Sri Lankan egg curry

	This curry, adapted from a recipe by Peter Kuruvita, won't win any beauty contests but it tastes absolutely sublime. Pictured: Sri Lankan egg curry (right), beetroot curry (left) and cucumber curry (top). You can find the recipes for the beet and cucumber curry, plus Peter's original recipe for authentic egg curry, in his cookbook Serendip.

Recipe

I've adapted the ingredients to fit what is readily available in my local Asian market. What it lacks in authenticity, I like to think it makes up for in flavour and convenience.

Ingredients
4 large eggs
Oil for deep frying
1 onion, finely chopped
1 small green chili, finely chopped (or 1/2 tsp sambal olek)
1 tsp shrimp paste
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp dried curry leaves, crumbled
1 tsp cinnamon
Pinch salt
1 cup coconut milk

Technique
In a small saucepan, boil the eggs until just done (I like mine cooked around 8 minutes). refresh in cold water, then peel.

While the eggs are cooking, saute the onion until soft in a small skillet or saucepan. Add the chili and shrimp paste, cook for one minute more, then add the rest of the seasonings and the coconut milk. Simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Heat a thick layer of of oil until a cube of bread browns in 15 seconds. Deep fry the eggs until golden all over, about 1 minute, then drain (to avoid having to use a deep pan of oil, I actually shallow fry the eggs in a few mm of oil, turning them regularly, until the whole outside is brown).

Add the fried eggs to the curry and cook 5 minutes, until the sauce is thick. Serve at once.

Serves: 2
Preparation and cooking time: 20 minutes