This recipe brings delicious traditional Kerala flavors to your dinner table under 35 mins. It goes great with brown rice, chapati, parathas, appam, dosa or puttu.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 20 minutes
  • Total time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Kerala

Ingredients

  • 4 to 8 Boiled Eggs ((make 4 slits on each))
  • 2 tablespoon (30 ml) extra virgin coconut oil ((or use any other preferred))
  • ½ teaspoon crushed fennel seeds ((optional))
  • 1½ cup (180 grams) onions ((1 large or 2 medium sliced or chopped))
  • 2 green chilies (/ serrano peppers slit or chopped (omit for low heat))
  • 1 inch (15 grams) ginger (peeled and grated or crushed)
  • 4 large garlic cloves ((15 grams))
  • ¾ to 1 cup (135 grams) tomato ((1 large pureed/ fine chopped)))
  • ¾ to 1 teaspoon sea salt ((or any other, adjust to taste))
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 to 1½ teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder ((or use any other, cut down for low heat))
  • ½ to ¾ teaspoon garam masala
  • 2 teaspoons coriander powder
  • 270 ml canned coconut milk ((9 oz. or use 1¼ cup frozen/fresh grated raw coconut, read notes))
  • 1 cup (240 ml) water ((or use ½ cup to make thick milk + 1 cup to make thin milk))
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed black pepper
  • 1½ to 2 tablespoons coconut oil ((23 to 30 ml, divided))
  • ¼ teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 3 tablespoons sliced shallots or small onion
  • 2 dried red chilies ((broken, optional))
  • 2 sprig curry leaves ((divided))

Method

  1. Heat a pan and add oil, crushed fennel and onions. Saute for 7 to 8 mins, until golden. Add green chilies, ginger and garlic.
  2. Continue to saute for 3 more mins. Add tomatoes and salt. Saute until they turn completely soft.
  3. Stir together turmeric, chili powder, garam masala & coriander powder.
  4. Pour water and half of the coconut milk (or second pressed/extracted). Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 8 mins.
  5. Optional Fry Eggs – Meanwhile heat ½ tablespoon oil in a small pan and fry the boiled eggs on a medium high heat until blistered. Turn off and sprinkle 2 to 3 pinches of red chili powder over the eggs (not a lot).
  6. Gently add the eggs to the curry. Stir in the rest of the coconut milk (or first pressed/extracted). Taste test to adjust salt. Bring to a gentle boil, sprinkle black pepper and turn off.
  7. Tempering - Heat the remaining oil in the same small pan. Add mustard seeds, red chilies, sliced shallots and curry leaves. Fry until the onions turn deep golden/ brown but not burnt. Pour this over the curry.
  8. Serve Kerala Egg Curry with appam, idiyappam, brown rice/ matta rice, dosa or flatbreads like parotta, paratha or chapati.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.