Eggs in Spiced Tomato Curry
This is the sort of dish best enjoyed family-style, around your kitchen counter on a Sunday morning, or for dinner with friends on a Friday night.
Of course, there are all sorts of versions of this dish: shakshukha, huevos rancheros or eggs in purgatory. My version—fragrant with cumin and sumac—is a reflection of my Pakistani-Persian spice pantry.
The beauty of this dish is that it comes together very fast; you prepare the spiced tomato base, and then gently drop the eggs in to cook in a warm tomato bath. The result is these perfectly poached eggs in a jammy tomato curry.
Before serving, adorn with sumac, it’s a spice which you could add to your pantry–it’s garnet-hued, with a tart, earthy flavor. I love dipping some crusty sourdough into these creamy, wholesome organic egg yolks from Conestoga Farms.
Eggs in Spiced Tomato Curry
Equipment
- 9-10 inch skillet or saute pan with a lid
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place a skillet or sauté pan over medium heat.
- Add olive oil and butter, and when glistening, add shallots and sauté till golden and softened; about 3-5 minutes.
- Add garlic and continue to sauté till slightly golden.
- Sprinkle turmeric on top of shallots and garlic and stir till they are yellow and well coated.
- Add in cumin powder, hot smoked paprika and sea salt.
- Pour in tomato sauce; as soon as it starts to bubble, cover with a lid, reduce heat, and allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- Remove lid and taste for salt.
- Crack eggs, one by one and gently pour into the tomato sauce (don’t worry if the yolks of some of them crack, it will still be delicious).
- Try to get them all in as quickly as possible, so they cook for the same amount of time.
- Dot with cherry tomatoes, cover with lid, and allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until the whites of the eggs are opaque.
- Take off the heat and sprinkle with sumac.
- Adorn with your favourite herbs and enjoy with crusty sourdough bread.
