Sides, breads & soups · Andhra Pradesh

Egg Fry

Andhra kodi guddu vepudu: halved boiled eggs tossed in a dark, oniony red chilli masala with curry leaves until every egg is coated and crisp at the edges.

Prep 10 min · Cook 25 min · Total 35 min · Serves 3

Ingredients

Eggs

• 6 Eggs
• ¼ tsp Turmeric
• ½ tsp Red chilli powder
• ¼ tsp Salt

Masala

• 3 tbsp Oil
• ½ tsp Mustard seeds
• ½ tsp Cumin seeds
• 2 sprigs Curry leaves
• 2 Onions, finely chopped
• 3 Green chillies, slit
• 1 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste
• ¼ tsp Turmeric
• 1 ½ tsp Guntur red chilli powder
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• ½ tsp Garam masala
• ½ tsp Black pepper, coarsely crushed
• ¾ tsp Salt
• 2 tbsp Coriander leaves, chopped

Method

1. Boil the eggs. Cover the eggs with cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool them in cold water, peel, and make 3 or 4 shallow slits in each so the masala gets in. Toss with the turmeric, chilli powder and salt.
2. Fry the eggs. Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat and fry the eggs, turning, until the skins blister and turn golden. Lift them out and keep the oil in the pan.
3. Brown the onions. Add the mustard and cumin seeds to the same oil. When they crackle, add the curry leaves, green chillies and onions with a pinch of the salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are deep golden brown.
4. Cook the masala. Stir in the ginger-garlic paste and cook until the raw smell goes. Add the turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder and the rest of the salt with a splash of water and fry until the oil separates.
5. Toss the eggs. Halve the eggs or leave them whole, add them to the pan with the garam masala and pepper and toss gently over medium heat until the masala clings and turns dry and dark.
6. Serve. Scatter with coriander and serve hot with rice and rasam, or with sambar rice and a crunchy side of appadams.

Tips

Patience with the onions is the whole dish: they need to go properly brown, not just soft, for the deep roasted flavour of a real vepudu.