Equipment
Ingredients
Aromatics & Spices
- 30 ml ghee
- 150 g yellow onion, finely diced
- 15 g fresh ginger, minced
- 3 g cumin seeds
- 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 g garam masala
- 3 g ground coriander
Sauce & Eggs
- 400 g canned crushed tomatoes
- 60 ml water
- 4 g kosher salt
- 4 eggs, room temperature
Finishing
- 10 g fresh cilantro, chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Place the cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the ghee and diced yellow onion, sautéing until the onion is softened and translucent.
Stir in the minced fresh ginger, cumin seeds, lightly crushed green cardamom pods, and cinnamon stick. Toast the aromatics and spices until highly fragrant, stirring continuously to prevent burning.
Add the garam masala and ground coriander, followed immediately by the canned crushed tomatoes, water, and kosher salt. Simmer the mixture until the sauce thickens slightly and the fat begins to separate at the edges.
Using a wooden spoon, create four small wells in the tomato sauce. Crack one egg into each well. Cover the skillet and poach the eggs until the whites are fully set but yolks remain runny. For vulnerable populations, ensure eggs are pasteurized by cooking until both whites and yolks are firm, reaching an internal temperature of 71°C/160°F.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Discard the cinnamon stick. Garnish generously with the chopped fresh cilantro.
Serve immediately straight from the hot skillet, accompanied by warm toast or steamed rice to soak up the spiced tomato sauce and egg yolk.
Chef's Notes
- Blooming the whole spices in hot fat is a fundamental technique known as tadka or chhaunk, which extracts fat-soluble essential oils for maximum depth of flavor.
- Cast iron skillets excel at holding even heat but take a long time to cool down. Pull the dish from the stove slightly before the eggs reach your preferred doneness to avoid overcooking the yolks.
- For meal prep efficiency, the spiced tomato base can be made up to four days in advance. Simply reheat the sauce until bubbling, then drop in fresh eggs to poach just before serving.
- Leaving the cardamom pods slightly crushed but whole allows them to gently infuse the sauce without overpowering it. Warn guests to eat around them, or fish them out before adding the eggs.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store leftover tomato sauce without eggs. Poach fresh eggs in the reheated sauce when ready to eat.
Freezer: 3 months — Tomato sauce base freezes excellently. Do not freeze cooked eggs.
Reheating: Warm the sauce in a skillet over medium heat until gently bubbling, then add fresh eggs and cover until cooked to preference.
