About Madurai & Egg Curry with coconut milk

My all time favorite egg dish is Egg Kothu parottas and Chalna that is famous in our hometown. My hometown Madurai is an ancient temple town, a city that was developed around the famous "Meenakshi Temple". It has a history dated back to the pre christian era. The Meenakshi temple complex is one of the largest of its kind in India, and undoubtedly one of the oldest. There are superb sculptures and paintings all over the 11 temple towers. It was recently nominated for the "New Seven Wonders of the World" through an on-line polling program. The city is called the "Athens of the East" because of its marvelous architecture and meticulous planning compared to the city of "Athens", the greek capital. I grew up pretty much around the temple campus and have explored in and around the temple several times. Its close to my heart and even now when I go there for vacation, just the sight of it gives a pleasant and soothing feeling in my heart.

Madurai is a town that never sleeps. Road-side restaurants are trademarks of Madurai and they have quite a few interesting items served. A few of the famous road-side items are Jigarthanda, Kalkandu-Pal and Kothu Parottas. Jigarthanda is a delicious drink made of Milk, sugar, nannari and a kind of Jelly. Its said to be good for stomach and oral ulcers. Kalkandu-pal is made of sugar candy and thick milk and is offered in a tall glass at the road-side coffee shops. I remember those good (g)old days when we used to stop at the road-side coffee shops on our way from a late night movie and enjoying this awesome kalkandu pal.. Kothu parottas are spicy shredded parathas minced and fried on the pan along with onions, tomatoes, g.chillies and mutton stock. The recipe itself is mouth-watering!

Egg is another type of comfort food with so much nutritional value and is inexpensive. There are plenty of way to consume eggs and obviously in Indian cuisine there are hundreds of recipes with eggs. This is an awesome egg-curry with well-balanced flavor and goes well as a side dish for both rice and chapathis. I usually make this when I make a flavored rice dish like Mushroom Briyani, Chana Pulav, or Veg Pulav.

Ingredients:

• Eggs - 4
• Onions - finely chopped - 1/2 cup
• Tomato - 1 medium
• Tomato Sauce - 3 tbsp
• G.chillies - 3
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Corriander power - 1 tsp
• Black Pepper corns - 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Cinnamon - 1 inch
• Cloves - 2
• Coconut milk - 1/2 cup

Procedure:

• Cook the eggs in boiled water, Soak in cold water for 10 mins, remove the shells. Set aside.
• Dry roast the black pepper corns and cumin seeds and make them to a powder. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a pan, add cinnamon and cloves. Once the popup, add onions and g.chillies. Fry until onions are golden brown.
• Add chopped tomatoes and fry until the tomatoes lose shape.
• Now add the tomato sauce, turmeric and corriander powders and fry in medium heat for 5 - 7 mins.
• Add salt and water and simmer for 5 more mins.
• Add coconut milk and some more water and let it boil for 2 mins.
• Cut the eggs into half lengthwise and add them to the boiling gravy along with the roasted pepper-cumin powder. Boil in medium heat for 2 more mins.
• Garnish with Corriander leaves.