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Egg curry recipe – Simple Malaysian recipe (quick and easy)

Do you like curry? This simple egg curry recipe popular among Malaysians is just right for you.

There are different ways to prepare the curry, but the Malaysian version usually involves certain spices such as cloves, star anise, cinnamon, and cardamom. Malaysian Curry has its unique flavor since the spices mix differs from other versions, such as Indian curries. This egg curry recipe is also great for using leftover eggs.

Let’s get into the details of how to prepare this curry.

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Egg curry recipe - Simple Malaysian recipe (quick and easy)

How to cook Malaysian egg curry

The method of cooking is pretty straightforward. The same approach is also suitable for cooking other Malaysian curries. You only need to substitute the egg with the ingredients you want, for example, chicken or beef, with some minor adjustments.

Here are the steps.

1. Prepare the ingredients

  1. First, prepare six hard-boiled eggs. I have a different recipe for how to prepare perfect hard-boiled eggs. You can refer to this simple recipe for the details.
  2. Blend the large onions, garlic, and red chilies into a paste with a food processor or an electric blender. You can include some red chili for a more spicy curry. At the same time, it also helps to improve the color. I suggest removing the seeds to reduce the spiciness if you can’t take the heat rather than reducing the number of red chilies.
  3. Cut a potato into wedges and cut one medium-sized tomato into slices.

2. Saute the spices

  1. Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the wok.
  2. Saute two teaspoons of minced ginger and garlic until aromatic. Alternatively, you can use ginger garlic paste as a substitute.
  3. Throw in the cinnamon bark, star anise, cardamom, and cloves. This set of spice combinations is commonly used in Malay cooking, fondly called Empat Sekawan, which means friends of four. Continue sauteing over low heat until aromatic.
Egg curry recipe - Simple Malaysian recipe (quick and easy)

3. Use Malaysian curry powder and coconut milk

  1. The Malaysian Curry powder is a mix of different spices. The main ingredients are coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, fennel powder, chili, cloves, and cinnamon. The combination of spices of different brands may be different.
  2. Mix the curry powder with some cold water to form a smooth paste. Then, combine with the dry spices in the pan.
  3. Next, throw in some fresh curry leaves.
  4. Add the freshly pressed coconut milk to the curry. Please ensure that it is for cooking with a fat content between 20% and 25% if you use the coconut cream in the box. This is because coconut milk for cooking can be confused with coconut milk for drinking, which has been diluted and added with other components.

4. Add the remaining ingredients

  1. Now include the potatoes, followed by the tomatoes. You can use tomato puree or tomato paste as a substitute.
  2. Add a cup of water to cook for another 15 minutes over medium heat until the potatoes turn soft. The exact time required depends on the size of the potato wedges. You need to add more water if it is too dry.
  3. The potato and tomatoes will thicken the curry base. 
  4. Season with salt and some sugar to taste. Sugar helps to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
  5. Make a few shallow cuts on the hard-boiled eggs. This method will help the curry flavor absorb more quickly into the eggs.
  6. Return the peeled eggs to the curry, and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes over low heat until the curry sauce thickens.
  7. Lastly, garnish with some coriander leaves and curry leaves.
  8. It is a perfect dish to serve with steamed rice and Indian bread.

Note:

  • It is best to use freshly ground whole spices. However, it is too troublesome for daily cooking. Therefore, the ready-made curry powder comes in handy to speed up everyday cooking. Please refer to the expiring date on the packaging to get the freshest possible curry powder.
  • Add some Kashmiri red chili powder if you want the curry to have a bright red color. I cooked the curry with a wok. Otherwise, you can use a pan to saute the spices and complete the remaining steps with an instant pot.
  • You can serve the egg curry immediately after cooking.  However, the taste of eggs is even better after a few hours, when the curry flavor has fully absorbed into the eggs.
This quick and easy egg Curry is a typical Malaysian-style recipe. It is easy to make and delicious, especially after the flavor has been absorbed into the eggs.

The characteristics of Malaysian Curry

The flavor of Malaysian Curry is different from other curries due to the following reasons:

  1. The main spices for most Malaysian curry are cinnamon star anise, stick, cardamom, and clove. This is also why Malaysian Curry pastes differ from Indian Curry, which uses garam masala powder, cumin, coriander, kasuri methi, and others. You should be able to get all these ingredients from your grocery store. 
  2. Malaysian Curry is also commonly prepared with curry and coriander leaves and does not include Kasuri methi. Tomatoes, potatoes, and red onions are some of the common ingredients. Also, red chilies are more commonly used than green chilies in Malaysian curry.
This quick and easy egg Curry is a typical Malaysian-style recipe. It is easy to make and delicious, especially after the flavor has been absorbed into the eggs.

Here are some other egg recipes for your busy schedule.

If you like this easy egg curry recipe, you will also enjoy the following recipes that use eggs as the main ingredient. Here are my picks.

  • Tomato egg stir-fry is home-cooked comfort food popular in Chinese families. It is a quick and easy dish you can get onto the dining table in 15 minutes.
  • The egg drop soup recipe is the easiest Chinese soup recipe to prepare. A high-quality soup base is essential to produce the best egg drop soup.
  • Chinese Steamed Eggs garnished with chopped spring onions and drizzled with a few drops of light soy sauce is irresistible when served with white rice. This article reveals the fine details of how to make the perfect Chinese steamed eggs.
Yield: 3 servings

Egg Curry Recipe

egg curry recipe square

This quick and easy egg Curry is a typical Malaysian-style recipe. It is easy to make and delicious, especially after the flavor has been absorbed into the eggs.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Ingredients A (to blend)

  • 1 medium-sized onion
  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • 3 fresh red chilies, remove seeds

Ingredients B (spices)

Ingredients C (others)

Instructions

  1. Prepare six hard-boiled eggs. (Please refer to note below).
  2. Blend the large onions, garlic, and red chilies into a paste with a food processor or an electric blender.
  3. Cut a potato into wedges and cut one medium-sized tomato into slices.
  4. Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the wok.  Saute Ingredients B until fragrant. 
  5. Next, throw in some fresh curry leaves.
  6. Add the ingredients A (blended onion, garlic, chilies) and cook until nearly dry.
  7. Mix the curry powder with some cold water to form a smooth paste. Then, add to the pan,
  8. Add the freshly pressed coconut milk to the curry. 
  9. Now include the potatoes, followed by the tomatoes. 
  10. Add a cup of water to cook for another 15 minutes over medium heat until the potatoes turn soft. 
  11. Season with salt and some sugar to taste. 
  12. Make a few shallow cuts on the hard-boiled eggs. Then, return the peeled eggs to the curry, and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes over low heat until the curry sauce thickens.
  13. Lastly, garnish with some curry leaves.

Notes

I have a different recipe for how to prepare perfect hard-boiled eggs. You can refer to this simple recipe for the details.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

3

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 470Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 373mgSodium: 376mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 9gSugar: 30gProtein: 18g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 13/10/2022

Henry

Sunday 26th of November 2023

What happens to the Ingredients A??

KP Kwan

Sunday 26th of November 2023

Thank you for pointing our the error. I have corrected it.

KP Kwan

Friday 14th of October 2022

Hi, this is KP Kwan. I am happy to see you in this comment area, as you have read through my recipe. I am glad to reply to any questions and comments as soon as possible.

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