Burmese Golden Egg Curry

I first decided to make this on seeing a picture of Bill Granger’s recipe on the Independent website. I bloody love egg curry anyway and thought the picture showed a particularly lovely way of presenting eggs. They’re first boiled, then peeled and fried in turmeric-tinged oil until golden and blistered before being cut in half and added to a lightly spicy tomato-based sauce which is soaked up slightly by the textured exterior of the eggs rather than just sliding off as it would with plain boiled eggs.

I’m rarely one to just go with an online recipe as seen: I like to see who else has cooked it and take bits from all, wrapped up in my own spin. The weird thing with this is that there are many, many “Burmese Golden Egg Curry” recipes out there (including one from the ‘ever popular with the Ozzies’ (she’s Canadian, unlike Bill who actually is Australian) Naomi Duiguid) but I haven’t seen any article on Burmese food & its popular dishes, list it. Strange non? Still, all the same, I presume it is actually authentically Burmese.

The eagle-eyed among you will notice that while this recipe, and its ingredients are for two, the pics clearly only show ingredients for one: well, that’s because it started off as a recipe for two but remembering that the bf isn’t that keen on boiled eggs (weirdo) I cooked it just for myself while he was away on a camping trip with his boy.

Incidentally, while researching this recipe I came across this article warning people about “fake eggs” flooding Myanmar, which is just about one of the weirdest things I’ve ever read.


Burmese “Golden” Egg Curry
serves 2

2 duck eggs
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 large banana shallot, finely chopped
½ tsp turmeric
2 tsp red kashmiri chilli powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
5-10 small dried shrimp (depending on size, enough to make ½ tsp), ground
4 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 poblano chilli, sliced into strips lengthways (I used strips from a can as I had some to use up)
small handful coriander crispy fried shallots (see recipe here or buy ready made)

Add the eggs carefully, one by one (as quickly as possible though) to a pan of rapidly boiling water and cook for 8 minutes.

Drain the eggs then let sit under cold running water for a few minutes. When they are cool enough to handle peel them.

Heat the oil in a wide heavy-bottom sauté pan a medium-high heat. Stir in the turmeric and when it has dissolved into the oil and is fragrant carefully add the peeled eggs and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning until golden and blistering on all sides.

Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Pour off all but 1 or so tablespoons of the oil and over a medium heat, add the shallots - fry until soft and caramelised, about 8 minutes, before adding the garlic. Cook for a little longer and then add the chilli powder and cooking for a few minutes more.

Add the tomatoes and 50ml of water and simmer for 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes have broken down.

Stir in the fish sauce, chilli strips and dried ground shrimp then taste and adjust carefully for seasoning if required.

Turn the heat up, give everything a good stir then cut the eggs in half and place them cut side down in the sauce. Cook for a further 3 or 4 minutes.

Serve with plain rice and scatter with coriander & the crispy shallots.