Dhoney Pata Dim

 

 

The month of March is dedicated to eggs. My friend and blogger Progna Ghosh (PG) of A Whiff of Spice and I have started this new series - "Ingredient of the Month" (Check out February's here!). I spent almost one-third of the month being too busy with prior commitments and/or being sick, so here I am at last with my first Egg recipe - Dhoney paata Dim or eggs cooked in cilantro based gravy. This is a very easy recipe and I make variations of this recipe often.

 

Ingredients:

• Eggs - 4, boiled and peeled
• Cilantro - 1 Cup, packed
• Garlic - 2 fat cloves
• Tomato - 1, small chopped
• Green Chili - 1 or more depending on your heat preference
• Onions - 1/2 Cup, sliced
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam Masala Powder - 1/8 tsp or a fat pinch
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Oil - 1 tsp + 1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Using a paring knife, score the surface of the boiled and peeled eggs. Heat oil in pan, and lightly fry the eggs till they turn slightly golden brown. You can skip this step and add the scored boiled eggs directly to the cooked gravy! But we love the wrinkly golden brown eggs in our family. Set aside.

In a blender, make a smooth paste of the cilantro, garlic, tomato and green chili with half a cup of water. My paste was a little chunky as I used my food processor. I am yet to replace my conked off blender.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions till caramelized. Sprinkle cumin powder, coriander powder and garam masala powder and cook till the raw smell is gone and the gravy has thickened slightly. Season with salt. Add the boiled eggs to the gravy and let the eggs soak in the flavors. Serve with rice or roti and refrigerate the leftovers.

For the Garam Masala powder, I coarsely grind 1 inch of cinnamon, 1 clove and 1 green cardamom.