Curried Egg Salad
Boiled eggs have always been a favorite of mine. The ultimate healthy fast food, portable, and filling. Growing up my dad always looked forward to Easter because he knew that there would be an abundance of boiled eggs to eat. His favorite way to eat them was to cut them into wedges, then top them with pickled curried mango, tomatoes and onions, wrapped in a whole wheat flat bread. Cool tomatoes, spicy mango and creamy eggs - YUM! So for me, curry and eggs are a match made in heaven.
I must admit, my first encounter with traditional egg salad was not pleasant, mushy eggs, heaps of mayo, in white mushy bread--eek. This made me avoid the traditional egg salad for years until I had an egg salad prepared by one of my college roommates mom. She made her egg salad with dill relish, onions, bacon and a touch of mayo. I was willing to give egg salad another chance after this.
Over the years, I've played around with several egg salad recipes, but noticed that the trickiest part was a properly boiled egg. If you do some online research you will find several methods. I tested a few one of which called for bringing the eggs to a boil, taking off the stove, covering for 12 minutes, plunging in an ice water bath, returning them to a boil, then plunging them back into cold water. The reason eggs are chilled after each step is to eliminate the dark line from forming on the eggs. While this method works perfectly, it's entirely to time consuming.
Here is a simple method for properly boiled eggs:
Place eggs in a pot and cover with 1/2 inch to 1 inch of cold water and bring to a boil. Now remove from heat, cover the pot, and let it sit exactly 8 minutes
I must admit, my first encounter with traditional egg salad was not pleasant, mushy eggs, heaps of mayo, in white mushy bread--eek. This made me avoid the traditional egg salad for years until I had an egg salad prepared by one of my college roommates mom. She made her egg salad with dill relish, onions, bacon and a touch of mayo. I was willing to give egg salad another chance after this.
Over the years, I've played around with several egg salad recipes, but noticed that the trickiest part was a properly boiled egg. If you do some online research you will find several methods. I tested a few one of which called for bringing the eggs to a boil, taking off the stove, covering for 12 minutes, plunging in an ice water bath, returning them to a boil, then plunging them back into cold water. The reason eggs are chilled after each step is to eliminate the dark line from forming on the eggs. While this method works perfectly, it's entirely to time consuming.
Here is a simple method for properly boiled eggs:
Place eggs in a pot and cover with 1/2 inch to 1 inch of cold water and bring to a boil. Now remove from heat, cover the pot, and let it sit exactly 8 minutes
When the time is up, place the eggs in an ice water bath for two minutes or until the eggs have completely cooled. Cooling them also makes them easier to peel.
OK, so now that you know how to properly boil an egg for egg salad, here is my favorite recipe:
Somer's Curried Egg Salad
Ingredients
6-8 large eggs
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt or whole milk yogurt
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder (I used Madras - use your favorite)
A splash of lime juice
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 green onion or small of bunch chives, chopped
1/4 cup of toasted walnuts
1/4 c. dried cranberries or cherries (optional) I didn't have any on hand so I did not use them
Somer's Curried Egg Salad
Ingredients
6-8 large eggs
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt or whole milk yogurt
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder (I used Madras - use your favorite)
A splash of lime juice
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 green onion or small of bunch chives, chopped
1/4 cup of toasted walnuts
1/4 c. dried cranberries or cherries (optional) I didn't have any on hand so I did not use them
While the eggs are boiling and cooling, combine the yogurt, dijon mustard, curry powder, lime juice, and mayo in a tiny bowl. Set aside.
Next chop your scallions and celery. I find that if I cut the celery stalks in half, then into fourths, it makes the whole process much easier. Line them all up and chop.
Toast the Walnuts - spread walnuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet (one with walls is best) . Bake at 400 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes or as soon as you can smell them.
Crack and peel each egg, and place in a medium mixing bowl. Then you will mash with a fork, don't over mash as you want the eggs to have some texture.
Mix in your veggies, and walnuts then stir to combine.
Add 3/4* of the curry sauce and combine, if the egg mixture is still too dry, then add the remaining sauce. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.
Enjoy as is, or as cracker topping, wrapped in lettuce or tortilla or between toasted whole wheat bread.
* I usually reserve the remaining sauce to mix into the egg salad the next day to keep the salad from drying out (if there are left overs)
Enjoy as is, or as cracker topping, wrapped in lettuce or tortilla or between toasted whole wheat bread.
* I usually reserve the remaining sauce to mix into the egg salad the next day to keep the salad from drying out (if there are left overs)