Muttai Kulambu Recipe (Egg Kuzhambu)
Muttai Kulambu (Egg Kuzhambu) is a Tamil Nadu-style curry where boiled eggs are added to a spicy, coconut-based gravy. Prepare this South Indian-style egg curry with my easy recipe, then serve it with steamed rice or roti for a hearty meal.
Try a few more Indian egg curry recipes here: Kolhapuri Egg Curry, Egg Masala, Kerala Egg Curry, Chettinad Egg Curry, and Egg Butter Masala.
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Table of Contents
About Muttai Kulambu
Muttai in Tamil means “eggs,” and Kulambu (Kuzambhu) means “gravy.”
Muttai Kulambu (also known as Muttai Kuzambhu or Egg Kuzhambu) is a delicious curry originating from Tamil Nadu. In it, boiled eggs are added to a curry prepared with tomatoes, freshly ground coconut paste, and a few other simple ingredients.
I tasted this Egg Kuzhambu recipe during our road trip to Ooty. A simple shack was on the way, and we were super hungry. It looked clean, so we stopped by for a quick bite. We ordered Muttai Kulambu with paratha, and it was pretty good.
I have now learned to make this curry at home and made it a regular part of my everyday meals. It pairs well with steamed rice, dosa, phulka, or paratha.
Make this traditional South Indian egg curry using my easy recipe for a hearty meal.
Ingredients
To Make The Paste
For the freshly ground paste, you will need a few whole spices, neutral-flavored cooking oil, red onions, fresh ginger, garlic, cashew nuts, green chillies, and fresh coconut.
Whole spices such as cloves (laung), black peppercorns (kali mirch), black cardamoms (badi elaichi), star anise (chakri phool), cinnamon (dalchini), bay leaf (tejpatta), fennel seeds (saunf), cumin seeds, and white poppy seeds (khus khus) are added to hot oil, which makes the muttai kulambu curry very flavourful.
Skip adding poppy seeds if they are not available where you live.
Adjust the amount of green chilies based on your spice preference.
This Muttai Kulambu recipe uses fresh coconut, but you can also use dry coconut.
To Make The Curry
You will need cooking oil, fennel seeds, fresh tomatoes, Indian spice powders, salt, hard-boiled eggs, and fresh coriander leaves (also known as cilantro) to make egg kuzhambu curry.
Use any neutral-flavored cooking oil, such as sunflower oil or canola oil.
This muttai kuzhambu recipe utilizes basic spice powders, including coriander powder, turmeric powder, and Kashmiri red chilli powder.
I used chicken eggs, but you can also use duck eggs or quail eggs in this recipe.
How To Make Egg Kuzhambu
Make The Masala Paste
Step 1: Heat 2 tablespoon cooking oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
Step 2: Add the following ingredients once the oil is hot, and sauté for 4-5 seconds.
- 2-3 cloves
- 4-5 black peppercorns
- 2 black cardamoms
- 1 star anise
- 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon white poppy seeds
Step 3: Add the following ingredients to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- 1 cup of chopped red onions
- 2-inch piece of ginger (peeled and roughly chopped)
- 5-6 garlic cloves (peeled)
- 2-3 green chilies
Step 4: Add 5-6 cashew nuts and cook for 2 minutes.
Step 5: Now add ½ cup of grated fresh coconut and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Step 6: Remove the pan from the heat.
Step 7: Add the ingredients to a blender along with ½ cup of water and blend until a fine paste forms. Scrape the sides of the blender a few times while blending.
Keep the paste aside.
Make The Curry
Step 8: Heat 2 tablespoon of cooking oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
Step 9: Add 1 teaspoon fennel seeds and sauté for 4-5 seconds.
Step 10: Add the masala paste and mix until well combined. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
Step 11: Now add 1 cup of pureed tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes.
Step 12: Add the following ingredients and cook for 1 minute.
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
Step 13: Add 1 cup of water and mix until the ingredients are well combined.
Step 14: Reduce the heat to low.
Step 15: Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes.
Step 16: Add 6 boiled eggs and 1 teaspoon salt to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Step 17: Add more water if the curry is too thick for your liking.
Check for salt and add more if needed.
Tip: If the tang from the tomatoes is insufficient, add a teaspoon of tamarind paste at this stage.
Step 18: Garnish the muttai kulambu curry with 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro and serve hot.
Pro Tips By Neha
I have prepared muttai kuzambhu using boiled eggs, but you can also break the raw eggs on top of the ready masala, cover the pan, and cook until the eggs are cooked to make a new variation. This variation is traditionally known as Udaitha Muttai Kulambu.
You can also add a tempering of curry leaves and mustard seeds to the ready curry for an extra layer of flavor.
Add some thick coconut milk at the end of cooking for a taste change. Do not cook on high heat or for an extended period after adding coconut milk. Just cook on low heat for 1-2 minutes.
Add some garam masala for a more robust flavor.
Storage Suggestions
Egg Kuzhambu can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
You can also freeze the muttai kulambu gravy for up to 3 months, but do not add eggs if you plan to freeze it. Thaw the gravy, add eggs, and then reheat.
Other South Indian Recipes We Recommend
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Muttai Kulambu Recipe (Egg Kuzhambu)
Ingredients
For The Masala Paste
- 2 tablespoons neutral-flavored cooking oil
- 2-3 whole cloves (laung)
- 4-5 whole black peppercorns (kali mirch)
- 2 whole black cardamoms (badi elaichi)
- 1 whole star anise (chakri phool)
- 1 inch piece of cinnamon stick (dalchini)
- 1 whole bay leaf (tejpatta)
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 tablespoon white poppy seeds (posta dana)
- 1 cup chopped red onions
- 2 inch piece of ginger (peeled and roughly chopped)
- 5-6 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 2-3 green chilies
- 5-6 cashew nuts
- ½ cup grated fresh coconut
For The Curry
- 2 tablespoons neutral flavored cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (saunf)
- 1 cup pureed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- 2 teaspoons Kashmiri red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 6 hard-boiled eggs
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (fresh coriander leaves)
Instructions
Make The Masala Paste
- Heat cooking oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add cloves, peppercorns, black cardamoms, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaf, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, and poppy seeds, and saute for 4-5 seconds.
- Add onions, ginger, garlic, and green chilies, and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add cashew nuts and cook for 2 minutes.
- Now add coconut and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat.
- Add the ingredients to a blender along with ½ cup of water and blend to make a fine paste. Scrape the sides of the blender a few times while blending.
- Keep the paste aside.
Make The Curry
- Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Add fennel seeds and saute for 4-5 seconds.
- Add the masala paste and mix well. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Now add tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add coriander powder, turmeric powder, and chili powder, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add 1 cup of water and mix well.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring 2-3 times in between.
- Add eggs and salt to the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Add more water if the curry is thick for your liking.
- Check for salt and add more if needed.
- Tip – You can also add a teaspoon of tamarind paste at this stage if the tang from the tomatoes is not enough.
- Garnish the curry with cilantro and serve hot.
This curry has so much flavor that you’ll love it from the very first bite.