A Kayasth table of flavours

Egg Curry
What Anoothi says: A favourite at home, this dish was my obsession through childhood, along with bhindi.
INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
4 potatoes, the size of eggs, peeled, scored with a knife and deep-fried till reddish brown 4 tbsp oil and oil for frying
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
500 gm onion paste
1 black cardamom, pounded to lightly crack the shell
Salt to taste
100 gm tomato purée
1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder
2-3 cups water
1 tsp garam masala powder
A small bunch of fresh green coriander, finely chopped

METHOD
Boil eggs and deep-fry till golden brown. Use the same oil to deep-fry the potatoes. In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat oil and sauté the ginger and garlic pastes. Then, add the onion paste and salt and saute it till the masala turns reddish brown. Add the black cardamom and stir fry for I minute till it releases its aroma. Add tomato purée and dry spices other than garam masala. Saute some more till oil floats on top. Add eggs and potatoes, and water. Cover and cook on dum, on a low flame, till the potatoes are well done. Adjust water if necessary to get a thick gravy. If you add water, make sure to bring the curry to a boil. Sprinkle with the garam masala powder and chopped coriander leaves.

Bharwan Karele
What Anoothi says: These was by far the favourite summer vegetarian dish. The balance of the fennel and amchoor flavour while spicing the filling is the key to executing this dish perfectly, as is also sourcing small, even-sized green bitter gourd.
INGREDIENTS
500 gm small, even-sized green karelas (bitter gourd) 11 cup oil to fry
l kg onions (thinly sliced)
2 tsp amchoor powder
11 tbsp fennel powder
Salt to taste
String to tie the bitter gourd

METHOD
Scrape the karelas, slit each from the centre and take the seeds out. Rub each with salt and put on a tray placed at an angle to drain out the bitterness of the vegetable. Leave the karelas standing like this for a couple of hours. In a kadhai, heat 1 cup oil and fry all the sliced onions till brown.