Serve up an egg-cellent masala with Parveen the Spice Queen

What is the answer to this old adage? I am not sure, but what I AM sure about is both chicken and eggs are two ingredients that can be turned into delicious curries and masala dishes. Of course in the world of Indian cooking, chicken dishes are very popular. From the nation’s favourite curry, chicken tikka masala, to chicken jalfrezi, dupiaza, tandoori and chicken bhuna - but what about the humble egg? In authentic Indian cuisine, eggs are often added to dishes, i.e. sliced on top of a biriyani or scrambled with some fresh green chilli and coriander, and served with hot buttered chappattis.

Believe me, when I say, eggs taste fabulous with a little spice and there are so many different ways one can incorporate them into Indian recipes. One dish I often cook is a simple egg and potato masala. I wanted to pay homage to the Easter Egg this week. Even though these eggs are not made of chocolate, they are just as tasty with the added bonus of no sugar rush at the end, even if you overindulge. So, if you have overdone it this Easter with chocolate eggs, then try my savoury and spicy egg masala recipe. It’s not as famous as a chicken Tikka Masala and it may be a poor relation - but here is the thing, we could not enjoy our favourite chicken dishes as they all started off from a humble little egg. So, regardless of what came first, the chicken or the egg? This is an egg-cellent dish, so give it a go and please let me know how you get on with it.

INGREDIENTS

2 medium onions - thinly sliced

6 hardboiled eggs

3 medium potatoes

Tinned tomatoes (400g)

1 tsp of chilli powder

1 tsp of coriander seed powder

2 tsp salt

5 tbsp cooking oil

2 tbsp of chopped fresh coriander

METHOD

1. In a large pan, add oil and sliced onions.

Fry onions until golden brown on medium heat.

2. Blitz the tomatoes in a blender and add into the pan along with the salt, chilli and coriander seed powder.

Cook on high heat for 10 minutes until sauce is reduced to a thick consistency. Then cover with lid and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Peel and cut the potatoes into quarters, then add into the pan and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes, keep stirring, ensuring the potatoes are thoroughly covered with the curry sauce.

4. Peel and add the eggs and 200ml of hot water.

5. Add the fresh coriander, cover the pan and simmer for 5 mins or till the potatoes are cooked.