We love Indian food at our house and I have been making it at home for a while. The nearest Indian restaurant is an hour away, so if we want to eat it, I need to make it! This recipe is a great introduction to Indian cooking because it is very simple to prepare. It is full of flavor and my children love it, but you should cut back on the cayenne to make it less spicy. Serve with rice or bread.
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
5 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped (I like to grate mine)
1 cup canned chopped tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon sugar
3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into halves lengthwise
Combine the cayenne, turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl. Mix.
Put the oil in a medium sized, frying pan and set over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, put in the cumin seeds. Ten seconds later, put in the onion and ginger. Stir and fry until the onion turns medium brown. Put in the spice paste. Stir and cook for 15 seconds. Now put in the tomatoes and sugar. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Put in the cilantro. Stir once or twice. Lay the cut eggs in the sauce and spoon more sauce over them. Cover and simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes.
The amount of sauce is just enough, so don't be expecting lots and lots of sauce that you might get at a restaurant. This serves 2-4.
Taken from Madhur Jaffrey's Quick & Easy Indian Cooking.