Maria NasirWe South Asians love our curries so much that we happily eat them for breakfast too. Guess what I had for breakfast today! Yes, Anda Palak Curry. It won’t sound so improbable if you call it Eggs with Spinch, right!
I know, this must be a difficult concept to grasp for people who don’t generally eat spicy food but eating left over curries from night before with rice or roti is an old tradition in this region. The dry curries are stuffed into flatbreads or dumplings and deep fried to give them a new form and taste. The gravy curries are freshened up with spice tempered oil (tarka) or topped with fried or boiled eggs to make a hearty breakfast.
Anda Palak Curry, eggs with spinach, seems to belong to this tradition of revamping leftover spinach curry for quick breakfast or lunch next day. If you are a fan of spinach based curries like palak paneer or Aloo Palak then you will definitely enjoy this delicious and very healthy variation too.
Now I have spinach growing in my backyard and I keep looking for excuses to use it in different recipes. Recently I posted Palak Pulao and Garlic Sautéed Spinach Salad
two utterly delightful ways to include spinach in your diet. This curry is another such hearty dish with a rich protein and iron combo, the eggs with spinach make an excellent meal for weight watchers. A small bowl of this energising curry with crisp toasted slice of multi grain bread or a plain whole wheat roti is an ideal way to kick start the day! A meal that will keep you satisfied for a long time. If the curry in breakfast idea is too weird for you, cook this for a simple and delicious family meal with steamed rice. Even the kids won’t mind eating the greens this way.
You can also add boiled chickpeas to the curry to make a complete meal in itself.
Ingredients:
1 kg spinach
1 onion
3 tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
1/2 inch piece ginger
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 stick cinnamon
4-5 black pepper corns
2-3 cloves
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
A small bunch coriander leaves
2 green chilli peppers
1/2 cup milk or coconut milk
4 eggs
2 tablespoons olive or sunflower oil
This Is a What You Do:
Thoroughly wash spinach leaves to remove dirt and grit. Chop them roughly.
Slice onions, dice tomatoes, crush garlic, chop ginger, green chilli peppers and coriander.
Heat oil in a deep pan. Add onions, fry till light golden in colour. Add crushed garlic, cinnamon stick, black peppercorns and cloves. Sauté for a few seconds.
Add ginger and green chillies, sauté another few seconds. Add tomatoes, salt and the remaining spices. Add a splash of water and cover the pan for 5 minutes or till the tomatoes are tender.
Add spinach and coriander to the masala in the pan. Cover the pan. Reduce heat. Allow spinach to cook in the steam and liquids in the pan, almost 6-8 minutes.
Meanwhile hard boil eggs and set them aside.
When the liquids in the pan are reduced, remove cinnamon stick, add milk or coconut milk and puree the whole spinach curry in a blender to the consistency you like. If you like it chunky skip the blending step.
Return to pan and let it simmer on medium heat till the curry thickens a bit. Add lemon juice.
Cut eggs in halves. Pour steaming hot curry in the serving dish. Place eggs over it. Garnish with a sprig of coriander and more chopped green chilli peppers if you like.
Serve hot with plain rice or roti (whole wheat flat bread).
Serves 4