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Dimer Dalna (Egg Curry)

Someone remind me I don’t like to cook on Sunday nights, OK? Especially a dish I’ve never cooked before, and one with multiple steps. Thankfully, the end result for this meal was great — it even got a thumbs up from J.

Rinku, another Westchester blogger, posted this recipe for Dimer Dalna on her site (she has a lot of delicious ideas there) and I knew immediately I’d have to try it. I’ve made vegetarian Indian dishes before (such as Vegetable Jalfrezi and Tandoori Tofu) and a few chicken recipes using similar spices, but this is my first time making a curry with eggs. We really liked it, and it would be a great way to use up leftover hard-boiled eggs.

Rinku’s recipe uses a few more spices than I have in my rack, so I tried to achieve a similar flavor using what I had. I also omitted the plain yogurt in the sauce, as I thought J. would prefer it that way. Finally, I got the idea to make shallow slits in the eggs before seasoning them from Mallika’s recipe for the same dish — I think it helps the spices to permeate the eggs, and plus it looks pretty!

I think the spiced and pan-fried eggs alone (pictured above) would make an awesome sandwich.

Dimer Dalna (Egg Curry)
Adapted from Rinku’s Dimer Dalna

This recipe is mildly spiced. To make the curry stronger, add more chili powder or serrano pepper.

8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt

2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
1/4 c. canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 tsp. crushed garlic (or 4 cloves, minced)
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 serrano chili, seeded and minced (or use jalapeno, which is milder)
salt & black pepper to taste
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
2 c. water
1 c. frozen peas
1 large bunch cilantro, roughly chopped (a cup or so)
1/4 c. sliced almonds (optional, for garnish)

Make sure your peeled eggs are dry, and cut two shallow slits diagonally across each egg — one slit on each side. Sprinkle with turmeric, chili powder, and salt and pat spices around each egg to make sure it’s completely covered. Set aside for about 10 minutes.

Place cubed potatoes into a covered, microwave-safe dish and cook for about 6 minutes on high, until they are nearly cooked through and just shy of fork-tender. Set aside.

Heat canola oil in a large, non-stick skillet. Pan-fry eggs for 5-10 minutes, until they begin to brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate, and leave remaining oil in the pan.

Add onion and garlic to the pan, sauteing until onions are softened. Add potatoes and saute over medium-high heat until potatoes brown. Add remaining ingredients up to and including the water — you can add less water if you like your curry dry. Stir, and allow to come back to a simmer over medium heat.

Slice each egg in half, and add to pan. Stir in peas and cilantro, and simmer dish, uncovered, until peas are defrosted and eggs are heated through — about 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve over Basmati rice, sprinkled with sliced almonds.

Here’s the finished dish: (more…)

8 Comments April 20, 2009

Mulligatawny with Chickpeas

We finally got around to this mulligatawny from Body + Soul magazine tonight, which Julie has posted on her blog (the magazine still doesn’t have it up).

J. liked the soup a more than I did; the spice is balanced (a little fiery) and I generally like lentils, but overall this just didn’t do anything for me. I wouldn’t make it again.

I used brown lentils, since that’s what was in my pantry, and omitted the coriander because I didn’t have any (and it’s rarely called for in the recipes I cook). To make things easier, I used my immersion blender to puree the lentils. Mine batch turned out a bit watery, so add your water in slowly until you get the thickness you desire.

The star of this recipe is the pan-toasted chickpeas that are supposed to go on top of the soup (mine sunk to the bottom). Just drizzle a tiny amount of olive oil in a large skillet, season a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas with salt and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat until browned and starting to pop. These were divine — I could have eaten the whole batch myself.

2 Comments January 25, 2009