Mysore Paruppu Muttai Aanam | Masoor Dal Poached Egg Curry Recipe

Heat oil in a pan. I have used sesame oil for making this recipe today. But, any vegetable oil will work just fine. Add in little mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves and some chopped green chillies. Saute the herbs and spices for a few seconds in oil so they turn aromatic and the mustard seeds start to crackle. Add in the finely chopped onions to the pan. Saute the onions for about 3-4 minutes till the onions turn soft and slowly start to brown.
Once the onions are starting to change color, add in the ginger garlic paste, finely chopped tomatoes and some chopped coriander leaves. Mix everything well to combine. Add salt to season the curry. Add about a teaspoon in the beginning and we can always adjust the seasoning later if need be. Mix again so the salt coats the tomatoes. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes till the tomatoes are slightly mushy. Our tomatoes should be well cooked by this time.
Take a potato masher and mash the tomato mixture. This is a cool trick to get a nice creamy gravy. The big bits of onion and tomato will become mushy and the mixture will become thick.
At this stage, add in the turmeric powder, red chilli powder and coriander powder. Adjust the red chilli powder according to your taste. Remember that we also added green chillies for spice. Saute the spices for a minute.
Add in half a cup of washed masoor dal to the pan. We also colloquially call this as mysore dal or mysore paruppu in Tamilnadu. Mix well to combine. Add about 2 cups of water at this stage. Cover the pan with a lid and cook on a low flame for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes the lentils should be cooked well.
Take a small piece of the cooked lentil and try to press them between your fingers. The lentil should hold its shape but is soft and cooked well. Add little water at this stage if the curry is thick. Mix well.
Let it come to a boil. Once the curry is boiling, add in the eggs. I like to break the eggs in a small cup and then add it to the pan. Breaking the eggs directly in the pan somehow changes the shape and texture of the poached eggs. Also you don’t want to be searching for any accidental shell that might fall into the gravy while breaking the eggs directly onto the pan. This method is easy and works every time.
Cover the pan and cook on a low flame for about 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, the eggs should be poached and our curry is ready. Gently try moving the eggs in the pan to make sure that it’s not stuck to the bottom. Be gentle on the eggs so they do not break. Finally sprinkle with coriander leaves.