Baked Egg in tomato belly

Curry with a difference! Baked Egg in tomato belly

I keep watching cooking websites of village cooking and countryside cooking. ThisBaked Egg in tomato belly is inspired by such a website wherein an old lady of 105 years with a wrinkled thin face was preparing this dish in an earthen vessel over a wood fire. She broke the egg over the hollowed tomato and closed it using a lime tree thorn. Amazing. The ultimate dish was so tempting that I wanted to grab it at once. I decided to prepare it immediately and as my star dish forthcoming food stall. Keeping the basic ingredients intact I prepared it with my choice of spices. It proved to be a showstopper dish in the event.

The key ingredient of this dish is Large fat tomatoes and eggs. Tomatoes are slitted from the top and the seeds and the flesh are taken out of the tomatoes. The belly is then filled with eggs and spices. The top is then closed with a slitted top and locked. These are then cooked in hot curry in the wok or can be baked in the oven then the cooked sauce is poured over it. I made it two ways but definitely found the baked option easier. So sharing this amazing recipe.

Ingredients:

8 Big Fat Tomatoes
8 Small eggs
1½ cup Finely chopped onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 cup Pureed tomato
1 Tsp Ginger paste
1 Tsp Grated ginger
2 tbsp Coriander powder
1 Tsp Cumin powder
1 Tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
½ tsp Garam masala powder
½ Tsp Cumin seeds
1/4th cup Chopped coriander leaves
5-6 Green chili
Salt to taste
8 Tsp Butter melted to room temperature
½ cup Oil

Method:

Wash the tomatoes and wipe them dry with a kitchen towel.
Slice the top of the tomato.
Scoop out the seeds and the membrane from the tomato.
Be careful not to cut the wall of the tomato.
Slightly slit the back of the tomatoes so that they stand straight.
Now apply salt pepper and brush oil on each tomato.
Arrange the tomatoes in a muffin tin.
Now spoon the melted butter into each tomato.
Break eggs one by one and put one in each tomato.
If you find the egg whites are overflowing the tomatoes, save the excess egg whites in a separate bowl.
You can fill tomato with egg white also.
Now put 1 spoon of chopped onion and pinch of grated ginger over each egg.
Now sprinkle turmeric powder and black pepper over it.
Then top all with chopped coriander.
Close the tomatoes with the slitted tops.
Preheat the oven to 200C and bake the tomatoes for 15-20 mins or till the eggs look cooked.
The eggs may not get fully hardened.
Don’t worry, it could be cooked with curry.
While the eggs are baking, prepare the curry.
In a flat-based pan heat oil. Add cumin seeds. Let it splutter.
Add chopped onion and garlic. Stir it till translucent.
Add ginger paste.
Add dry masalas like coriander, cumin, turmeric, garam masala powder, red chili powder, and salt. Stir for 1 min.
Note: If you like half-soft eggs in the tomato then arrange the baked tomato in the serving dish. Make thick saucy curry (pour water accordingly) and pour it over the tomatoes just before serving.
Enjoy with hot steamed rice, Rotis, Parathas, or Naan.