Nigella Lawson Golden Egg Curry

Nigella Lawson’s golden egg curry is eggs poached in a rich, aromatic, turmeric-tinted and tamarind-sharp coconut sauce, spiced with chilli, ginger and lemongrass. It serves 2, from her book At My Table.

She credits it to Yasmin Othman and says she glows with gratitude every time she eats it. Known as masak lemak telur in Malaysian, it’s a world away from the sultana-studded, hard-boiled egg curries of her youth that she’d rather forget.

The clever difference is that the eggs are poached straight in the sauce, not hard-boiled first. Cracked into the thick golden “soup” and gently simmered, they set with still-runny yolks that spill into the fragrant, coconutty, sour-sharp sauce.

Nigella Lawson Golden Egg Curry

Recipe by Pinch Perfect

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: Sides, Lunch, DinnerCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Calories

490

kcal

Total time

35

minutes

Nigella’s Malaysian masak lemak telur from At My Table: eggs poached in a rich, aromatic coconut sauce tinted with fresh turmeric, sharpened with tamarind and fragrant with lemongrass and chilli. Serves two.

Ingredients

• 2 fresh green chillies (deseeded and roughly chopped)

• 4 green finger chillies (1 roughly chopped, 3 left whole)

• 150g (approx. 5 small round) shallots (peeled and roughly chopped)

• 25g fresh ginger (peeled and roughly chopped)

• 2 fat cloves garlic (peeled and roughly chopped)

• 15g fresh turmeric (peeled and roughly chopped) or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 2 x 15ml tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 stalk lemongrass (trimmed and bruised)

• 1 x 400ml tin coconut milk

• 100ml water from a freshly boiled kettle

• 2 teaspoons Maldon sea salt flakes

• 2 teaspoons tamarind paste

• 4 large eggs (at room temperature)

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Directions

• Make the paste:With a stick blender, blitz the 2 green chillies, the 1 chopped finger chilli, the shallots, garlic, ginger and turmeric to a paste.
• Fry the paste:Heat the oil in a heavy wide wok or pan with a lid. Add the paste and lemongrass and fry gently, stirring often, for 5 minutes, until cooked and softened. Don’t use a wooden spoon, or use one you don’t mind staining yellow.
• Build the sauce:Add the coconut milk, water, salt and tamarind. Make a couple of small incisions in each of the 3 whole finger chillies and drop them in. Bring to a near boil, then reduce and simmer gently for about 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until thickened to a golden soup.
• Poach the eggs:Crack the eggs into the sauce (into a cup first, if cautious). Cover and simmer very gently for about 4 minutes, until the whites are set but the yolks runny, or longer for firmer yolks. Lift the lid to check.
• Serve:Divide between two bowls, spooning out most of the sauce first. Serve with rice, dippable flatbreads, or both.

Notes

• (adjusting the heat): It has definite heat, but not eye-watering. For a bit milder, don’t pierce the 3 whole finger chillies. For a lot milder, deseed the finger chilli in the paste and leave the whole ones out. Nigella doesn’t advise eating the whole chillies, even if you love fiery food. You’ve been warned.
• (turmeric stains): Fresh turmeric stains, so avoid a wooden spoon, or use one you don’t mind going yellow.
• (make ahead / store): Make the sauce up to 3 days ahead; cool quickly and refrigerate airtight. Reheat gently in a wok, stirring, until just boiling, then continue with the eggs. Nigella also freezes the paste for a near-instant supper.

FAQs

What is masak lemak telur, and how is it different from other egg curries?

Masak lemak telur is a Malaysian dish of eggs in a rich coconut sauce, “masak lemak” meaning cooked in a creamy, turmeric-yellow coconut gravy. Nigella learnt it from Yasmin Othman and loves that it’s nothing like the dull, hard-boiled, sultana-studded egg curries she remembers from childhood.

The big difference is the sauce and the method. Instead of a heavy, spiced gravy over hard-boiled eggs, this is a fragrant, soupy, turmeric-and-tamarind coconut sauce in which the eggs are gently poached. It’s fresh, aromatic and sharp rather than stodgy, more like a spiced coconut broth with soft eggs.

Why poach the eggs in the sauce instead of boiling them?

Poaching the eggs directly in the simmering sauce is what gives the dish its character. The whites set softly and the yolks stay runny, so when you break into them they spill out and enrich the golden coconut sauce, mingling into something richer and silkier. The eggs also take on the flavour of the sauce as they cook.

It’s gentler and more delicate than frying hard-boiled eggs. Simmer very gently with the lid on, lifting it to check, for about 4 minutes for runny yolks, or longer if you prefer them set. Cracking each egg into a cup first, then sliding it in, helps keep the yolks intact if you’re nervous.

Why fresh turmeric, and can I use ground?

Fresh turmeric gives the sauce its vivid golden colour and a brighter, earthier, more fragrant flavour than dried, and it’s the ingredient that made Nigella obsessed with the fresh root. Blitzed raw into the paste, it’s central to the dish’s “golden” name and character.

If you can’t find fresh turmeric, Nigella says a teaspoon of ground turmeric works instead. Do note that fresh turmeric stains everything yellow, including wooden spoons, hands and worktops, so she suggests using a metal or silicone spoon. It’s a close relative, in its coconut-and-spice approach, of her sweet potato curry.

How spicy is it, and how do I adjust the heat?

It has real, definite heat, but Nigella promises not eye-watering. Much of it comes from the whole finger chillies dropped into the sauce. For a milder curry, don’t pierce those whole chillies, so they flavour the sauce without releasing all their heat. For much milder, deseed the finger chilli in the paste and leave the whole ones out entirely.

One firm warning from Nigella: don’t eat the whole chillies themselves, even if you love fiery food, as they’re intensely hot. The tamarind and coconut balance the heat, giving a sour-sweet-creamy roundness, so it’s aromatic and layered rather than just hot.

What do I serve with it?

Nigella serves it with rice, dippable flatbreads, or both, to soak up that fragrant golden sauce, which is really the point. Plain steamed rice (jasmine or basmati) is classic and lets the sauce shine; roti, naan or other flatbread is lovely for scooping and mopping.

A simple cucumber or fresh herb salad on the side adds coolness and crunch against the rich, spiced sauce. Spoon plenty of the sauce over whatever you’re serving it with, since it’s as much a soupy broth as a curry. There are more cosy suppers on the Nigella Lawson recipes page.

Can I make it ahead, store or freeze it?

Yes, and it’s one of the recipe’s best features for a quick supper. Make the sauce up to 3 days ahead, cool it quickly and refrigerate it airtight, then reheat gently in a wok until just boiling and poach the eggs fresh to serve. The flavours even deepen on standing.

Nigella also freezes the aromatic paste, so you’re moments from supper after a hectic day: just fry it off and build the sauce. Poach the eggs fresh each time, as they don’t keep or reheat well once cooked. Loosen the reheated sauce with a splash of water if it’s thickened too much.