Indian-Spiced Tomato and Egg Casserole

Indian-Spiced Tomato and Egg Casserole
Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
5(3,088)
Comments
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This dish, inspired by a traditional recipe from the Parsis (a group of Zoroastrians from Persia who settled in India sometime between the 8th and 10th centuries), is possibly one of the most fragrant and vivid casseroles you’ll ever see. It starts with a highly spiced tomato sauce flavored with mint, green chiles and ginger. The sauce is then poured over a layer of sliced cooked fingerling potatoes and baked. At the end of the cooking time, wells are made in the sauce and eggs cracked into them to finish baking. The result is a tomato-rich casserole with runny yolk over each pungent bite. Serve it for dinner or for brunch. —Melissa Clark

Featured in: The Casserole Catches Up

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • pounds fingerling potatoes
  • Kosher salt
  • ¼cup vegetable oil
  • 1yellow onion, diced
  • 1poblano pepper, seeded if desired, finely chopped
  • 2jalapeño peppers, seeded if desired, finely chopped
  • 2tablespoons finely chopped peeled ginger
  • 3garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1teaspoon ground garam masala
  • ½teaspoon ground coriander
  • 128-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
  • ¼cup chopped fresh mint, more for garnish
  • 2tablespoons chopped cilantro or basil, more for garnish
  • 6eggs
  • Black pepper, as needed
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

276 calories; 14 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 792 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with generously salted water. Bring to a boil; cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. When just cool enough to handle, slice into ½-inch-thick rounds.

  2. Step 2

    While potatoes cook, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until almost tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in peppers and cook 3 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, cumin, garam masala and coriander; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and ½ teaspoon salt. Simmer over medium-low heat, breaking up tomatoes with a fork, 15 minutes. Stir in mint and cilantro or basil. Taste and adjust seasonings.

  3. Step 3

    Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place potatoes in a single layer in a 9-inch-square baking dish. Pour the hot tomato sauce over potatoes. Transfer pan to oven and bake 20 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Make six wells in the tomato mixture. Crack eggs into wells and season with salt and pepper. Bake until egg whites are set but yolks are still runny, 8 to 13 minutes, depending on how much the potatoes and sauce cooled before baking. Serve garnished with herbs.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
3,088 user ratings
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Comments

Indeed, this recipe (ta-mo-ta pur eendo) is a favorite amongst the Parsis. As Melissa wrote in the intro, the Parsis are the group of Zoroastrians that emigrated from Persia to India in the 8th century AD. I do not know if the dish dates back this far (most likely it doesn't). However, it is one of the fundamental dishes in the Parsi culinary repertoire.

This recipe is delicious, simple, and quite true-to-form. My grandmother(s) would be so gratified to read it in the Times!

If cooking on the stove top use a cast iron skillet and cover the dish once the eggs are in. They'll steam nicely without overcooking the yolks.

Spices added to oil and cooked briefly before adding any liquid "bloom" and have better, fuller flavors.

This is so yum, so comforting especially on cold nights and gray days. With some crusty toasty bread or warm buttered Naan. I can eat this for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner any time!

9” pan was way too small, use a 9x13 pan to get a decent layer without making soup. I don’t have poblanos near me so had to make do with bell peppers, and I’m still happy with the results!

Second year in a row I made this for New Year's Day and it's quite the hit. For 10 people I doubled the spices and tomatoes, 1.5x the rest of the ingredients, and used 12 eggs. People wanted seconds! Have a team for all the chopping and prep can be quick. I roasted the potatoes instead of boiling, but when it baked together it didn't make a difference. Next time I would leave the potatoes out to keep them crispy and let folks serve the egg/tomatoes on top at the table.

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Credits

By MELISSA CLARK, adapted from FLOYD CARDOZ

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