Budget Potato and Egg Curry — Spiced, Filling, and Under $10
Spiced, filling, and under $10 — this curry is the answer tonight.
When it's late, your brain is fried, and the fridge looks bleak, this potato and egg curry is exactly what you need. It's built on pantry staples — canned tomatoes, dried spices, potatoes, and eggs — so there's almost nothing to buy. The curry simmers itself while you decompress, and the result is genuinely warm and satisfying: tender potatoes soaking up a spiced tomato sauce, halved eggs nestled in. Expect mild heat with deep flavor. It reheats beautifully, so make a full batch and thank yourself tomorrow.
Ingredients
- 4 unit large eggs
- 1.5 lb Yukon Gold or russet potatoes — peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 tbsp neutral oil — vegetable or canola
- 1 unit medium yellow onion — finely diced
- 4 unit garlic cloves — minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger — grated or minced; or 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 unit can diced tomatoes — 14.5 oz
- 1.5 tsp ground cumin
- 1.5 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper — adjust to taste
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp kosher salt — plus more to taste
- 1 cup water — plus more as needed
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro — optional, for garnish
Method
- 1 Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add the eggs and boil for 9 minutes. Transfer to an ice bath or run under cold water, then peel and set aside. Once cooled, halve the eggs lengthwise.
- 2 While the eggs cook, heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6–7 minutes until softened and lightly golden.
- 3 Add the garlic and ginger. Stir and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- 4 Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne. Stir constantly for 30 seconds to bloom the spices in the oil.
- 5 Pour in the canned diced tomatoes (with their juices). Stir to combine, scraping up any bits from the bottom. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly.
- 6 Add the cubed potatoes, 1 tsp salt, and 1 cup of water. Stir to coat the potatoes in the sauce. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook over medium-low heat for 18–22 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the potatoes are completely tender when pierced with a fork. Add a splash more water if the pan looks dry.
- 7 Stir in the garam masala. Taste and adjust salt. Nestle the halved eggs into the curry, cut side up. Spoon sauce over them and let everything warm together for 2 minutes.
- 8 Garnish with cilantro if using and serve over rice or with flatbread.
Variations
- Vegan swap — Skip the eggs entirely and add one 15 oz can of drained chickpeas in step 5 along with the potatoes. The chickpeas add protein and soak up the sauce beautifully.
- Faster version — Use canned sliced potatoes (drain and rinse two 15 oz cans) instead of raw. They only need about 8 minutes to heat through in step 6, cutting total time to around 25 minutes.
- No fresh garlic or ginger — Substitute 1 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp ground ginger added with the other spices in step 4. The flavor is slightly less bright but still very good.
Notes
For deeper color and a slightly smoky flavor, score the peeled hard-boiled eggs with a knife before adding them to the curry — this helps the sauce cling to them. The curry thickens as it sits; add a splash of water when reheating. This dish is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free as written.
Equipment that helps
- Large skillet or wide saucepan with lid — A wide base lets the onions and tomatoes reduce quickly and gives the potatoes enough room to cook evenly without stacking.
Find more dinners like this
More like this
