Shakshuka / Egg Drop Curry

When I first heard about egg drop curries, it didn't sound all that appetizing to me - especially since I am not a fan of runny yolks and I imagined it would make the curry more eggy than I would like. However, after tasting a well cooked poached egg and after my attempts at steaming eggs, the results were favorable so I decided to give this curry a try and we really enjoyed the taste. I made some modifications to the original shakshuka to make it a tad more spicy and less tomatoey to cater to our taste buds.

SHAKSHUKA / EGG DROP CURRY 

Ingredients

Eggs -  4 to 5 

Onion - 1, big or 2 medium, finely chopped

Jalapeno - 1, minced (optional) 

Red Bell Pepper - 1 small or half of a big one, chopped

Tomatoes - 2, chopped

Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves, minced

Cumin seeds - half tsp

Chilli powder - half tsp

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Cumin powder -1 tsp

Paprika - half tsp 

Parmesan cheese - 1 to 2 tbsp (optional, for garnish) 

Coriander leaves - 1 to 2 tbsp, finely chopped

Salt - to taste 

Black pepper - to taste

Oil - 2 tsp

Method:

1) In a wide mouthed pan, heat oil and add the cumin seeds. Add in the onion, garlic, red bell peppers and jalapeno and sauté for a few minutes. 

2) Next, add in the chopped tomatoes, followed by the spices and salt.  Cover  and cook on a medium flame till the tomatoes turn mushy (adding 1/4 cup water if it sticks to the bottom). 

3) Add about a half cup water and once the mixture boils, reduce heat to medium low and allow to simmer for a minute. 

4) Make some shallow indentations in the sauce (spaced out for the number of eggs that you are using). Carefully break in an egg (or break into a small bowl and pour in the indentations to prevent any shells accidentally falling in) into each of the indentations. Sprinkle the eggs with a tiny bit of salt and black pepper. 

5) Cover the pan with a lid and allow to cook for about 5-6 minutes if you want runny yolks or 8-10 minutes if you want it fully cooked through (like I do). check the yolks with a small spoon to ensure they are firm. Note that the longer the eggs stay in the sauce, they continue to cook a bit more. 

6) Sprinkle the parmesan cheese and coriander leaves as garnish before serving with some toasted bread or roti or naan.