Every part of India has their own version of Egg Curry and West Bengal itself has quite a few different varieties, like Dimer Kalia and Egg Omelete Jhol This Dimer Dalna will still hold a very special place for its simplicity!
Ingredients you need for this Dimer Dalna
Egg - Egg is hard boiled and then lightly fried in oil before adding it to the curry or jhol. Potatoes - The addition of potatoes to this Bengali egg curry makes it unique from the rest of the egg curries you will come across in India. Onion - I like to use finely chopped red onion. Sometimes I have seen my mom making an onion paste in the blender while making the curry. Both works fine. Tomato - Tomatoes along with onion and spics creates a jammy like texture to the gravy. Just like onion, you can also blend the tomato. Ginger garlic and Chili paste - Bengali dishes always uses fresh green chili instead of a lot of chili powder. Fresh green chili adds heat but also a very refreshing flavor. Spices - Bengali five spice along with bay leaf is used in the beginning of the cooking. And then a spice paste is made with cumin powder, coriander powder, chili powder, fennel powder (not common, but I like to use) and turmeric. Mixing the spice powder with water helps the spices to cook better and avoid it from getting burnt. Mustard oil - Cooking in mustard oil will create a pungent flavor to the dish which is yet again unique when compared to the rest of egg curries you might come across from different regions in India.
Full Proof method to hard boil eggs and peel perfectly for this Dimer Dalna!
I have been following this method for several years now and it works wonderfully.
Drop the eggs in cold water and bring the water to a full boil. Then, switch off the gas and cover the pan for 12 minutes.Take ice water or cold tap water in a bowl and drop the boiled eggs. Crack the eggs and place it back in the bowl for a few seconds. The water slips in and releases the shell from the egg, making it very easy to peel.
For Dimer Dalna, boiled eggs are fried before adding to the gravy. Don’t fry more than 1 minute, as it would change the texture of the egg, making it hard and rubbery.
Steps to prepare
- To the same pan, add the bay leaves and Bengali five spice. Also add the garlic, ginger and green chili paste. Sauté for a while.
- Add the onion and season with salt. Cook the onion until softened a little.
- In a bowl, add the spice powder and some water. Then mix it to make a spice paste.
- Once the onions are cooked, add the tomato and cook for a while along with the spice paste.
- Cook the onion, tomato along with the spices until it softens and looks jammy.
- Add the fried potatoes and egg along with water. Bring the water to boil and then simmer for a while. Add a couple of fresh green chili for extra heat as you simmer the curry. The Bengali egg curry tastes best with steamed white rice. Enjoy it warm and every bite will feel so satisfying.
Here are a few other Egg Curries you will love to try!
Dimer Kalia – Sweet Savory Bengali Egg Curry Coconut Egg Curry Spicy Egg Curry Dim Shorshe (Creamy Mustard Egg Curry)
