you only need a single egg and a handful of spices to feel like a king.

say hello to my spiced egg recipe! i dreamt up this recipe one day when i was feeling particularly confident, some days after i had made a dal tadka that i enjoyed more than a local restaurant that i frequent.

eating this meal feels so much like spoiling myself. but fear not; it’s not expensive, laborious or time consuming! it’s simple, taking only a few minutes to whip up, yet it’s heavenly.

this is probably one of my proudest recipes. and you can make it for yourself.

it’s so simple and only requires what you probably already have in your pantry plus an egg.

you deserve more spices in your life. it’s true!

spices are also super great for you. research confirms as much.

anyways, we all want to eat an elevated, delicious meal without too much hassle. we’re too busy to eat like kings all the time. i got you.

there are only a few ingredients in this meal. the best thing about this egg is the marriage of spices and healthy fats packaged in crunchy, crispy fried edges beaded with toasted mustard seeds with soft whites and a wonderfully golden jammy yolk. perhaps you drop it onto a slice of tuscan loaf, or even between two halves of a fluffy, toothsome bagel, preferably a sesame-seeded one.

alright, let’s make this.

now, if you’re not so familiar with cooking with whole spices, this little guide will help you out for this recipe, as well as many other recipes in the future.

i prefer to use a heavy-bottom pan for this, since it retains heat better for more even and slow temperature changes, but you don’t have to. keep your pan cover nearby as well.

whole spices go first!

first heat your pan on medium-high with olive oil or your high smoke point oil of choice. add the mustard seeds and toast to brown them. it will make them more aromatic and crunchy. they may pop and attempt to bounce out of the pan. feel free to place the pan cover over them if they are attempting to escape.

once your mustard seeds are toasty, you can put your egg right on top.

now its time for ground spices!! i have a few favorites for this: cumin, turmeric, smoked paprika, and freeze-dried onion.

feel free to play with this as you like. some other nice things you may enjoy to add to this may be fenugreek, marjoram, dried mint, asafoetida, garlic salt, onion salt, ect. but trader joe’s onion salt is one of my absolute favorite seasonings right now.

then of course, salt and pepper as necessary.

try not to spend too much time on this step, as you don’t want your yolk to overcook.

once you’re happy with all the spices you’ve piled onto your poor little egg, cover the top and lower the burner to medium-low.

the egg shall steam inside and all those wonderful spices and seasonings will combine with those good good healthy egg fats.

the amount of time that you keep the cover on depends on how well you want your egg to be cooked.

as i enjoy a jammy egg so i can make this egg into a wonderful magical spiced egg bagel sandwich, i shall leave the cover on for about 3 minutes so the yolk has a consistency that is spreadable. your yolk won’t explode out the middle of the bagel on the first bite this way.

if you want a soft soft gooey egg, which i often enjoy with an egg on a slice of toast, i cover for only a minute or so, so the whites over the yolk are cooked enough to protect the yolk during egg transfer, but you still get that wonderful egg yolk pop.

as your egg is steaming, you may slice and toast your bread product of choice.

spread some mayo on your bread of choice or go forth with rice or naan or whatever you got! egg alone is wonderful as well! have fun with it!

spiced fried egg:
an indian-inspired comfort food recipe

servings: 1 you

prep time: <2 minutes

cook time: 5 minutes

total time: 8 minutes

ingredients

1 egg (or more!)
1 teaspoon of olive oil
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
salt to taste
ground pepper to taste

bagel / bread (optional)
mayonnaise (optional)

instructions

1. heat a pan on medium-high heat with 1 teaspoon of olive oil
   
   
2. add 1/4 teaspoon of mustard seeds to the pan. toast until they are browned
   
   
3. add egg to the pan on top of the mustard seeds
   
   
4. sprinkle 1/8 tsp cumin, turmeric, paprika and 1/4 tsp onion salt to the egg. sprinkle salt and black pepper to taste
   
   
5. cover the egg and lower the burner to medium-low. steam for 1-5 minutes depending on the desired yolk-doneness (1-2 min = soft egg, 3-4 minutes = medium jammy egg, 5-7 minutes = hard egg)
   
   
6. cut and toast bread as the egg steams. spread mayonnaise on the bread if desired
   
   
7. once the egg has reached desired cook temperature, remove the cover and take the pan off the burner. transfer the egg to bread
   
   
8. enjoy!
   

some notes

everything bagel and sesame bagel are my most favorite to pair with this egg! please try it, you deserve it!!!!

heavy-bottom pans are so great for the egg-steaming portion of this recipe. if you don’t have a heavy-bottom pan, you may want to steam your egg a little longer.

don’t be concerned if your egg looks a little messy after you have added all your desired spices. that’s ok! the steaming process will make all those flavors meld right into that nice egg.

you can make this with a ton of eggs if you like. make it for all your friends! make it for all yourself! go forth!