Curried Egg Skillet

Growing up, our typical meals at home included chapati, rice, dal and some vegetables in the form of dry or wet curries. Mom often interspersed it with interesting dishes such as an egg skillet which included a layer of sautéed onion and tomato masala, topped with eggs. Simple yet so delicious and fun to cook and eat! I still love making this dish and to make it a complete meal I often add vegetables to the onion-tomato masala. It’s a great way to incorporate leafy greens in your meals.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion - finely chopped (~1 cup)

2 medium tomatoes - finely chopped (~1.5 cups)

1 cup packed chopped kale (or other greens of your choice - optional)

1 cup peas (or other veggies such as cauliflower, green beans etc. - optional)

5-6 large eggs

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chili powder (not chili seasoning)

1 Tbsp coriander powder

Salt

~1 Tsp butter/oil (I used coconut oil)

This recipe has two steps - Step 1: cooking the onions, tomatoes and other vegetables and Step 2: spreading that mixture, in the pan, topping with eggs and cooking until eggs are done. I like to use as little oil as possible to cook the vegetables since the pan needs oil for greasing later for Step 2. Greasing the pan is not necessary if more oil is used while cooking the veggies, however you can cut that fat down a lot by using barely any oil for cooking the veggies, rinsing the skillet after this step and then using a thin layer of butter/oil for greasing the pan before adding the cooked mixture back into the pan to finish cooking with the eggs.

Step 1: Start by heating a few drops of oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté until translucent. Add tomatoes and continue cooking until tomatoes are softened. Add turmeric, coriander and red chili powder. Season with salt and mix well. Add kale and peas (or any other vegetables you’re using). Cover and cook stirring occasionally until vegetables are cooked al dente.

Transfer the cooked vegetables to a bowl and rinse the pan to make sure there is no residue which can get burnt during Step 2 of cooking.

Step 2: Grease the pan with oil/butter. Add the vegetable mixture back to the pan and spread it evenly. Crack the eggs over the mixture, season lightly with salt and red chili powder.

Cook on medium-low heat until the eggs are cooked to your liking. I like to leave the yolks a little soft. If you want the beautiful yellow yolks to be seen on top, do not cover the pan. If you’re okay with the egg white covering the yolks, cover and cook to save some cooking time. I started off cooking uncovered and then lost patience and covered the pan causing some of the yolks to be covered by egg whites.

Let the skillet cool for a few minutes, then slice and serve!

~Gayatri