Coming to eggs, I love experimenting with various types of Egg curries. I already have posted one of them which is Kashmiri style Egg curry being made with lots of tomatoes and is very tangy. In comparison to that, the one I am posting today is a bit milder and smoother. Its like the real curry which is adopted from Punjabi cuisine, although not all the spices are being used in it. Which in turn makes it an easier recipe to adopt and follow. I have even experimented with this dish, keeping the base recipe same and it has never left me disappointed. You may use the same gravy as a base for Paneer dishes as well, or potatoes and it will be equally relished.I have adopted this recipe from a restaurant ( basically, road side Delhi  dhaba ) where we used to dine a lot during our college days. That guy used to fry the boiled eggs and then use in this dish, but I never fry the eggs for this. The first reason of course is the health concern, and the second is I like the smoothness of the boiled eggs. Moreover, if  you fry the eggs, the actual flavours of the gravy don’t get incorporated  with the egg and it tastes kind of detached from the gravy, if you know what I mean. In fact, to get more flavours inside the eggs, I usually prickle it with a knife and then let it stay in the gravy for longer which brings in the best flavours as a whole.

What  you need?

• 6 eggs, hard boiled  ( refer notes* for the method )
• 3 large tomatoes, pureed  
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 inch piece of Ginger, grated or minced
• ½ cup cream  – optional, refer notes *
• 2-3 cardamom pieces – gently pounded 
• 1 tsp Salt – adjust to taste
• 1 tsp red chili powder- adjust to taste
• ½ tsp turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder each
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 tsp dried fenugreek leaves ( Kasuri methi )
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp butter – optional
• ¼ cup fresh coriander leaves – chopped and rinsed 

How to make?

• Peel eggs and prickle them with knife or skewer from 4-5 places. The cuts should not be too deep and wide but just 4-5 cuts ½ cm each on one egg would do. Keep them aside, covered in a bowl else they will start stinking soon.
• Heat oil in a pan, throw in cardamom pieces and fy for 10 seconds. 
• Add garlic, ginger at first and sauté it for  a minute. Add chopped  onion and fry it  well for good 5-6 minutes
• Once the onion start getting golden brown, turn off the flame and transfer the mixture to a blender. Once it’s all cooled off, blend it to a paste and then transfer it back to the same pan. DO NOT blend it when it’s still hot, give it at least 8-10 minutes to get cooled down. You may meanwhile, chop the tomatoes or peel eggs.

• Now, after you have transferred the paste into the pan, add pureed tomatoes along with all the spices, EXCEPT Garam Masala. And cook everything for next 8-10 minutes. It will all turn dark red at the end and a bit dry.
• Add 1/2 cup of water, and let it come to boil, and then turn the flame to low.
• Once it’s all done, add cream and eggs and leave it to simmer for next 10-12 minutes. Do take care to cover it throughout this time and just fold the eggs 2-3 times in between for even coating.
• Towards the end, add garam masala and dried fenugreek leaves ( kasuri methi ) and simmer it further for 2-3 minutes. Turn off the flame and let it sit covered for next 5-8 minutes before serving it finally with coriander leaves as a  garnish

My Notes and some variations:

• How to get perfect hard boiled eggs each time? – My friend told me this fool proof method, which has always worked and has never left me disappointed, here it goes :- Place eggs in a sauce pan, and immerse eggs into it. The eggs should be in water till 3/4 of the height. Turn on the flame, and heat the pan on medium gas till the water comes to rolling boil. This will take approximately 10-12 minutes. Turn it off and keep it covered for next 15-20 minutes. Take the eggs out and peel to get perfectly hard boiled eggs.