South Indian Egg Salna

Make the salna paste: put the freshly grated coconut, roasted peanuts, soaked poppy seeds and half the fennel seeds into a powerful blender. Grind with a splash of water into a very smooth, fine, even paste.

Heat the cooking oil in a wide, significantly deep pan. Add the cinnamon, cloves, the remaining fennel seeds, and the fresh curry leaves. Allow them to sizzle dominantly and release their potent aroma into the fat.

Incorporate the finely sliced onions and fry methodically on medium-high heat until they break down, turn a deep, heavily caramelized golden brown.

Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté it for a minute. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook them down until they lose their shape and melt into a soft, even base.

Fold in the turmeric, red chilli powder, and coriander powder. Lower the heat source immediately to preserve the spices and mix completely. Promptly stir in the chopped mint leaves. (The mint actively provides Salna its inescapable, signature street-style flavor).

Pour the blended coconut-peanut paste into the pan. Roast the resulting masala continuously on medium heat for 5 minutes until the oil visibly and undeniably separates from the solids.

5 min

Pour in the measured hot water and add the salt. The gravy should look very thin and watery at this stage. Turn the heat up and bring the liquid to a rolling boil.

Lower the scored boiled eggs into the boiling salna. Turn the heat right down, cover the pan well, and simmer for 10-12 minutes. The oil rises to the surface and the thin broth takes up all the aromatics. Serve hot.

10–12 min