Dimer kosha aka egg kosha is a scrumptious, spicy and flavored Bengali egg curry which is crazily popular among Bengalis. In this preparation, hard-boiled eggs are marinated, fried and then cooked in onion-tomato gravy with some specific spices. This versatile dim kosha recipe is an asset of Bengali cuisine which is frequently prepared in every Bengali household. It tastes best with basanti pulao or luchi ( Bengali fried flat bread) but can be relished with steamed rice, roti or paratha. It could be a perfect addition to your lunch or dinner during busy working days.
Table of Contents
About the recipe
Tips and Suggestions
How to make Dim Kosha (step wise photos)
Recipe Card
What is dim kosha?
Dim kosha is a pure Bengali delicacy and the name of the recipe itself explains the dish. The word ‘Dim’ stands for Egg and the word kosha comes from the Bengali word koshano. Koshano is a slow cooking technique using a minimal amount of water.
First of all, I am an Egg lover since my childhood, and I can have it in any form except raw. My mom used to prepare a variety of egg curry recipe to bring a smile to my face. I am sure many Egg lovers like me would have the same story to share. Today, I am going to dedicate this recipe to all egg lovers. This dish will be a feast for them.
Whenever I talk about dim kosha recipe, it always makes me feel nostalgic. Whenever I think about the tempting Bengali egg curry, I always feel lucky to be a Bengali. As a bong, I have grown up eating this delicacy and have never gotten bored with it yet. I still remember how my mother used to prepare it and serve it with roti for weekday dinner and we used to devour that with immense pleasure. I have learned this traditional Bengali food recipe from her.
Dimer kosha is a very simple and easy recipe. It requires very limited ingredients which are easily available in any Bengali kitchen pantry. It is a pure Bengali delicacy and you will get the essence of Bengal in it. The best part of the recipe is you can refrigerate it for a couple of days and it will taste the same.
Difference between dim kosha and dim dalna?
Dim kosha and dimer dalna are two different famous Bengali egg curries. Both the dishes are spectacular in taste and are prepared with almost the same ingredients but they are not the same. The taste and texture of the dishes are way different from each other.
Dimer kosha is a semi-dry curry and it’s much richer and spicier than dimer dalna. The base of the dim kasha gravy is much oilier than dalna gravy. It is best paired up with Basanti pulao and Luchi.
On the other hand, dimer dalna is a comforting dish mostly relished with steam rice. It is light, less spicy and the gravy is runny in texture. It is perfect for a regular meal.
Ingredients for dim kosha
Eggs: I have used poultry chicken eggs for the recipe. But this recipe can also be prepared with hasher dim aka duck eggs.
Potato: One of the most important elements of dimer kasha recipe. For this Bengali egg curry, the addition of big potato chunks is a must.
Onion & Ginger-Garlic: These are the most common ingredients used to give texture and to flavour up the curry.
Tomato: The addition of tomatoes adds slight tanginess and enhances the taste of the dish.
Green chillies: It adds a heaty taste and refreshing flavour to the dish.
Tomato ketchup: The addition of tomato ketchup is completely optional. But it enhances the taste, texture and colour of the dish.
Mustard oil: Always use mustard oil to cook the recipe like any other traditional Bengali food. It enhances the taste and flavour of the dim kosha.
Whole spices: Add whole spices like bay leaf, dry red chillies, cloves, cinnamon stick, and green cardamom into the oil for tempering. These spices induce a nice aroma into the oil. So, try not to skip any of these whole spices.
Ground spices: Other than whole spices, I have used ground spices – turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, and Bengali garam masala powder for the recipe. All the spices help to develop a nice flavour and taste to the dish.
Salt: The most important ingredient which adds saltiness.
Sugar: It adds a mild sweetness to the dish.
Water: Water is used to adjust the consistency of the gravy.
Dim kosha with step-by-step photos and instructions have been provided in the ‘Instruction’ section of the recipe. I have included all the tips and tricks below. If you follow each step of my recipe precisely then you will get Bengali egg curry with perfect flavour and consistency which will even taste better than in restaurants.
Tips to prepare perfect dim kosha
- Marinate the hard-boiled eggs and potato chunks with salt and turmeric powder before frying them.
- Fry the potatoes and eggs separately because both of them have different cooking times.
- Always use mustard oil to cook the dim kosha bengali recipe. It gives better flavour and taste to the dish.
- Don’t skip the whole spices from the recipe. It induces a nice aroma into the oil.
- The addition of tomato ketchup gives restaurant-like taste to the dish. Don’t skip it.
- Don’t skip the Bengali garam masala powder from the recipe. It gives the authentic Bengali flavour to the dish.
How to boil an egg perfectly?
Perfectly boiled eggs are the key ingredient for dimer jhol recipe. It is very important not to over boil the eggs and get the green strains on egg yolk. Honestly, no one likes it. So it is very important to boil the eggs perfectly.
Put a pan on flame and add enough water to it. Cook it over a high flame until the water starts boiling. Then put the flame on low and add the eggs slowly into the water. Put the flame on high and boil it for exactly 10 minutes. Switch off the flame and immediately transfer the eggs into cold water and wait for 10 minutes. Let the eggs cool down completely before peeling the shell. This is how you can get perfectly boiled eggs.
How to peel boiled eggs?
Many people face difficulty during the time of peeling boiled eggs because the shell gets stuck to the egg whites. There are a few hacks to peel the boiled eggs properly without any difficulty.
- Don’t use fresh eggs to prepare dimer kosha. Wait for a couple of days and then use it. Sometimes it is difficult to peel fresh eggs.
- Don’t even use very old eggs too. Try to use 2-3 days old eggs for the recipe.
- Allow the boiled eggs to cool down completely before peeling.
How to make dim kosha?
To prepare the dimer kosha, first, wash and cut all the vegetables and make them ready for use.
On the other hand, bring a pot of water to boil and then turn the flame low. Add the eggs carefully into the water with a skimmer so that the eggs don’t crack. Turn the flame high and allow it to boil for exactly 10 minutes.
During that time make a large bowl ready filled with cold water. Then drain the eggs and immediately place them in a cold water-filled bowl. Let the eggs sit for 10 minutes to cool down completely.
Then peel the eggs and split on its body slightly with the help of a knife from the sides. But make sure it should not get cut into pieces.
Sprinkle some salt and turmeric powder on the eggs and rub them evenly on each piece.
Now, marinate the potato chunks with salt and turmeric powder.
Then put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Add mustard oil into the pan and wait until the oil is hot. Generally, most of the traditional Bengali food is cooked in mustard oil. It gives an outstanding flavour to the dish.
Add the potato chunks into the pan and then fry them till crisp and golden in colour. Then keep them aside on a separate plate.
In the same pan, add the marinated eggs and fry them evenly till crispy golden brown over medium flame. Then strain the eggs and keep them aside on a separate plate.
In the same pan, add some oil if required and once the oil is hot, add whole spices – bay leaf, dry red chillies, cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamoms and let them crackle.
Add the sliced onion and give a quick stir. Cook it in medium flame for 12-15 minutes until soft in texture and golden in colour.
Then add ginger garlic paste and mix it well. Cook it on low flame for 4-5 minutes until the raw smell goes away.
Add the tomato chunks, 2-3 green chillies into the pan and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on a medium flame for 2 minutes.
Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for 6-7 minutes until the tomatoes get mushy.
Add cumin powder, and sugar, one by one into the pan and mix it well. Cook it on low flame for 2 minutes so the raw smell of the spice goes away.
Add the fried potato chunks into the pan and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another 10 minutes.
Add tomato ketchup, water into the pan and give a nice mix. Put the flame on high until the masala simmers. Then cover the pan and cook it on low flame for a few minutes.
Then add the fried eggs into the pan and mix it.
Add water, Bengali garam masala powder one by one into the pan and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another couple of minutes.
Switch off the flame and don’t disturb the pan for another 10 minutes so the eggs and potato can absorb all the flavour of the spices. Now it’s ready to serve.
Many egg curry for chapathi has already been shared in my previous post. You may like a few of them like
Spicy egg curry
Egg korma
Omelette curry
Coriander egg curry
..And Many more…
Ingredients:
To marinate the eggs
- 6 Eggs
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
To marinate the potato
- 2 Potatoes, cut into 4 pieces each
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
Other ingredients for dim kosha
- 3 Onions, thin sliced
- 2 large Tomatoes, small diced
- 1½ tablespoon Ginger-Garlic paste
- 2-3 green Chillies
- 1 tablespoon Tomato ketchup
- 1 dry red Chilli
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1-inch Cinnamon stick
- 3 Cardamoms
- 3 Cloves
- ¾ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Bengali garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- Salt to taste
- 5 tablespoons Mustard oil
- 2/3 cups Water, adjust accordingly
Instructions:
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Once the water starts boiling then turn the flame low.
- Add 6 eggs carefully into the water with a skimmer so that the eggs don’t crack. Turn the flame high and allow it to boil for exact 10 minutes.
- During that time, make a large bowl ready, filled with cold water. Then drain the eggs and immediately place them in a cold water-filled bowl. Let the eggs sit for 10 minutes to cool down completely.
- Peel the eggs and split its body slightly with the help of a knife from the sides. But make sure that it should not get cut into pieces.
- Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon turmeric powder on the eggs and rub them evenly on each piece.
- Cut each medium-sized potato into flour pieces. Add ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and mix it nicely to coat each potato piece. Keep it aside.
- Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 3 tablespoons of mustard oil into the pan and wait until the oil is hot.
- Add the marinated potato chunk into the pan and then fry them evenly over medium to medium-high flame for 8-10 minutes till crisp and golden in colour. Then keep them aside on a separate plate.
- In the same pan, add marinated eggs and fry them evenly over medium flame for 2-3 minutes till crispy and golden brown in colour. Then strain the eggs out and keep it aside.
- In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of mustard oil. Once the oil is hot, add whole spices – 1 bay leaf, 1 dry red chilli, 3 cloves, 1-inch cinnamon stick, 3 cardamoms and let them crackle.
- Add the sliced onion and give a quick stir. Cook it in medium flame for 12-15 minutes until soft in texture and golden in colour.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and mix it well. Cook it on low flame for 4-5 minutes until the raw smell goes away.
- Add the tomato chunks, 2-3 green chillies into the pan and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on a medium flame for 2 minutes.
- Add salt, ¾ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for 6-7 minutes until the tomatoes get mushy.
- Add 1 teaspoon cumin powder and 1 teaspoon of sugar, one by one into the pan and mix it well. Cook it on low flame for 2 minutes so the raw smell of the spice goes away.
- Add the fried potato chunks (Step 8) into the pan and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another 10 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup, 1/3 cup water into the pan and give a nice mix. Put the flame on high until the masala simmers. Then cover the pan and cook it on low flame for a few minutes.
- Add the fried eggs (Step 9) into the pan and mix them.
- Add 1/3 cup water and 1 teaspoon Bengali garam masala powder, one by one into the pan and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another couple of minutes.
- Switch off the flame and don’t disturb the pan for another 10 minutes so the eggs and potato can absorb the spices’ flavour. Now it’s ready to serve.
Serving Instruction
Transfer the dim kosha into a serving bowl or on a serving plate. Serve hot or warm to enjoy its best taste. Pair up the dish with Basanti pulao or Luchi and enjoy the classic Bengali delight.
Ingredients
To marinate the eggs
- 6 Eggs
- ½ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
To marinate the potato
- 2 Potatoes, cut into 4 pieces each
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
Other ingredients for dim kosha
- 3 Onions, thin sliced
- 2 large Tomatoes, small diced
- 1½ tablespoon Ginger-Garlic paste
- 2-3 green Chillies
- 1 tablespoon Tomato ketchup
- 1 dry red Chilli
- 1 Bay leaf
- 1-inch Cinnamon stick
- 3 Cardamoms
- 3 Cloves
- ¾ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red Chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon Cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon Bengali garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- Salt to taste
- 5 tablespoons Mustard oil
- 2/3 cups Water, adjust accordingly
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Once the water starts boiling then turn the flame low.
- Add 6 eggs carefully into the water with a skimmer so that the eggs don’t crack. Turn the flame high and allow it to boil for exact 10 minutes.
- During that time, make a large bowl ready, filled with cold water. Then drain the eggs and immediately place them in a cold water-filled bowl. Let the eggs sit for 10 minutes to cool down completely.
- Peel the eggs and split its body slightly with the help of a knife from the sides. But make sure that it should not get cut into pieces.
- Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon turmeric powder on the eggs and rub them evenly on each piece.
- Cut each medium-sized potato into flour pieces. Add ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and mix it nicely to coat each potato piece. Keep it aside.
- Put a pan on flame and allow it to become completely dry. Then add 3 tablespoons of mustard oil into the pan and wait until the oil is hot.
- Add the marinated potato chunk into the pan and then fry them evenly over medium to medium-high flame for 8-10 minutes till crisp and golden in colour. Then keep them aside on a separate plate.
- In the same pan, add marinated eggs and fry them evenly over medium flame for 2-3 minutes till crispy and golden brown in colour. Then strain the eggs out and keep it aside.
- In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon of mustard oil. Once the oil is hot, add whole spices - 1 bay leaf, 1 dry red chilli, 3 cloves, 1-inch cinnamon stick, 3 cardamoms and let them crackle.
- Add the sliced onion and give a quick stir. Cook it in medium flame for 12-15 minutes until soft in texture and golden in colour.
- Add ginger-garlic paste and mix it well. Cook it on low flame for 4-5 minutes until the raw smell goes away.
- Add the tomato chunks, 2-3 green chillies into the pan and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on a medium flame for 2 minutes.
- Add salt, ¾ teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon red chilli powder and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for 6-7 minutes until the tomatoes get mushy.
- Add 1teaspoon cumin powder and 1 teaspoon of sugar, one by one into the pan and mix it well. Cook it on low flame for 2 minutes so the raw smell of the spice goes away.
- Add the fried potato chunks (Step 8) into the pan and give a nice mix. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another 10 minutes.
- Add 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup, 1/3 cup water into the pan and give a nice mix. Put the flame on high until the masala simmers. Then cover the pan and cook it on low flame for a few minutes.
- Add the fried eggs (Step 9) into the pan and mix them.
- Add 1/3 cup water and 1 teaspoon Bengali garam masala powder, one by one into the pan and give a nice stir. Cover the pan and cook it on low flame for another couple of minutes.
- Switch off the flame and don’t disturb the pan for another 10 minutes so the eggs and potato can absorb the spices' flavour. Now it’s ready to serve.
