South Indian Egg Curry | Recipe for egg curry

Last updated on December 27th, 2020 at 10:44 am

South Indian Egg Curry – This curry is my go-to egg curry; it is full of flavor, rich and creamy with coconut milk and it has minimal spices. Make this once and you’ll be making it frequently! Goes great with rotis or rice or dosas!

This egg curry is a South Indian curry that will definitely blow your mind first with how easy it is to make and second with the flavors it brings to your palate. This is my go-to egg curry; it has all the ingredients to make this a comfort food.

The spices will flavor the otherwise bland eggs and give the curry more substance. The coconut milk adds a nice creaminess and binds all the flavors together to give a delicious curry.

South Indian Egg Curry

I’ve been making this curry for years and I never get bored of it. It is one of those South Indian cuisine’s home-cooked comfort food. It is a total crowd-pleaser too when served with simple dosas or rotis; this curry would make the meal special.

What goes in this curry:

• Hard-Boiled Eggs: I like to use hard-boiled eggs, here is a recipe/ technique that I use to get perfect hardboiled eggs which also easily peels away from the shell. If you like creamy yolks, pressure cook for 3 minutes and not 5 minutes. Then again, you can always boil it the regular way on the stovetop.
• Masala Paste: Shallots sauteed in sesame oil is the whole secret behind this curry; it gives sweetness and thickness to the curry. This is a really simplified version of the masala; my mother used to make it completely using whole spices. But I like the ease of using chili powder and coriander powder. This masala paste is the soul of this south Indian egg curry; it adds the necessary spice and flavor.
• Whole Spices: The whole spices like cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom add extra flavor to this curry. Spices are very important in Indian cuisine and these whole spices give a subtle hint of their flavors. If you don’t have these, you can skip and use 1/4 -1/2 tsp of garam masala instead.
• Onions & Tomatoes: Both of these add the flavor, of course, sweetness, a bit of sourness, and along with it, they add thickness to this south Indian egg curry.
• Coconut Milk: This is the hero; well only after the eggs. There are enough flavor and taste in the curry up to the point the coconut milk is added. Once added, it kinda blends with other ingredients and binds everything together all the while smoothing out the flavor. Plus, it adds creaminess. When making a South Indian dish, of course, there’ll be one or more coconut products.

How to serve this curry:

Here are some of the recipes with which you can serve this South Indian egg curry.

Serve it alongside Instant Pot Kerala Rice or with this Instant Pot White Rice. Make an extravagant meal with varieties of egg curry, this Vegetable Kurma, and this mushroom curry to go with Chapathi or Naan Bread

How to make this South Indian Egg Curry?

Before you get overwhelmed, take a look at these easy steps. It is really easy to make especially with an Instant Pot:

• Eggs: Boil the eggs using my Instant Pot method or your preferred method). Put off peeling the shells until you need to drop the eggs in the curry.
• Making the spice mix masala: Peel 1 cup shallots and rinse them in water. Heat the instant pot with some oil; once hot, add the shallots and sauté them for 5 minutes or until it begins to brown. Press CANCEL and then add the poppy seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorn, chilli powder, coriander seed powder, and turmeric powder. Let the ingredients cool down and transfer it to a blender and blend it until it is ground down to a smooth paste.
• Prepping: Chop the onions and tomatoes. Measure out and get all the other ingredients on your kitchen counter.
• Coconut Milk (1): Get the coconut milk ready i.e. if you have access to a fresh coconut (and want fresh coconut milk), extract it by using 200g of coconut meat and 150ml of water. This will give you approximately 1.5 cups of coconut milk. You can use the leftover ground coconut meal to make a thinner extract of coconut milk and use it in place of water in this recipe.

…CONTINUED:

• Coconut Milk (2): Or, the simpler way is to use canned coconut milk. The canned ones are usually too thick compared to actual coconut milk, so mix 1/2 cup of water to 1 cup of canned coconut milk.
• Tempering the spices: Now that all the ingredients are ready, place the inner pot into the Inner Pot. Add Peanut oil and press SAUTE mode for 20 minutes. Once the oil begins to smoke, but the whole spices into the Instant Pot and wait until it sizzles or pops but do not let it burn.
• Curry leaves and onions: Once the spices are hot, add the curry leaves and then followed by the chopped onions. Sauté for 5 minutes or until it becomes translucent and begins to brown around the edges.
• Ginger garlic paste, Tomatoes, and Masala paste: Next, add in the ginger-garlic paste and sauté for a minute. Then add the chopped tomatoes followed by the salt. Sauté until the tomatoes become mushy and soft. Once the tomatoes have softened, add the masala paste to the instant pot. Mix it all for a minute and then pour in the water.
• Eggs and Coconut Milk: Peel the cracked hard-boiled eggs and add the hard-boiled eggs to the Instant Pot. Sprinkle the cilantro leaves and hit CANCEL. Pour in the coconut milk as well and close the Instant Pot with its lid and SEAL the vent. Press the PRESSURE COOK mode for 10 minutes.
• Quick Release after the timer goes off and sprinkle more cilantro leaves if you like and serve it!

For a creamy curry:

• Close the Instant Pot after adding the water, but don’t add the coconut milk. SEAL and set to PRESSURE COOK for 8 minutes. Quick-release and open the Instant Pot.
• Then pour the coconut milk and let it boil for 2 minutes in SAUTE mode. Serve once done!

How to make this curry without Instant Pot?

Ever since Instant Pot arrived I’ve been making this curry in it and it feels like it has simplified the process even more. But of course, you can totally make this curry without an Instant Pot. Here’s how.

• In a bowl big enough to hold the eggs, fill water up to 3/4th of its level.
• Use a saute pan or the saucepan for roasting the shallots. Use the same saucepan to make the curry.
• Follow the same steps as mentioned for the Instant Pot.
• You will have to use a lid to cover the pan and you will need 1 cup more of water since this is not pressure cooking and there will be loss of water.
• Also, you need to stir in between to avoid scorching at the bottom.
• Cook the curry with just water for 10 minutes with lid on. Then add the coconut milk, bring the curry to a boil and remove from heat. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Tips to note:

• Use fresh ingredients and fresh spices/ spice powder for the best flavors.
• Ensure that you use your favorite brand of coconut milk and something which you’ve used a dozen times before. This is because there are some brands out there that give an odd taste to your curry.
• If possible make your own coconut milk if you have access to fresh coconut or fresh/frozen coconut shreds.

More Recipes:

• Butter Chickpeas Curry in Instant Pot
• Instant Pot Lamb / Mutton Biryani recipe
• Instant Pot Brown Lentil Mash
• Lentil And Vegetable Stew (Sambar) in Instant Pot
• Super delicious Mushroom Curry

Made this? Got doubts? Let me know what you think in the comments below!