Commonly known as mutta roast in the native tongue, this is a breakfast staple from God’s own country, Kerala. Boiled eggs are dunked in a spicy, caramelised onion gravy. Serve them with kerala parotta, chapati, idiyappam or Aapam in a traditional way for breakfast or pair it with any kind of flatbread or rice for lunch and dinner – either way, you can never go wrong!
Ingredients
- 4 Eggs
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1/2” cinnamon stick (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 3-4 curry leaves
- 1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
- 1 green chilli, slit lengthwise (optional)
- 4 medium sized onions, finely sliced
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri red chilli powder (mainly for colour)
- 1 tablespoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala powder
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander leaves for garnishing
Instructions
- Hard boil the eggs, peel the skin and keep aside.
- Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan or kadai on medium heat. Add the cinnamon stick and mustard seeds.
- Once it sizzles, add curry leaves, green chilli (if using) and ginger garlic paste. Keep stirring until the raw smell of the ginger garlic paste goes away.
- Then add the finely sliced onions, a pinch of salt and sugar, and stir frequently on medium heat until the onions start turning golden brown.
- Then add the spice powders – salt, both the red chilli powders and coriander powder. Add 1/4 cup water and mix well.
- Keep stirring the onion mixture until the mixture becomes dry and oil starts leaving the sides of the pan.
- Add water, if required to achieve the semi-dry gravy consistency or as per your liking.
- Then add the boiled eggs, either whole or cut into half, to the gravy. Mix well so that the masala coats the eggs properly.
- Bring the mixture to a boil. Sprinkle generous amounts of finely chopped coriander and turn off the flame.
- Cover the pan with a lid and let it rest for ten minutes for the flavours to come together.
Serve this with kerala parotta, chapati, idiyappam or Aappam.
Notes:
- The brown colour of the dish is due to the caramelisation of the onions. Stir on medium to medium-low heat to prevent the onions from burning.
- Add sugar and salt while cooking the onions to help in the caramelisation process.
- If you are adding whole eggs, slightly slit the eggs before adding it to the gravy.
Recipe by Nisha Ramesh
