole bay leaf, cinnamon stick and cardamom pods if using whole and discard.
- Season with ground coriander, garam masala, sugar, salt, chili powder and turmeric. Cook another minute and add 1.5 cups water. Cook another 3 minutes on high, stirring often.
- Puree in blender or use an immersion blender until curry gravy is smooth. Pour back into skillet and stir through the fenugreek leaves. Add the eggs and continue cooking another 5 minutes on low to heat through.
- Serve with cilantro leaves on top, warm naan or roti and jeera rice or plain steamed rice.
Notes
- Don’t substitute a regular bay leaf (laurel) in Indian recipes. Instead, to substitute for the Indian bay leaf, use a pinch of ground cinnamon, clove, or cassia.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Again, thanks for turning me on to another dish I never knew existed! It was delightful and beyond flavorful.
So happy you found and enjoyed this one Maureen! Appreciate you coming back to let me know. 🙂
This looked so different I had to try it and wanted to write you. The texture was so interesting, I had never pan fried a hard boiled egg before, and the gravy flavors were right up my alley. Fenugreek is my new favorite spice because of you!
Excellent! So happy you tried this and I appreciate you coming back to let me know Anna. 🙂