Egg Drop Curry is what my mother used to prepare for any surprise guest visits at home. Its easy to make, its rich with flavor and its filling to tummy. I prefer this curry to hard-boiled egg curry (which is common in Indian cuisine) because this process helps the yolk also to absorb the flavors from the gravy. My mother used to prepare it in a simple onion, tomato gravy, but yesterday for dinner, I wanted to give some Goan flavor to this recipe. Though I never got a chance to visit Goa, from food documentaries I have watched and the other blogs I have learnt that Goan cuisine which is highly influenced from Portuguese, is chili hot, spicy, and pungent. Items made from rice, fish, and coconut abound in nearly every Goan meal. I wanted to taste these flavors with some simple preparation and so chose this egg recipe. It was spicy hot, tangy and the flavor of coconut was awesome with poached eggs.

I have adapted this recipe from here. The recipe called for fresh grated coconut, but I have used dried coconut flakes and used dried red chilies instead of kashmiri red chilies. Though the end result was good in flavor and spice, I guess kashmiri red chilies would have give brighter color. Try this recipe at home with flavors of Goa and give a new dimension to the regular egg curry. I served it with steamed rice and I think coconut rice goes really well with it.

Goan Egg Drop Curry

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

Eggs: 4

Onion: 1 medium, chopped

Tomato: 1 medium, chopped

Garlic Cloves: 3, minced

Coconut Milk: 1/2 cup

Salt: 1 tsp

Red Chili Powder: 1 tsp (Optional)

Vegetable Oil: 2 tbsp

Water: 3 cups

Coriander Leaves: for garnish

Ingredients for Ground Masala Paste:

Desiccated Coconut Flakes: 4 tbsp (Use fresh grated coconut if available)

Dried Red Chilies: 5 (Use Kashmiri Red Chilies if available)

Coriander Seeds: 1 tbsp

Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp

Garlic: 4 cloves

Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp

Tamarind: 1 small ball, grape size

Procedure:

1. Dry roast coconut flakes, red chilies, coriander seeds, cumin separately and transfer to the blender. Add tamarind, garlic, turmeric powder and little water and grind to a thick paste. Set aside
2. In a wide non-stick pan, heat the oil and add garlic and onions and saute for few mins until translucent
3. Add tomatoes, salt and cook until tomatoes are mushy
4. Add the ground paste and red chili powder and cook until the paste comes together and leaves oil at the edges
5. Add 3 cups of water and bring to boil.
6. Drop each egg with a little gap between each other and cover cook for 5-7 mins until eggs are cooked and the gravy is reduced (Insert a knife/fort into the yolk and if it comes out clean, the egg is cooked)
7. Add coconut milk and slightly tilt the pan so that coconut milk is spread and eggs are covered with the gravy
8. Cook for 2 more mins and garnish with coriander leaves

Notes:

1. Do not cook more than 2 mins after adding coconut milk, it may curdle.
2. During cooking process eggs may stick to the bottom of the pan, so occasionally move the eggs in the gravy with a light hand without breaking them.
3. You can skip the coconut milk if you do not have it and tastes equally good.