RECIPE
“This is a curry that my Grandmother used to love. It’s full of goodness and really tasty. Deep frying peeled eggs gives it a tofu like exterior that absorbs the tasty coconut gravy.”
Prep Time: 15 mins | Cooking Time: 30 mins | Skill: Mid | Serves: 6
Ingredients
6 eggs (see Note)
salt
200 ml Hello Pure coconut oil, for deep- frying
1 tbsp Maldive fish flakes, ground in a mortar and pestle (see Note)
3 cm piece cinnamon stick
3 cm piece pandanus leaf, available from Asian grocers
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted
¼ tsp dill seeds
1 tsp chilli powder
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 small green chillies, finely chopped
1 sprig of curry leaves, leaves picked
350 ml Hello Pure coconut cream
½ tsp grated turmeric
coriander leaves, to serve
Method
Bring a medium saucepan of water to the boil, then plunge the eggs into the water and boil for 5 minutes. Remove and refresh in iced water until cool. Carefully peel the cooked eggs, then prick them all over with a fork and lightly salt them. Set aside.
Heat the coconut oil in a medium saucepan or wok to 180˚C. A good way to test if the oil is hot enough to start cooking is to put a curry leaf in and it should ‘pop’.
While the oil is heating, combine all the remaining ingredients in a heavy-based saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 8 minutes or until the onions are soft and the sauce has thickened.
Deep-fry the eggs in the hot coconut oil for 1 minute or until golden, then drain on absorbent paper. Add all of the eggs to the curry sauce and simmer for 4- 5 minutes. Season to taste and garnish with coriander to serve.
Note
• A tip for boiling eggs is to tap a small hole in the round end of the egg with a small knife. This will stop the eggs from cracking when you put them into boiling water.
• Maldive fish flakes are made from skip-jack tuna and are used sparingly in Sri Lankan cooking to thicken and add a unique smoky flavour.
Recipe by Peter Kuruvita and photo by Alan Benson for cookbook ‘Serendip, My Sri Lankan Kitchen’