Weekday curry · serves 4
Kodi Guddu Pulusu (Andhra Egg Curry in Tamarind Gravy)
కోడి గుడ్డు పులుసు · अंडा करी · चिञ्चा-अण्डव्यञ्जनम् · Kodi Guddu Pulusu · Anda Curry
Kodi guddu pulusu is the Andhra egg curry that many homes make when there is no meat in the house: hard-boiled eggs simmered in a tangy gravy of tamarind and slow-fried onions. It is thinner and sourer than a North Indian egg curry, made to be mixed into plenty of hot rice.
Our Sannam chilli powder gives the pulusu its red colour and a steady medium heat, and our turmeric powder (Pasupu) gives the golden base. A little jaggery rounds off the sourness.
- Prep15 min
- Cook35 min
- Total50 min
- Serves4
In short
Boil and slit the eggs. Fry onions, add turmeric, Sannam chilli powder and tamarind water, simmer, then cook the eggs in the gravy till it thickens.
గుడ్లు ఉడికించి, పొట్టు తీసి గాట్లు పెట్టండి. ఉల్లిపాయలు వేయించి, పసుపు, సన్నం కారం, చింతపండు రసం వేసి మరిగించి, గుడ్లు వేసి చిక్కబడేవరకు ఉడికించండి. 6 గుడ్లకు నిమ్మకాయంత చింతపండు, 2 చెంచాల సన్నం కారం సరిపోతాయి; చిటికెడు బెల్లం వేస్తే పులుపు సమంగా ఉంటుంది.
अंडे उबालकर छीलें और चीरे लगाएँ। प्याज़ भूनें, हल्दी, सन्नम मिर्च पाउडर और इमली का पानी डालकर उबालें, फिर अंडे डालकर ग्रेवी गाढ़ी होने तक पकाएँ। 6 अंडों के लिए नींबू जितनी इमली और 2 छोटे चम्मच सन्नम मिर्च पाउडर काफ़ी हैं; चुटकी भर गुड़ खटास को संतुलित करता है।
Ingredients serves 4
For the eggs
- 6 eggs
- a pinch of turmeric powder for frying the eggs (optional)
For the pulusu
- 20 g tamarind a lemon-sized ball, soaked in 1½ cups warm water
- 3 tbsp oil groundnut or sesame oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- 2 green chillies slit
- 2 onions medium, thinly sliced
- a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- ½ tsp turmeric powder Pasupu
- 2 tsp Sannam chilli powder medium heat; use 1½ tsp for milder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 tsp grated jaggery optional
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Method
- Soak the tamarind in the warm water for 15 minutes. Squeeze it well, strain and keep the tamarind water; discard the fibres and seeds.
- Boil the eggs 10 minutes, peel them and make 3–4 shallow slits on each. Start them in room-temperature water, count 10 minutes from the boil, then cool them in water before peeling. The yolk should be firm and pale yellow right through.
- Optional: heat 1 tsp of the oil with the pinch of turmeric and roll the eggs in it for 2 minutes until lightly blistered. Keep aside.
- Heat the rest of the oil in a kadai on medium heat. Add the fenugreek seeds and let them turn light brown; they turn bitter if they go dark.
- Fry the mustard seeds, curry leaves and onions in the oil till soft and golden. Add the mustard seeds first and let them splutter, then the curry leaves, green chillies and asafoetida, then the onions for about 8 minutes.
- Turn the heat to low. Add the turmeric, Sannam chilli powder and salt, then the tamarind water; simmer 10 minutes. Stir in the coriander powder with the chilli powder so it fries for a few seconds first.
- The raw tamarind smell should be gone and the gravy should look glossy. Add ½ cup water if it thickens too fast.
- Slide in the eggs and simmer 5 minutes more till the gravy thickens. Spoon the gravy over the eggs now and then.
- Stir in the jaggery, taste and adjust the salt or sourness, and scatter the coriander leaves.
- Switch off and let the pulusu rest for 10 minutes before serving so the eggs take on the gravy.
Tips
- Slits let the tangy gravy into the eggs.
- Cool the boiled eggs in water before peeling; the shells come off cleanly.
- Sannam chilli powder gives a medium heat; for a hotter pulusu add ½ tsp Teja chilli powder along with it.
- Pulusu tastes better after it rests, and even more the next day, as the eggs soak up the tamarind.
Variations
- Tomato: add 1 chopped tomato after the onions for a softer, less sour gravy.
- Sesame: stir in 1 tbsp roasted sesame powder in the last 5 minutes for a thicker, nutty gravy.
- Mamidikaya: in summer, replace half the tamarind with a few pieces of raw mango cooked in the gravy.
Serving
Serve hot with steamed rice and a spoon of ghee, with a crisp fry or appadalu on the side. It also goes with chapati or dosa.
Storage
Keep leftovers covered in the fridge and eat within 2 days. Warm the pulusu in a pan with a splash of water until steaming hot all the way through.
Questions
How long should I boil eggs for egg curry?
About 10 minutes from the time the water boils. The yolk should be firm and pale yellow right through, with no runny centre, before the eggs go into the gravy.
Why do you make slits on eggs for pulusu?
Shallow slits let the tamarind gravy soak into the egg white. Without them the gravy stays on the surface and the egg tastes plain.
How do I reduce the sourness of the pulusu?
Simmer it a few minutes longer, add a teaspoon of grated jaggery, or stir in a little water. Use a smaller ball of tamarind next time.
What is the difference between egg pulusu and egg curry?
Pulusu is a thinner, tangy tamarind gravy made to mix with rice. A regular egg curry is usually built on onion and tomato, with no tamarind and a thicker masala.
