February 28, 2022

Deem Bhuna (Dry Egg Curry)

Bengali-style egg curry in a dry gravy base

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Cook Time 30

Servings 8

Ingredients

For Frying Eggs:

8 eggs
1 tbsp oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric

For Curry:

1/4 cup oil
1 3/4 cup sliced onions divided
1 bay leaf
3-4 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick about 1 inch
8-10 whole black peppers
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 cup water
2 green chilies slit for spicy
1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Instructions

Frying Eggs:

Place eggs in a big pot of water, bring to a boil, and let cook for 8 minutes. Remove eggs, let cool, and gently peel them. Then use a small knife to cut about 6 shallow slits all around the egg.
Toss the eggs with salt and turmeric. Heat oil in a frying pan and lightly fry the eggs on high heat for about a minute, gently rolling them around the pan. Set aside.

Making the Curry:

Heat oil and sauté 1 cup sliced onions until golden. Add bay leaf, cardamom, cinnamon stick, and whole black peppers and sauté for another minute.
Add ginger paste, garlic paste, salt, turmeric, coriander, red chili powder, cumin powder, and garam masala. Then add the remaining 3/4 cup sliced onions. Sauté this masala covered for about 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently and adding a splash of water to prevent burning.
Then add an additional 1/2 cup water to get a gravy consistency that will coat the eggs nicely, but not be too runny. Let it come to a simmer.
Add the eggs and green chilies, toss to coat, cover, and let the flavors marry for about 5 minutes.
Garnish with chopped cilantro.

What is Deem Bhuna?

It means egg curry. Deem (“egg” in Bengali) is a great protein alternative to chicken, beef, and seafood. Egg curry comes together very quickly, which is a great reason to try this dish! The gravy for this curry is on the drier side (“bhuna”), making the flavors intense and delicious.

The Steps, in a Nutshell

First you make some hard boiled eggs. So far so easy. Then you need to lightly fry the eggs before adding them to the curry. Sometimes this step is skipped, but I highly, highly recommend taking the effort to do it. Frying the eggs creates rough, slightly charred parts on the surface and adds color and flavor to the eggs. Making shallow slits on the eggs first ensures that the flavor enters the eggs and also lets out steam so that the eggs don’t end up bursting.

The curry base is a simple one, very much like any other basic curry. Here’s the part I do slightly differently: I add the onions in two parts (like making dopeyaza). The first addition of onions is to fry them until golden. This is for beautiful aroma and flavor. The next addition of onions is for body. This time, the onions are not crisped up, but allowed to soften and give body to the gravy. Once the gravy is ready, simply throw in the eggs, let the flavors marry, and garnish with cilantro!

What Should I Serve This With?

Deem Bhuna is most amazing with Bhuna Khichuri. Try both of these recipes from my website together and I promise you will not be disappointed. Deem Bhuna can also be enjoyed with white rice, pulao, or even roti.