Spicy Egg Masala... for those cold winter days!

Yesterday we had more snow in the Tri-State area.  Luckily it wasn't more than 4-6 inches, but seeing snow always excites me for some reason.  

It instantly puts me in the mood for some hot chocolate or something hot and spicy... like Spicy Egg Masala.  

Masala is essentially a mixture of ginger, garlic, onions, and tomatoes along with some Indian spices.  Sauteing this mixture until all the ingredients are well blended enhances the flavors in any Indian dish.  Most recipes in Indian cooking require a masala base, however you can spice it up any way you want.  In order to reduce the fat in this dish, once you get down to eating the egg, simply breaking the egg in half and removing its yolk is the way to go.  I ate 1 egg and 1 egg white. 

For a while now, I've wanted to make a semi-gravy egg dish and have contemplated what ingredients to use in this masala.  For this recipe I used curry leaves, nigella, and cumin seeds along with the basic Indian spices.  I think this dish came out really good, but you decide and let me know!  It is pretty spicy so if you do want to tone it down, consider using just 1 green chilly instead of 2.  Enjoy!



TELL ME: What are some of your favorite egg recipes?


NUTRITION: Eggs are a good source of Protein and Vitamin D. The yolks do contain a lot of cholesterol, however the yolk contains tons of nutrients that are good for you.  To lower the fat, go ahead and remove the yolk from some of the eggs.  Tomatoes are a good source of Vitamins A and C.


INGREDIENTS:

• Olive Oil - 1 3/4 tbsp 
• Nigella/Kalonji Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves - 10 to 12 leaves
• Green Chillies - 2 (chopped)
• Ginger - 1 inch (chopped)
• Garlic - 3 cloves (chopped)
• Red Onions - 2 medium (finely chopped)
• Red Chili Powder - 1/2 tsp
• Plum Tomatoes - 2 (finely chopped)
• Coriander Powder - 2 tsp
• Paprika - 1 1/2 tsp
• Water - 1/2 cup
• Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
  

   Saute Fry the Egg:

• Olive Oil - 1 tsp
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
• Eggs - 6 (boiled & peeled)
• Red Chili Powder - 1/8 tsp 
• Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:
1. Boil the eggs.  Should take about 10 minutes. 

2. In the meantime... chop the green chillies, ginger, and garlic.

I used my Magic Bullet.

3. Set aside your curry leaves.

4. Finely chop the red onions.

5. Heat a saute pan, add oil once heated.  Then add nigella and cumin seeds.  Once they crackle...

6. Add curry leaves.  

7. Add the green chillies, ginger, and garlic.  Saute for 5 to 10 seconds or until you can smell the aroma.

8. Add red onions.  

9. Add salt and 1/2 tsp of red chili powder.  Combine.  

10. Allow this to cook for 10 minutes or until caramelized on medium heat.  

11. In the meantime, chop the tomatoes.  

12. Check on the eggs, this should be done.  

13. Peel the eggs and set aside.

14. Check on the onions, this is what you should have.  

15. Add the tomatoes, salt, and coriander powder.  Combine. 

16. Cover and allow this to cook for 5 minutes.

SAUTE FRY THE EGGS
17. In the meantime, saute fry the eggs.  Take a medium sized pan, allow this to heat for a while until its really hot, then add 1 tsp of oil, add 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder. 

18. Saute for a few seconds.

19. Add the eggs - carefully and gently.  You'll hear popping noises.  Move the pan around and let the eggs saute.  

20. This is what you should have after 20 seconds.

21. Sprinkle salt and 1/8 tsp of red chili powder.

22. Toss some more and make sure the egg is well coated.  Maybe another 30 seconds or so.  Turn off the stove.

23. Remove from the stove and make about 5 slits vertically on each egg.  Doing so will help absorb the gravy later on.  Set aside.

24. Back to the onion-tomato mixture - this is what you should have.  Add 1 1/2 tsp of paprika - this will add COLOR, NOT HEAT! 

25. Cook for another 5 minutes with a lid.  

26. This is what you should have.

27. Gently add the eggs to the masala mixture.

28. Add 1/2 cup of water.  You can add 1 cup if you'd like, but I wasn't looking for too much gravy.  Remember if you add more water, you need to adjust the salt and red chili powder.

29. Combine.  

30. Cover and cook for another 5 minutes.

31. This is what you should have.

32. Add garam masala.  Turn off the stove.

33. This dish is perfection.... serve with rice or roti/naan.  It is so good!

 
TELL ME: What are some of your favorite egg recipes?