Egg curry with coconut sambol

This vegetarian curry is packed full of flavour.

Credit: Born to Cook: Jack Stein Downunder

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  45 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

Curry

• 50 ml vegetable oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 12 curry leaves
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 5 cm piece ginger, finely chopped
• 8 vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 8 hard-boiled eggs
• 1 tbsp salt
• 2 green chillies, sliced
• 400 g basmati rice, to serve
• Poppadum triangles, to serve

Sri Lankan curry powder

• 2 tbsp basmati rice, raw
• 4 tbsp coriander seeds
• 3 tbsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp black peppercorns
• 2 tbsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 1 tbsp black mustard seeds
• 2 tsp cloves
• 1 heaped tsp cardamom seeds (from the pods)
• 1 heaped tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp turmeric

Sambol

• 1 large dried red Kashmiri chilli
• 50 g shallots, roughly chopped
• 3 green chillies, roughly chopped
• 10 g garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
• 10–12 curry leaves (about 1 sprig)
• 5 g bonito flakes
• 100 g fresh coconut, grated
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

For the curry powder, place the rice in a dry pan and roast until brown. Add the spices and cook together until fragrant. Place in a blender and process to a powder.

For the curry, warm half of the vegetable oil in a large, wide pan and add the onions and 6 of the curry leaves; cook until lightly coloured then add the garlic and ginger and cook for another 3 minutes.

Move this onion mixture to one side of the pan and place 1 ½ tablespoons of the roasted curry powder in the space left. Cook the spices for 1 minute.

Bring the powder and vegetables together, cooking the mixture for a further 20 minutes.

Meanwhile for the sambol, heat a dry, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add the dried chilli and shake it around for 2–3 minutes until it has darkened slightly. Tip into a mortar, leave to cool and become brittle, then crush into flakes. Put the flakes into a mini food processor, add the onions, cayenne chillies, garlic, chilli powder, curry leaves, bonito flakes and coconut and process using the pulse button until finely chopped. Tip into a bowl and stir in the lime juice, black pepper and ½ teaspoon salt.

Meanwhile boil the rice, then cover to keep warm.

If the curry starts to dry, add a little water. You want the tomatoes to break down and release their juice. Now add the coconut milk and cook until reduced and thick. Keep the curry warm over a low heat. Halve the eggs and add to the curry. Cook for one minute until warm. Serve with the coconut sambol.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.