Egg dishes come in different forms and recipes. Sometimes it is just a boiled egg and another time it turns into a creamy scramble.
In Dim’er Dalna, the eggs dive into a luscious gravy and soak up a juicy amalgamation of elements. You will get different variations of egg curry throughout the country but Dimer Dalna is different.
Bengalis are fond of food and therefore they keep on experimenting with different ingredients. This is another hearty dish that we make really well. The luxurious semi-thick gravy of the Dalna will fill your mouth with an explosion of flavors along with the creamy chunky potato and soft egg. It is spicy and has an earthy kick to it.
If you want to eat something new, this is worth a try. It is fulfilling and takes less time to make.
Let’s look through the list of ingredients and the procedure for making it.
Dimer Dalna Recipe (Bengali-Style Egg Curry With Potato)
Equipment
- 1 Induction Cooktop or Gas Stove
- 1 Kadhai
Ingredients
- 4 Eggs
- 2 Potatoes medium
- 1 Onion medium; finely chopped
- 1 Tomato medium to small; puree
- 1½ tbsp Ginger paste
- 2-3 Garlic cloves paste
- 1-2 Green Chilis
- 1 Dried Red Chili
- 1 Bay leaf
- 2 Clove
- 2 Green Cardamom
- 1 inch Cinnamon stick
- ¼ tsp Cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- 2 tsp Turmeric powder
- 1 tsp Coriander powder
- 1 tsp Red Chili powder
- Salt to taste
- Sugar to taste
- Mustard oil
Instructions
Boil the eggs
- First, take a boiling pot and fill it with water. Add some salt and let the water boil.
- Slowly lower the eggs into the water. Make sure the eggs were at room temperature.
- Cook the eggs for around 6 minutes. Turn off the flame and cover the pot with a lid.
- Let the eggs be in the hot water for about 2-3 minutes. This will prevent the eggs from overcooking.
- Next, strain the water and deshell the eggs.
- Take a knife or a fork and with the tip, prick the eggs gently from all the sides. (Doing this will help in the absorption of the gravy inside the egg. It will also prevent the eggs from spiting while frying).
Fry the boiled eggs
- In a mixing bowl, take the eggs and add some salt.
- Put in a bit of turmeric powder and coat them well.
- Now, take a kadhai and put some mustard oil.
- Let the oil heat and then fry the eggs. Fry them for around 4 minutes.
- Keep the flame to medium and fry them until they turn golden brown. Take them out and keep them aside.
Prepare the Potatoes
- Peel the potatoes (medium size), cut them in half, and wash them well.
- Boil them in water with some salt until they are well cooked.
- Take them out of the water. Then add some oil if needed in the same kadhai you fried the eggs.
- Heat it until the oil smokes a little and fry the potatoes for around a minute.
- Keep them aside after they are fried.
Add the spices
- In the same kadhai add oil (if needed), and let it heat. Add the bay leaf (break it from the middle), dried red chili (break it from the middle), cumin seeds, green cardamon, cinnamon, and cloves.
- (Crush the cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom a little before putting them in the oil)
Fry the onions
- Fry them until they start to crackle and at this point add the finely chopped onion.
- Stir them for a minute and then put some sugar.
- Keep the flame on medium and fry them until the onions soften and turn translucent. This should take 4-6 minutes.
- To this, add the ginger and garlic paste. Fry all the ingredients for another 5 minutes.
Add the masalas
- Take a small bowl and add the cumin powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, and red chili powder. Add a bit of water and make it into a slurry.
- Next, pour it into the kadhai and combine everything well.
- Cook the masala until the water dries and add some salt to taste.
Prepare the gravy
- Add in the tomato puree and paste of one green chili.
- Combine everything nicely and cook them until the masala starts to turn brownish.
- Stir consistently.
- Add in some water to make the gravy and let them shimmer on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes.
Add the potatoes
- To this, add the fried potatoes.
- Cook again for 2-3 minutes.
Add the eggs
- Next, gently lower the eggs into the simmering gravy.
- For the dalna, we need a semi-thick gravy, so if needed add some water again.
Prepare Dimer Dalna
- Cover the kadhai with a lid and let it simmer on low heat.
- Stir occasionally and scrape from all the sides and below.
- When the desired is reached, turn off the flame and give it a final mix.
Garnish
- Transfer the Dim’er Dalna to a bowl and garnish it with a slit green chili on the top.
And that’s it! The luscious Dim’er Dalna is ready to be served. Pair it with steamed rice or fried rice along with salad. You might also try it out with “Gorom Gorom Luchi” or Porota and some pickled onions.
All of them go really well with the dish and the best part is, you can savor it whenever you crave some. On a Sunday maybe, make it in your breakfast and gobble in all the joy.
Happy cooking!