Hot, spicy and super flavorful, this Chettinad style egg curry is unlike any other Indian curry you’ve tried. The eggs may be the hero ingredient here, but it’s the spices that make all the difference.
The curry is crafted using a unique blend of spices, and is best served with rice, parathas, naan or any other flatbread.
Think you’re ready to give the recipe a shot? Here’s all you need to know about it before you do.
Jump to:
Ingredients For the Recipe
You’ll need three sets of ingredients to make the Chettinad style egg curry. Ingredients
Ingredients For the Chettinad Masala
- Coriander seeds: 3 tbsp
- Cumin seeds: 1 tbsp
- Dry red chilies: 5-6
- Black Peppercorn: 1 tbsp
- Ajwain/Carom seeds: ½ tsp
- Poppy seeds: 1 tbsp
- Fenugreek seeds: ½ tsp
- Cloves: 3-4
- Cardamom: 3
- Mace: ½
- Star anise: 1
- Cinnamon stick: 1 inch
For the Onion Tomato Paste
- Onion (roughly chopped): 1 large
- Tomatoes (roughly chopped): 1 large
- Green chilies: 2
For the Egg Curry
- Boiled eggs: 4
- Mustard oil: 1 tbsp
- Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
- Mustard seeds: 2 tsp
- Curry leaves: 1-2 sprigs
- Prepared onion tomato paste
- Prepared Chettinad Masala
- Water: 1.5 cups
- Mint leaves: For garnish
How to Make the Chettinad Style Egg Curry
Once you have all your ingredients ready, here’s what you’ll need to do to put the egg curry together.
For the Chettinad masala, add all the whole spices in a small pan and dry roast them for 2-3 minutes.
Next, cool the roasted spices to room temperature, and grind them to a fine powder.
Prepare the onion tomato paste next. Add the ingredients into a blender and make a paste.
Heat oil in a pan. Add the boiled eggs and saute them for 2-3 minutes. Keep them aside.
Next, add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and curry leaves. Saute.
Add the prepared onion tomato paste. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
Once the oil starts separating from the mixture, add in the prepared Chettinad masala. Cook for 2 minutes.
Add the water next and let it come to a boil.
Add in the eggs next.
Let the mixture come to a boil.
Garnish with mint leaves.
Serve hot. Enjoy with steamed rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can choose to let the eggs shine as the key ingredient in this curry, or add in a few more veggies to make it more of a nutritious and healthy meal.
Potatoes are a classic that you can never go wrong with, and you’ll almost always find them in most Indian curries, so you can easily add them to the mix.
Apart from them, you can also consider adding veggies like carrots, bell peppers and even mushrooms to the mix.
To make the curry more protein rich, you can also add some paneer (cottage cheese cubes) or tofu into the mixture.
Your first instinct may be to use a store bought curry powder instead of making the Chettinad masala from scratch. Well, while you can do that for most other curries, this curry in specific, relies heavily on the freshly ground spice mix to add just the right flavor to the dish.
Putting the Chettinad masala together is quite literally a one time effort that can really pay off and transform your classic egg curry to one that oozes that earthy rusticness you’re looking for.
You sure can! The Chettinad masala can be prepped days in advance, if not weeks. Just remember to store it in a glass jar or an airtight container in a cool and dry place.
You can also prepare the onion tomato paste and refrigerate it for a couple of days until you’re ready to put it to use.
The eggs can be hard boiled in advance too. Then, all you need to do is put the curry together and you’re sorted. 
Your leftover Chettinad style egg curry can be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Remember to add a bit of water to the curry and adjust its consistency when you reheat it.
You can reheat the curry in the microwave or over the stovetop.
Tips & Tricks to Make the Chettinad Style Egg Curry
Think you’ve got it all sorted and you’re ready to try out this delicious curry? Wait up! Keep these little tips and tricks handy.
- Just like with most other curries, this egg curry tastes even better the next day!
- If you have prepared the Chettinad masala in a big batch, you can also use it as a base for other curries that you’re making. The masala is pretty versatile, so it can be used to prepare delicious chicken and fish curries too.
- Want to lend some creaminess to the dish to balance out the spiciness? Throw in some heavy cream and let it simmer. You can also use coconut cream or coconut milk instead.
- To keep the boiled eggs from sputtering while you’re frying them in the hot oil, poke some small holes into them with a fork. This will also help the masala seep into the eggs and lend it some extra flavor.
- If you’re not too sure about frying the boiled eggs, you can totally skip that step and just use the boiled eggs directly instead.
- Remember to keep the heat low when you’re roasting the spices for the Chettinad masala. This will allow the natural aromatic oils to release and add a lot more flavor to the masala.
- Depending on your preferred consistency of the curry, you can add more water to the curry.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Your classic Chettinad style egg curry tastes best when paired with some layered Kerala Parotta to mop up all that deliciousness. If you’re trying to keep it rather simple, you can stick to teaming it up with some steamed rice too.
To make it a complete meal, you can also pair it with some crispy papadum and a side of an Indian salad.
Loved trying your hands at this Indian inspired curry? Looking to try out some more fun and interesting Indian recipes? Here are a few good ones that’ll knock your socks off.
- Minced Lamb Canapes with Spicy Tangy Dressing
- Vindaloo Curry
- Minced Lamb Pastries with Spicy Mango Dressing
📖 Recipe
Chettinad Style Egg Curry
Ingredients
Ingredients For the Chettinad Masala
- 3 tablespoon Coriander Seeds
- 1 tablespoon Cumin Seeds
- 6 pcs Dry Red Chilies
- 1 tablespoon Black Peppercorn
- ½ teaspoon Ajwain/Carom Seeds
- 1 tablespoon Poppy Seeds
- ½ teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
- 4 pcs Cloves
- 3 pcs Cardamom
- ½ pc Mace
- 1 pc Star Anise
- 1 inch Cinnamon Stick
Ingredients For the Onion Tomato Paste
- 1 large Onion , (roughly chopped)
- 1 large Tomatoes , (roughly chopped)
- 2 pcs Green Chilies
Ingredients For the Egg Curry
- 4 pcs Boiled Eggs
- 1 tablespoon Mustard Oil
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 2 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 2 sprigs Curry Leaves
- 1 cup Prepared Onion Tomato Paste
- 1 cup Prepared Chettinad Masala
- 1.5 cup Water
- 1 bunch Mint Leaves, (For garnish)
Instructions
- For the Chettinad masala, add all the whole spices in a small pan and dry roast them for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, cool the roasted spices to room temperature, and grind them to a fine powder.
- Prepare the onion tomato paste next. Add the ingredients into a blender and make a paste.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add the boiled eggs and saute them for 2-3 minutes. Keep them aside.
- Next, add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and curry leaves. Saute.
- Add the prepared onion tomato paste. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Once the oil starts separating from the mixture, add in the prepared Chettinad masala. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the water next and let it come to a boil.
- Add in the eggs next.
- Let the mixture come to a boil.
- Garnish with mint leaves.
- Serve hot. Enjoy with steamed rice.
Nutrition
Leave a Reply