Indian · Authentic-ish Indian
Egg Curry
264 kcal a serving, against 337 for the traditional version. That is 73 kcal off, or 22%, with 16.8g of protein. Serves 4. 40 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Hard-boiled eggs that are deep-fried in copious amounts of ghee until their whites blister and turn chewy. They're then submerged in a deeply caramelised onion and tomato gravy that intentionally splits, leaving a heavy slick of spiced fat pooling at the edges of your bowl.
What changed, and what each change costs
60g of ghee down to 15g of ghee
That massive dose of clarified butter acts as a frying medium for the eggs and a carrier for the spices. You can toast your spices perfectly well in a fraction of the oil if you watch the pan closely and use a splash of water when things catch.
What it costs you. You lose that incredibly rich, buttery slick that coats your lips. The gravy is much thicker and less glossy.
Frying the boiled eggs for just scoring and simmering them
Traditional recipes demand you fry the hard-boiled eggs in hot fat until the outsides blister. It looks great, but it requires a massive pool of oil to do it properly. I just score the boiled whites with a knife and let them soak up the tomato sauce.
What it costs you. Call it just a standard boiled egg in a great sauce rather than a chewy, deeply golden egg anymore and you'll be about right. You miss out on that fantastic textural contrast.
Adding 150g of frozen peas into the mix
Taking away the bulk of the ghee leaves the pan looking empty. Throwing in a massive handful of peas pads out the volume, brings a bright pop of sweetness to cut the acidic tomatoes, and gives you a much better return on your dinner.
What it costs you. Purists will complain that an egg curry should just be eggs. The peas change the texture of the dish, making it chunkier and slightly sweeter.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 337 | 264 |
| Protein | 14.8g | 16.8g |
| Fat | 25.6g | 14.5g |
| Saturated fat | 12.2g | 5.5g |
| Carbohydrate | 12.3g | 17.4g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 4.4g | 6.4g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Indian prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. eggs, milk, mustard.
The method is in the book
This is a brilliant Tuesday night fallback when you have almost nothing in the fridge. By binning the massive puddle of ghee, I built a fast, sharp sauce that completely transforms a basic staple. You've got to sacrifice the blistered exterior of a fried egg, but the deeply spiced tomato gravy makes up for the loss. It delivers exactly what you want from a curry.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Indian, along with 54 more. Buy the paperback