Ryan Thomas is a university graduate who enjoys cooking recipes from a wide variety of culinary traditions.

Beautiful and resplendent with the bright colors of the curry contrasting against the bright white of the hard-boiled eggs, this Indian curry recipe is a lively and hearty dish that is especially well-suited for cold winter days. It has a host of different ingredients within—ranging from tomatoes, to carrots, to potatoes, and the normal Indian panoply of spices. Prawns are a delicious seafood, even if they are labor-intense to prepare. And they provide a pleasant flair as well—if one can afford it (they're terribly expensive to buy for me at least; hence, I only put a limited quantity). I recommend putting more in. But the eggs serve as a wonderful substitute for the normal sources of protein. In addition to their aesthetic appeal, they have such a different taste and texture from the rest of the curry that they're a wonderful treat. I love hard-boiled eggs myself, and it is always fascinating to find dishes that incorporate them so well.

I have adapted this recipe from The Pondicherry Kitchen: Traditional recipes from the Indo-French territory by Lourdes Tirouvanziam-Louis. I personally thought that the original recipe presented was rather bland. So I changed some things around and added in a different array of spices (in particular curry powder, as the previous recipe didn't really taste very much like a curry—perhaps that is the intent in Southern India, but I preferred it my way), as well as altering the portion sizes for fit our family's needs. Still, despite the critique, the recipe presented made a wonderful base, and I look forward to cooking more from this book.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 2 green chillies
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 onions, peeled and chopped
• 1 inch ginger, crushed
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed or finely minced
• 1 tomato
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1/3 lb prawns
• 20 cashew nuts
• 2 potatoes
• 5 hard boiled eggs
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 3 cups coconut milk
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Combine together the coriander, green chilies (remove some of the seeds if you want a less spicy curry, but I recommend keeping them in), and sesame seeds, and either grind together or chop finely and mix.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet or other cooking vessel, then add the ground cloves, cinnamon, bay leaf, and the onions, and fry until the onions are golden.
3. Add the ginger and garlic. Continue to fry until the onions are golden brown.
4. Add the coriander seeds, green chilies, sesame seeds, turmeric, curry powder, fry shortly, then add the tomatoes and salt. Add the potatoes now.
5. Add the prawns and the cashews, then the coconut milk. Cook over low until the potatoes are soft.
6. Add the white wine and mix in, then deck the top with hard boiled eggs. Serve immediately over white rice.

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© 2018 Ryan Thomas

Comments

Ryan Thomas (author) from Eureka, California on May 26, 2018:

Dear Peachy,

I've never used coconut milk powder so I can't say its effects frankly. I would imagine that it would probably be acceptable, since this recipe could use plenty of coconut milk, but I don't know for sure.

peachy from Home Sweet Home on May 25, 2018:

3 cups of coconut milk, mix with 1 packet of coconut milk powder?