The Egg Roast Rendezvous

Hello Folks!!!

Last night, my mother was heating some egg roast for dinner while the rest of us set the table. The egg roast is a very simple, semi-dry side-dish, where eggs are coated in luscious thick sauce made with red tomatoes and caramelized onions. I wouldn't say this is a super quick dish, because you need to let the masala fry for a while in order to let the flavours blend with each other properly. But, with a little bit of patience, anyone can always cook up a magic potion. It's a wonder in itself that tastes equally good. 

Interrupting my short happiness of watching the buttery smooth onions and tangy tomatoes swirling around the pot and bubbling into thick sauce, my garrulous little sister picked up a silly conversation. She started off by saying that she was ready to sacrifice her share of the egg roast and remain a good child who can 'sometimes' sacrifice good things. It reminded me of the story "The Sacrificial Egg" by Chinua Achebe, and all the misfortunes that came along with it, including the epidemic. 

Before the pandemic, when my friends and I were at the hostel, all of us used to wait for those two days when we used to get either an egg or a banana along with dinner. We had to collect coupons from the canteen in-charge every Saturday and sign on the register to make sure that we would get only one egg or banana and nothing more or less. Whenever one of us went back home, we always made sure that we gave our coupon to our friends so that they could enjoy the occasional gifts instead of us wasting it. Hearing my sister's comical laments evoked the memory of my own precious strip of coupons lying abandoned for almost a year and a half in the drawer of my study table back at the hostel. 

By the time everything was set on the table and the curry was ready, my sister could no more control her temptation and surrendered to eat the curry along with us😆. 

RECIPE                                                                                                                                       Serves: 3

INGREDIENTS

1.Hard boiled eggs – 3-4

2.Onions – 2

3.Tomato (large) - 1

4.Ginger (finely chopped) – 1tsp

5.Garlic (finely chopped)– 1tsp

6.Green chillies – 2

7.Red chilli powder – 1tsp

8.Garam masala powder – 1tsp

9.Coriander power – 1 ½ tsp

10.Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

11.Sugar – ½ tsp

12.Salt- to taste

13.Oil – 2-3tbsp

INSTRUCTIONS

1.Heat oil in the pan and sauté thinly sliced onions until golden brown.

2.Now, add the ginger, garlic and green chillies and mix well. Once cooked, simmer the flame.

3.Add coriander, red chilli, turmeric and garam masala powder and mix well till the mixture becomes dry.

4.Add the chopped tomatoes to the masala and mix well. 

5. Once the tomatoes are cooked well, add 1 cup water and salt and mix. Increase the flame to medium and cook for 2-3 minutes till it thickens.

6.Gently drop the eggs in and carefully mix so that they get coated with the gravy. Add sugar, give a gentle stir and switch off the stove.

7.Serve hot with steaming appams, rotis or parathas.