EASY KERALA EGG ROAST

This Easy Kerala Egg Roast recipe is a classic South Indian dish of boiled eggs, coated in a thick, rich, flavorful gravy – made with caramelized onions, tomatoes and authentic spices. Known for its simplicity, speed of preparation and incredible taste, you won’t believe it comes together in less than 30 minutes!

Looking for more Kerala Recipes? Try my Easy Kerala Vegetable Stew, Kerala Fish Curry OR Kerala Beef Curry.

Kerala Style Egg Roast – simple, delicious and ready in under 30 mins? Count Me In!

My Story

This Kerala Egg Roast Recipe always reminds me of the comforting meals of my childhood. 
While eggs would boil away, I’d watch my mom as she took her time to gently caramelize the onions and tomatoes. Then, without ever measuring, she’d carefully roast her basic selection of spices, whilst always achieving consistent flavor and ofcourse, the perfect egg roast, every single time!
With hot, fresh chapathi’s on the side, this simple egg dish was a regular feature in our meal rotation, especially on those busy days.
In Malayalam (the native language of the Indian state of Kerala), this popular dish is known as “Nadan Mutta Roast“. It also makes a perfect side dish!

What You’ll Love About This Recipe

Recipe Ingredients

What you’ll need, to make this EASY KERALA EGG ROAST:

Ingredient Notes

Onion: use brown onions, chop them roughly and take your time to gently heat the onions till they have softened, caramelized and golden brown – the longest part of the process, but totally worth it!

Spices: only three spice powders are required to make this dish; Kashmiri chilli, turmeric and fennel powders.
I always use “Baba’s Kashmiri Chilli Powder“, instead of a hot red chilli powder. This is for it’s flavor, vibrant color and mild-moderate heat factor. I’ve been using this brand for decades, and it has always been a consistent product.
For the turmeric powder, any brand works well, like “Katoomba or Uttam”, which can be found at your local Indian grocer.
With fennel powder, I always buy fennel seeds and grind them myself; no pre-ground blend compares to freshly ground!

Curry Leaves: this herb adds a unique depth of earthy/zesty flavor and is a must for this recipe. It should not be substituted with any other herb! The taste is hard to describe, but if it’s not there, you’ll know it’s missing! Use fresh curry leaves, which can be found at your local Indian grocer – or ask an Indian friend! Chances are, they could be growing it in their garden!;

Eggs: I use fridge cold, large, free range eggs weighing 55-60g each for this recipe. If you are using room temperature eggs, boil for approximately 7 minutes.

How To Make EASY KERALA EGG ROAST Step-By-Step:

Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions with the exact ingredients are printable in the recipe card below!

Step 1: Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Gently lower fridge cold eggs, into it and set a timer to 8 minutes.

Step 2: Once complete, remove pot from heat immediately, and drain boiling water. With the eggs still in the pot, place them under cold running water for a couple of minutes. Then peel right away and set aside.

Step 3: While eggs are boiling – in a separate pot, on low – medium heat, add oil and onions.

Step 4: Give it a good stir and sauté onions till softened and golden brown.

Step 5: Add chopped tomatoes, cook them till softened and mash them up a little.

Step 6: Toss in the spices and salt, mix well to combine and cook 1-2 minutes.

Step 7: Add torn curry leaves and mix well.

Step 8: Place boiled eggs in gravy and coat evenly. It’s ready!

Recipe Tips & Tricks

TIP 1 – CARAMELIZING ONIONS: Take your time with this step! It is the most important part of the cooking process and key to achieving the authentic taste, signature to this dish. With time and gentle heat, the sweetness of the onions are released to form an incredible flavor base!

TIP 2 – SPICES: if you feel like something is missing, it’s usually just a lack of salt. Add in salt, pinch by pinch, till it’s to your taste. Don’t be tempted to add any additional spices here. Like I always recommend, add freshly ground spices, where possible.

TIP 3 – BOIL EGGS: follow my simple method and you won’t need to put your eggs in a bowl of ice water when they’re done! For perfectly boiled eggs, cradle an egg in a spoon (a slotted spoon is good for this) and gently lower to submerge in boiling water. Pause and hold briefly (approximately 5 seconds), before slowly releasing it. This allows the egg to adjust to the water temperature and avoid sudden cracking from a rapid drop to the bottom. Lower each egg individually. If you like soft boiled eggs like me – use, large, fridge cold, whole eggs and boil for 8 minutes. I always get; semi cooked/ jammy/ runny eggs in the centre and whites cooked all the way through. However, feel free to adjust the boil time, depending on your “egg doneness” preference.

EXPERT TIP
For maximum flavor, tear up curry leaves before use!

Watch How To Make it!

Storage & Reheating

Reheating: Kerala Egg Roast can be reheated in the microwave or on the stove top. In the microwave, heat in 15-20 second increments till warmed. This avoids the boiled eggs from getting overly hot and potentially exploding in the microwave. For stove-top reheating, simmer on low heat, with the lid on. Optionally add a tablespoon of water, if it’s dry.

Storage: If you happen to have any leftovers for the next day – store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for upto 3 days. I prefer glass pyrex/decor storage containers. I avoid plastic storage options where possible.

Freezing: This egg roast is not suitable for freezing. You will end up with rubbery eggs, which are not pleasant to eat when reheated.

Substitutions

Substitions – Feel free to use any of these substitutions!

• Oil: you can use any oil for this recipe, generally I use canola or rice bran oil. For a unique flavor profile, you can also use coconut oil
• Eggs: I’ve only ever used chicken eggs, but you can also use duck eggs or quail eggs

Your Questions Answered

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I hope you enjoyed this Egg Roast Kerala Style recipe! If you gave it a try, please be sure to leave a comment and rating! I’d love to hear your thoughts! Happy Cooking!