Keyword: bengali egg curry, dim kosha, dimer kosha
Servings: 4persons
Author: Samrat Roy Chowdhuri
Cost: ₹ 50
Equipment
Preparation Bowls
Knife and chopping board
Mixie or mortar-pestle
Wok and spatula
Serving Bowls
Ingredients
4pceggs
4pcmedium-sized onions
4pcmedium-sized tomatoes
2pcpotatoesoptional
4tspmustard oil
1/2tspcumin seeds
2tspcumin powder
2tspcoriander powder
1tspturmeric powder
2pcgreen chilies slit from the middle
2cupwater
2tspsugar
salt to taste
For the Ginger Garlic Paste
2inchgingeror 2 tsp ginger paste
10pcgarlic clovesor 2 tsp garlic paste
2pcdry red chiliesor 1 tsp red chilli powder (check notes)
2pcKashmiri red chillior 1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder (check notes)
Whole Spices for Dim Kosha (for tempering)
1pc1-inch cinnamon stick (dalchini)
1/2tspblack pepper
1pcbayleaf
2pcdried red chilly
4pccardamom pod
Instructions
Preparation for Dimer Kosha
Take the eggs and boil them for 6-8 minutes. Once done, allow them to cool (or run through water to cool down) and peel
Peel, cut into half and boil the potatoes till they are well cooked. Or use a pressure cooker and allow 2 whistles for the potatoes to be well cooked.
Take a pinch of turmeric powder, red chilli powder (optional) and salt and rub them over the eggs and potatoes. Keep aside
Soak Kashmiri red chilies and dry red chilies in hot water for half an hour
Peel and slice the onions. Peel and roughly chop the ginger and garlic cloves
In a mixie, add the ginger, garlic and soaked chilies and make a fine paste. Keep aside. Check notes if you do not have whole Kashmiri red chillies and dry red chilies
Chop the tomatoes and slit the green chilies
Cooking the Dim Kosha
Take a wok and put it on a high flame
Once hot, add the mustard oil and allow it to smoke
When the oil starts smoking, lower the flame to low and wait for a few seconds
Add the marinaded eggs and saute for a couple of minutes till the eggs are lightly browned on all sides. Keep aside
Do the same with the potatoes. Fry them till they are yellowish brown on all sides. Keep aside
To the remaining oil in the wok, add the whole spices mentioned under "Whole Spices for Dim Kosha"
Stir this for a minute. Add the cumin seeds
Once the cumin seeds start spluttering, add the sliced onions
Saute this until the onions turn golden brown
Add the ginger-garlic-red chilly paste prepared previously and cook till the raw flavors exist
Drop in the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, cumin and coriander powder
Continue stirring till the masala is nicely cooked. This is an important step. Once the masala in the wok starts to release oil, proceed to the next step
At this point, the gravy in the wok will resemble a mish-mash. Add water and bring it to a boil
Add salt, sugar and slit green chilies
Cover and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes
Check for seasonings and adjust if required
Add the fried eggs along with the potatoes (optional) and simmer for another 5-10 minutes
Put off the flame and allow this to rest for 10-15 minutes
Serve hot with rice, a wedge of lemon and raw onion sliced or cut into rings
Notes
Rule of Tomatoes, Onions and Eggs
For the best dimer kosha or egg kasha cooked in bengali style, the ratio of egg, onion and tomato is important. Thankfully, this is easy and the ratio is always 1:1:1.So if you have 4 eggs, you will need 4 onions and 4 tomatoes. This will ensure a perfect balance of flavors.
Replacing Whole Red Chilies with Chili Powders
This recipe requires whole Kashmiri red chilies and whole dry red chilies. While the former is for a red hue, the later is for the spiciness. However, if you are a bachelor or someone who does not have these whole spices, there is still a way out. Replace the whole chilies with spice powders.You need to do the following in such a scenario -
Grind ginger and garlic only. Do not drop in the powdered chili powders
Add the Kashmiri red chili powders and dried red chili powders when you add the other powdered spices - like turmeric powder, cumin and coriander powder
It's easy!
Potatoes Are Good to Have
Potatoes are not mandatory, they help bulk up the gravy and the starch helps in providing a better body to the dish.Adding potatoes gives a better outcome to your Bengali dim kosha. Looks better, tastes better - without a doubt.The starch from the potato also helps to thicken the gravy. Plus the gooeyness from a well cooked potato is something that every Bengali dies for.