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Few ingredients inspire the kind of instinctive creativity that eggs do. I was only four when I was first delighted by the possibilities that lay beneath its speckled shell. My Bengali grandmother first half hard-boiled the eggs to perfection, only peeling back the softened shell when it was cooler. While she waited, she created the sublime mashed potato mixture filled with heady hits of ginger, garlic, chopped onions and green chillies (all staples in a good Bengali snack) that would generously coat the eggs, a proportion only the most practiced chefs seem to master. From the corner of my eye, the bread crumbs her deft fingers moved towards confirmed my drooling mouth’s suspicion—this was going to be one of those heavenly Kolkata-style snacks, deep fried and delicious. “Devilled eggs, na ki dimer chops,” she laughingly informed me as I ate them piping hot, straight from her kadhai. With her passing a few years later, the dish, too, became obsolete in our house, but the memory has never left me. In the years since, I’ve often marvelled at how few people outside of Kolkata even know of its utterly satisfying existence, while local preparations of eggs around the country have continued to delight me.
Like the fiery red, just-spicy-enough omelette curry a Tamilian friend’s uncle once spooned onto my plate. Or the Parsi-led discovery that a dish is not truly complete until there’s an egg on top of it; just say ‘par edu’. Or the life-changing discovery of UP’s own version of devilled eggs that I’m ashamed to admit put even my childhood memory to shame because they use the carnivore’s trump card—replace the potato with spicy kheema, then roll in batter and deep fry.
Still, it would take a lifetime even for the keenest egg enthusiast to discover all the eggy delights our giant country offers. So we did a little poking around and tried to identify some of the most exciting-sounding local egg dishes one might find while traveling across India. For those who like their eggs every which way, it doesn’t get better than this.
I. West Bengal–Dim Kosha
‘Kosha’, in Bengali, means to cook spices for long periods of time so as to bring out their deepest, most authentic flavour. It’s no surprise then that Dim Kosha refers to the spicy, thick egg curry dishes West Bengal locals consider a staple. With a tomato-based gravy that would be bloody delicious even on its own, this egg curry is usually served with steamed rice or roti – piping hot, of course.
II. Tamil Nadu–Omelette Curry
Between personal memories and the name of this dish, it was impossible to resist exploring this one further. Its origins trace back to a Christian community in Tamil Nadu, who, instead of adding entire boiled eggs into the gravy (as in most Indian egg curries), labour over making omelettes first, and then dunking pieces of it to simmer in the gravy. It is most popularly eaten with Malabar parotta, and like a lot of other Christian community food, their generous use of spices heighten the flavour immensely.
Find a great recipe to make this delightful dish here.
III. Maharashtra–Baida Roti
Bombay’s mastery of street food never fails to amaze us. The Baida Roti, said to have originated at the iconic Bombay restaurant, Bademiya, is quite possibly one of the city’s greatest contributions to our rich culinary culture. Though hardly unique for those who live here, the minced meat-stuffed roti shallow-fried in egg will always make the cut for just about any egg story we ever compile. Call it local’s bias if you will. Typically served with tamarind chutney, the dish is always relegated to snack status but we’d be lying if we said it hasn’t substituted hundreds of meals for us, too.
Never leave your house again in search of a dish to satisfy your midnight egg cravings with this recipe.
IV. Uttar Pradesh–Nargisi Kofta
Awadhi cuisine is royal cuisine. This characteristic makes it an obvious prerequisite for any Awadhi dish to be incredible, inside and out, and the Nargisi Kofta is witness to this. This dish uses the winning combination of mutton keema and eggs to create something so beautiful, it’s impossible to eat just one. Kofta, made with minced meat, surrounds boiled eggs, and is deep fried. This dish can be eaten either plain or with a tomato-based gravy – either way, its presentation is as sublime as its taste.
Never eat your koftas the same way, here.
V. Kerala–Mutta Puttu
Puttu, a steamed rice cake, is a traditional breakfast dish in Kerala more commonly paired with Kadala curry; a simple black chickpea creation that promises to fill you up for longer than any regular meal. The Motta Puttu is a variation of this – the steamed rice flour cake is stuffed with a spicy egg masala instead. The rice flour is usually mixed with coconut before being stuffed with the egg, allowing a delicious blend of flavours – exactly what one might crave first thing in the morning.
Start your day right with this recipe.
VI. Andhra Pradesh–Kodi Guddu Beerakaya Kura
This egg and ridge gourd curry captures all of Andhra’s tastes. This dish is made of boiled eggs cooked with ridge gourd, along with a variety of other vegetables like drumsticks, potatoes and tomatoes. The gravy is milk-based, which makes the dish just the right amount of sweet, which perfectly complements the kick of the green chillies that are generously added to it as well. Like most Andhra food, the after-kick of heat and chilli make it all the richer in flavour and that much more likely to suddenly surface in your midnight cravings.
Don’t miss out on this eggcellent potpourri of flavours; find the recipe here.
VII. Assam–Alu-Koni Pitika
This egg dish is perhaps the easiest to prepare at home, and sounds scrumptious too. It keeps things simple by combining boiled eggs mashed with boiled potatoes, and mixed with chillies, onion, mustard oil and coriander, usually served with rice. Exactly the kind of comfort food you might crave on an under-the-weather-day, while the mustard oil hit ensures there’s nothing tasteless about it.
Wed your two favourite things in the world, aloo and egg, here.
VIII. Mutta Dosai
A popular South Indian street dish, the Mutta Dosai or Egg Dosa is exactly what it sounds like – eggs within the traditional dosa batter. Made by simply breaking an egg over your simmering dosa, this dish makes your morning South Indian breakfast all the yummier. It’s perfect for when you can’t decide whether to have just eggs, or a wholesome Indian breakfast, and its so easy to make.
Learn how to have the best of all the breakfast worlds here.
IX. Orissa–Anda Chop
One of Orissa’s favourite snacks, the Anda Chop has branched out from the traditional Aloo Chop. Boiled eggs are coated with potato batter and deep fried. The chops taste fabulous with chutney or just tomato ketchup, and, again, is an invention simple to make at home yourself. The Anda Chop proves just how wonderfully diverse the egg is.
Find all your deep-fried dreams with this recipe.
Representational feature image courtesy of Cookilicious
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