This Creole curried eggs with cruchy snake gourd is cooked with coconut milk and has a nutty flavour and a velvety sauce. Ideally served with plain boiled rice and a pumpkin chutney.
- 10 eggs
- 2 medium size immature snake gourds
- 800 ml coconut milk – 3 cups ( about two tins)
- 1½ tbsp curry powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 3 cloves of garlic- crushed
- 1 tsp freshly crushed ginger
- 2 goat chillies- seeded
- 1 tbsp vegtable oil
- ½ white onion, roughly chopped
- 10 curry leaves
- Salt and pepper
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Wash your snake gourd and scrape off the very thin outer skin with a knife and trim the ends.
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Slit the gourd in two lengthwise and use a spoon to remove the seeds and white pith leaving only the outer flesh and an empty cavity where the seeds were.
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Slit the gourd once more lengthwise. You will now end up with four long strips of snake gourd.
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Cut the strips into squares of about about 2 cm , place in a bowl and wash under
running water, drain and keep. -
Wash your snake gourd and scrape off the very thin outer skin with a knife and trim the ends
-
Slit the gourd in two lengthwise and use a spoon to remove the seeds and white pith leaving only the outer flesh and an empty cavity where the seeds were.
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Slit the gourd once more lengthwise. You will now end up with four long strips of snake gourd.
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Cut the strips into squares of about about 2 cm , place in a bowl and wash under running water, drain and keep.
Boil eggs
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Bring your eggs to room temperature before boiling. If the eggs are too cold, the shells may crack during cooking. -
Gently place the eggs in a saucepan and add cold water.
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Place the pan over medium heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook the eggs for 8 minutes to give firm hard boiled eggs.
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Once boiled, remove the eggs from the water using a slotted spoon and place them in a large bowl of cold water to halt the cooking process and lower the temperature of the eggs.
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When the eggs reach room temperature, gently tap the eggs against a hard surface and peel away the shell. You can also opt to peel the eggs under the running water so the added pressure of the water can work to remove the shells, too.
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Rinse the egg under cold water to remove any bits of shell and pat dry.
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Cut each egg in half and keep
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Heat a medium size pot and add oil. Stir in the chopped onion, crushed garlic and ginger and cook for a few minutes until onion is translucent
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Reduce heat and add coconut milk and simmer for a few minutes
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Add curry powder and turmeric, chilli and curry leaves, stir to mix in the ingredients and simmer for about 5 minutes
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Add the snake gourd and cook for about 15 minutes, stir occasionally
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Add eggs and simmer for another 10 minutes. Avoid stirring as it will break up the eggs. You can gently shake of the pot instead
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Season with salt and pepper
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Serve with plain boiled rice and pumpkin chutney
- You may decide to remove the chilli before serving or leave it in the curry and hope for the best!
- As with most curry that are cooked with coconut milk, there are no vinegary or acidic ingredients because they could curdle the coconut milk, especially if you are using freshly squeezed coconut milk.
- You should also cook your coconut milk on low heat as high heat will also tend to speed up the curdling process.
- The ideal eggs for this curry are the bird’s eggs. Unfortunately, if you are lucky, you can obtain them once a year during the South East Monsoon.