Egg Masala Gravy Recipe
Updated: April 1, 2024, By Swasthi
Egg Masala also known as Egg Gravy is a North Indian dish of hard boiled eggs simmered in a spicy and super aromatic onion tomato masala. It is an everyday side dish that can be eaten with plain rice, flavored rice varieties like pulao, coconut milk rice, Biryani, roti and plain parathas.
Eggs cooked with onions, tomatoes, spices and herbs is a common dish across all regions of India. So you will find similar dishes with different names like – masala, curry, gravy, salan, tari.
But the spices and herb combinations are different which infuse different flavor profiles to the dish. Ex: In South India, curry leaves, mustard seeds and sometimes coconut is used. It is mostly called a curry. In the Western Indian states pav bhaji masala, goda masala etc are used for Maharashtrian flavors.
True to its name – this Egg Masala is a North Indian dish, cooked with plenty of aromatic whole and ground spices like garam masala.
While the ground spices add body to the masala gravy, the whole spices slowly infuse the required flavors to the onion tomato masala. However if you are short of time or do not have the whole spices you may simply omit them.
This recipe is the most basic and the unique flavors come mostly from sautéing the onions well. If you like to include eggs often in your diet for a protein boost, check out these similar dishes:
Indian Egg Recipes
South Indian Egg Curry
Punjabi Dhaba Egg Curry
Chettinad Egg Curry
Egg Kurma
Egg Butter Masala
Aloo Anday (Curried Potato & Eggs)
How to make Egg Masala (Stepwise Photos)
Boil Eggs
1. Pour 3 cups water to a pot. Rinse eggs under running water and gently place them in the pot. Cover & begin to boil the eggs on a medium flame. The cook time of eggs differs by variety. So a good indication of a hard boiled eggs is when you see the cracks on the shell. Turn off the stove & rest for 10 minutes. Remove the eggs and add cold water to the pot.
2. Keep the eggs immersed in cold water until you they cool down slightly. Shell the eggs and pierce them with a fork.
Make the Masala
3. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin, bay leaf or curry leaves. Also add in cumin, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon. You can also replace these with mustard seeds. Allow them to crackle.
4. Add onions, sprinkle salt and fry till they turn slightly brown. If you can caramelize the onions, it enhances the aroma.
5. Next add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes off.
6. Add tomatoes and fry till they turn completely mushy. Soft and blend well with onions.
7. Then add red chili powder, garam masala or kitchenking masala and turmeric.
8. You can leave this if you don’t want to use cashews or coconut. I use it sometimes. Add ground cashew or coconut paste. Blend the cashews with little water to a smooth paste.
9. Fry till the masala dries up and begins to leave oil. This takes around 4 minutes.
10. Add eggs, mint & coriander leaves.
11. Fry for 2 minutes. You can also skip adding the eggs here. Fry them in 1 tbsp oil in a different pan. Sprinkle chilli powder and add it later to the boiling gravy.
12. Pour water just enough to make a thick gravy. I used little more than 3/4 cup. Cook till the egg gravy thickens, for about 3 to 4 minutes.
Serve egg masala gravy with plain steamed rice, biryani or chapathi or pulao.
FAQ
In the true sense, Egg Masala is North Indian and Egg Curry is South Indian. However you often see Dhaba Anda Masala is being served as Dhaba Egg Curry.
Egg Gravy is nothing but hardboiled eggs simmered in a spicy sauce. In Indian cuisine, Egg Masala or Egg Curry is also known as Egg gravy.
You can substitute hardboiled eggs with extra firm pressed tofu or even paneer.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Egg Masala Gravy Recipe
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 3 boiled eggs
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1¼ cup onions chopped (about 2 large)
- 1½ tsp ginger garlic paste or fine chopped
- ¾ cup tomatoes ripe, chopped (about 2 large)
- 1 to 2 green chili slit or chopped
- ½ to ¾ tsp red chili powder or paprika
- ¾ to 1 tsp garam masala or kitchen king masala
- 1/8 tsp turmeric or haldi
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp kasuri methi (optional)
- 2 tbsp mint or pudina leaves or coriander leaves or both
- 3 tbsp curd or yogurt or coconut or 12 cashew nuts
Spices
- 1 bay leaf or 1 sprig curry leaves
- ½ tsp cumin or jeera
- 3 cloves or laung (optional)
- 2 cardamoms or elaichi (optional)
- 1 inch cinnamon or dalchini (optional)
Instructions
Boiling Eggs
- Pour 3 cups water to a pot. Gently place the rinsed eggs and boil on a medium heat. Cover the pot & boil until you see cracks on the eggs. Turn off the stove and rest the eggs for 10 mins. Discard the water & keep the eggs immersed in cold water to cool down.
- Then remove the shell. Pierce with a fork randomly to make some gashes. This helps the eggs to absorb the flavors.
How to make Egg Masala
- Heat a pan with oil. Add cumin, bay leaf, cloves, cardamoms and cinnamon. Allow them to splutter.
- Add onions, sprinkle salt and fry till onions turn slightly brown or caramelize to enhance the aroma.
- Optional step – Skip this step if using yogurt. While the onions fry, make a fine paste of the cashews or coconut with some water. You can also blend together tomatoes and cashews.
- Add ginger garlic paste to the onions and saute till it becomes fragrant.
- Next add tomatoes, fry till they turn mushy.
- Add chili powder, turmeric and garam masala powder. Fry till it begins to smell good.
- Pour the yogurt or cashew paste or coconut paste, fry till the mix leaves the sides of the pan.
- Add eggs, mint leaves, coriander leaves. Fry for 2 mins , preferably till you get a mint aroma.
- Pour water just enough to partially cover the eggs. Cook covered till the egg masala thickens.
- Sprinkle some kasuri methi if you have.
- Serve egg masala curry with rice, roti or paratha.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
Iโm Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthiโs Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
Nice and delicious
Thanks a lot
This was delicious and easy, and with some roti and zucchini sabzi the two eggs i had left made a filling meal for two.
Simple and Super ??
Simply Superb Swasthi ????
Crystal clear steps… thanks
Very informative, thank you
Thank you
Made it and absolutely loved the masala. Thanks for the recipe
Welcome Jane
Glad to know
User friendly and very tasty!
Thank you
OMG ! I never imaged I could make egg curry sooooo good… Thank you so much Saswathi for the wonderful recipe… My husband loved it…
Glad to know Vani
Thank you it came out well
Welcome!
This recipe was incredible! My husband loved this dish. I made it pretty much exact except I didn’t add the chili’s and I used 6 eggs instead. It’s delicious and your instructions are clear and concise! Thank you!
Welcome Sadhana
Glad to know! Thank you
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Thank you , the recipe turned out yummy.I used cashewnuts to make the paste.
You are welcome! Glad to know!
Too good recipe.. I have started becoming fan of your recipes
Thank you Gayatri
So yummy!
Thank you!
Hello mam, I always follow your recipes and it gives very nice taste to me n my family. I m a very big fan of you? today I m trying your egg masala recipe…??
Hi Rasika,
Thank you so much! Glad to know you! Hope you enjoyed the egg masala.
Thanks again for the comment.
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I tried your egg masala,palak paneer,butter paneer it turned out very well.today I m going to try butter chicken.i usually perfer your recipes while cooking it’s simple easy and no time consuming.
Thanks so much for sharing your recipes.
Hi Nilima,
You are welcome. Thank you so much for the comment. Happy to know you liked the recipes. Yes do try the butter chicken.
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Thankyou. I tried recipe with 5 eggs.
I made littl as per my fly member’s taste, I added extra chilli powder, I didnt put khada masala u mentioned added littl biryani masala, made gravy thin & poured eggs directly gravy with boiling eggs first.
It wil Yum to have with rice?
Hi Deeksha
You are welcome. Glad your egg masala turned out yum. Thanks for the comment.
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Thankyou. I tried recipe with 5 eggs.
I made littl as per my fly member’s taste, I added extra chilli powder, I didnt put khada masala u mentioned added littl biryani masala, made gravy thin & poured eggs directly gravy with boiling eggs first.
It wil Yum to have with rice?
Tried recipe with little changes.. I poured eggs in thin gravy.. n added biryani masala n extra chilli powderas my fly members like spicy..
It was yum?
Thank you swasthi
I love your recipe
Thank you
All your recipes are amazing and so accurate! Thank you so much ! ๐
You are welcome. Thank you