My mom didn’t have a cook for daily cooking. But she had one who would come and cook when we had a large number of guests or if my mom had to go out somewhere. She used to make this desi-style half-fried eggs dish, which had onions, tomatoes, and grated coconut masala. I used to love it but never really paid attention to how she made it. She moved to a new house in Panvel after her husband retired and I gradually forgot about this dish. Then one day my friend and then colleague, Varsha, brought this dish in her tiffin. Now I am quite finicky about cold food and that’s the reason I didn’t like carrying a lunchbox when I was working. But this eggs masala tasted good even cold. I asked Varsha for the recipe and this time I made a point to remember it.
I also remember Varsha’s recipe for making maggi. Sauté onions and green chilies in oil first, then add veggies of your choice (I would use carrots, capsicum, and green peas), then add contents of the masala sachet, and then finally add the noodles. In the first year of our marriage, Kalpesh and I have eaten a lot of maggi, and I used to always make it using Varsha’s recipe; it used to turn out quite yummy. Our maggi consumption decreased drastically after Devansh came into picture and now we’ve stopped eating it altogether as Devansh loves it. Kalpesh used to get these maggi cravings once in a while so we used to make it after Devansh went off to bed. Once he walked in on us while we were eating maggi, and he wanted to have what we were having. I didn’t think he would like the texture of the noodles, but our man declared he loved it.
After that I discouraged Kalpesh from having it occasionally as well. But after a couple of months, Kalpesh couldn’t resist his maggi cravings and made it when Devansh was sleeping. This time Devansh walked into the kitchen “after” Kalpesh had finished eating it, and stated matter-of-factly that we had made maggi; I can smell it he declared. He was around two-and-a-half then. After that day, we haven’t made it at home. I know one day he’s going to eat it at some friend’s house or from a friend’s tiffin and ask me to make it but till that day I am not going to prepare such instant readymad food for him at home.
To get back to this recipe, this is one of my favorites. But it doesn’t top Devansh’s favorites’ list of egg dishes. He is crazy about egg curry, followed by omelette. Although he does chew his food properly, he doesn’t enjoy the combination of soft eggs and dry masala; he mostly just eats the egg portion of this dish. I want him to cultivate a taste for this dish though as it is an ideal candidate as a lunchbox food, since it’s dry and tastes good even when cold. Till then efforts are on. :-)
Half Fried Eggs in Coconut Masala Recipe
Ingredients
- 3-4 eggs
- 1 medium-sized onion finely chopped
- 1 large tomato finely chopped
- 2-3 tbsp freshly grated coconut
- 1 green chili optional
- 1 tsp chopped coriander
- Pinch of black pepper powder
- Pinch of red chili powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp oil
Instructions
- Heat a kadai, and add one and a half tbsp oil.
- When the oil heats up, add chopped onions.
- Sauté the onions till they turn translucent and then add chopped tomatoes.
- Add red chili powder and salt, and sauté for 3-4 minutes. (You can add more chili powder if you are making this dish for adults.)
- Cut the chili lengthwise in two pieces, take out the seeds, and then add the pieces. (Don’t add chilies if your child is not used to hot food. I don’t add them as Devansh finds the masala too hot for his palate if I do.)
- Add grated coconut and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add half tbsp oil in the kadai from the sides. (I don’t use non-stick kadai, so I need to add oil to ensure the masala doesn’t get burnt while the eggs are cooking.)
- Now break open the eggs on top of the masala one after another.
- Sprinkle black pepper on the eggs and cover the kadai with a lid.
- Cook on low flame till the eggs get cooked. (Unlike the usual fried eggs, where the egg yolk should be slightly runny, the yolk in this dish must be properly cooked otherwise it doesn’t taste good. I usually keep a tava beneath a kadai to ensure that the masala doesn’t get burnt. You don’t need to do that if you’re using non-stick kadai but I prefer to use non-stick vessels only when absolutely necessary.)
- Take off the lid and garnish with chopped coriander.
- Cut into pizza-like slices, scoop out the pieces and transfer onto a plate/lunchbox.
- Serve along with chapatis. (I prefer to eat this with a bit of tomato ketchup.)
