Anda curry or Indian egg curry is a rustic, dhaba-style recipe that's easy and so tasty. Best had with naan or rice, it is guaranteed to leave you satiated and happy! Stovetop and instant pot recipes included.
About Anda Curry
What to do when it's a weeknight, you know there's nothing much in the fridge (no meat, no veggies) and dinner has to be made?
You make egg curry, of course!
Eggs have come to my rescue so many times when I'm out of ingredients or ideas for dinner ... in the form of this easy egg curry recipe.
It's a wholesome, no-frills dish that is very filling too, and everyone in my house adores it. All you need are some basic ingredients like eggs, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, ginger, garlic and a few spices.
More easy weeknight curries: aloo palak, instant pot vegetable korma, matar paneer.
Ingredients
Ground masala ingredients:
Other Ingredients:
Stovetop Instructions
1. Make the ground masala (curry base): Since we are making a curry, we need some wet ground masala. It's the easiest thing ever to make this masala. Put the ingredients (first image) in a blender along with a little water and blend away to get a smooth puree.
Tip: Make a large batch if you are planning to make cook more curry-based dishes during the week. Put it in a clean and dry glass jar and seal. Store the jar in the fridge and use as required. I always have some of this masala in the fridge, ready to be spooned out at a moment's notice.
2. Boil the eggs and fry them: I use my trusty instant pot (3 minutes on high pressure with a 5 minute release) to get perfectly boiled eggs. If the pot's not free, boil them in a saucepan. The yolks should be firm and not runny. Once cool, peel the eggs and shallow fry in one teaspoon oil until lightly browned.
Note: You can skip shallow frying the eggs if you want to. It is not terribly essential, and when I'm in a hurry, I add the eggs directly to the curry after halving them.
3. Make the curry
- Fry the whole spices and onions in hot oil until the onions are browned.
- Add the ground masala you prepared in step 1, salt and spice powders. Roast this masala on medium heat until fragrant. It will splatter a bit, but if you stir it around vigorously with a spoon without stopping, it gets roasted faster and doesn't get a chance to land all over your stovetop!
Tip: Roasting the masala in oil (bhunai) is the most important step in making a successful curry. After you add the ground masala to the caramelized onions, use a large spoon to stir the masala continuously on medium heat for about 5-8 minutes until you see it turning dark and glossy and the oil separating from it. At this point, the masala is fully roasted and ready.
- Add the yogurt and stir for another 2 minutes or until the yogurt is fully incorporated in the masala.
4. Add the potatoes: Once the curry is ready, add the potatoes (peeled and cut into medium-sized chunks), and 1 cup water. Cover the karahi or wok with a lid and allow the potatoes to cook in the curry for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes soften.
5. Add the eggs: Halve the boiled and fried eggs and add them to the curry. Garnish the curry with chopped cilantro and slit green chillies, and it is ready to be served. Egg curry goes well with both homemade Indian bread (roti), and rice. Take your pick.
Tip: Don't cook the curry or stir it around after adding the eggs. We don't want the yolks to break and spread into the curry.
Instant Pot Instructions
1. Make the ground masala and boil the eggs as outlined in steps 1 and 2 of the stovetop instructions. These are prep steps that you will want to do before starting to make the curry in your instant pot.
2. Heat the oil on sauté (medium) and add the whole spices and sliced onions. Fry until the onions are golden brown.
3. Add the ground masala, salt and powdered spices. Sauté until the masala is glossy and fragrant, and the oil has left the sides (5-8 minutes). You can add a few splashes of water to prevent the masala from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Roasting the masala (bhunai) is an important step so don't skip it.
4. Add the yogurt and continue sautéing the masala for 2 minutes more or until the yogurt is fully incorporated into the masala.
5. Deglaze the pot and add peeled and cut potatoes along with 1 cup plain water. Pressure cook on high for 2 minutes. When the timer beeps, wait for 5 minutes before opening the pot.
5. Halve the boiled eggs and add them to the curry, or arrange the halved eggs in a platter and pour the curry over them. Garnish with chopped cilantro and slit green chillies. Egg curry is ready to be served with some warm naan or rice.
📖 Recipe
Indian Egg Curry
Equipment
- Blender
- Medium-sized wok (karahi) or 6-quart Instant Pot Duo
Ingredients
For the ground masala
- 1 red onion small, chopped roughly
- 1" piece ginger chopped roughly
- 6 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 tomato medium, chopped roughly
Curry ingredients
- 4 eggs boiled
- ⅓ cup cooking oil
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 black cardamom
- ¼ tsp peppercorns
- 5 cloves
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 red onion sliced finely
- ½ teaspoon chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 2 tablespoon yogurt whisked
- 3 potatoes small, peeled and cut into medium chunks
- 3 green chillies Thai chillies, chopped or sliced
- 2 tablespoon cilantro leaves
Instructions
Preparation
- Put the peeled and chopped onion, ginger, garlic and tomato in a blender with a few tablespoons water and blend to get a smooth puree.
- Hard boil the eggs and peel them.
- Optional step: Fry the hardboiled eggs in a teaspoon of oil until slightly browned.
Cooking: Stovetop Instructions
- Heat oil in a wok or karahi and add the whole spices and sliced onions. Fry on medium heat until the onions are golden-brown.
- Add the ground masala, salt and powdered spices. Stir continuously on medium heat until the masala is thick and glossy and the oil leaves the sides of the pan (5-8 minutes). Add a few splashes water if needed.
- Add the yogurt and sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Add the potatoes and 1 cup water. Cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Check the consistency of the curry. If it is too thick, add a quarter cup water to loosen it. Halve the boiled eggs, add them to the curry, and top with fresh cilantro and green chillies. Serve hot with roti or rice.
Cooking: Instant Pot Instructions
- Turn on your instant pot to sauté (medium) and heat the oil in the inner pot. Add the whole spices and sliced onions and fry until the onions are golden brown.
- Add the ground masala, salt and powdered spices. Stir continuously on medium heat until the masala is thick and glossy and the oil leaves the sides of the pan (5-8 minutes).
- Add the yogurt and stir the masala for another 2 minutes. Cancel sauté and deglaze the pot.
- Add the potatoes and 1 cup water. Secure the lid and set the pot to pressure cooking on high for 3 minutes. Make sure the steam release handle is sealed. When the timer beeps, wait for 5 minutes before releasing the steam and opening the pot.
- Check the consistency of the curry. If it is too thick, add a quarter cup water to loosen it. Halve the boiled eggs, add them to the curry, and top with fresh cilantro and green chillies. Serve hot with roti or rice.
Notes
- Choose the reddest tomato you can find for a pleasing looking curry. Roma tomatoes work well.
- Don't over-brown the onions while frying them, or the colour and taste of the curry will be compromised.
- Don't co0k the curry or stir it a lot after adding the eggs, or the yolks will mix with the curry.
Joanna says
How much yogurt? The recipe doesn’t say.
Saima says
Sorry Joanne, 2 tbsp yogurt should be fine. I'll update the recipe card.