Kerala Style Egg Curry

This has very quickly become a family favourite as well as an easy dinner party dish.  What makes this different from any other egg "curry" is the ground coconut paste and freshly ground coriander and fennel seeds.  It goes great over steamed rice or phulka rotis.

Ingredients:

-  5 eggs, hardboiled and halved
-  1/2 cup onion chopped
-  1 tsp coriander seeds
-  1 tsp fennel seeds
-  2 dried red chillies
-  6 curry leaves
-  2-3 Tbsp ground fresh coconut (use fresh and not the dried). You can find fresh ground coconut in the freezer section of the Indian grocery stores.
-  1/2 tsp turmeric
-  1 tsp tomato paste (optional)
-  1 inch ginger grated
-  1/2 tsp garlic minced (optional)

Method:

1.  In the spice grinder, freshly grind the coriander seeds, fennel seeds, red chillies and coconut. To make a paste later, add some water to this and give it a buzz. The coconut should be mixed in well with the spices to make a smooth paste.

2.  Heat 2 Tbsp vegetable oil in a pan and sautee onions.  Add ginger and optional garlic and curry leaves at this point and cook for a couple minutes. Then add the turmeric and the coconut paste with ground up spices. Add some water to thin it out and let this come to a simmer for about 5 minutes.  YOu can add optional tomato paste to this mixture but I like it much better without the tomato.

3.  Add the hard boiled eggs and continue to simmer on low for another 10 minutes. Add salt to taste and then serve over rice or with chappatis.