Marked by the first day of the Bengali calendar, Poila Boishakh arrives not just as a date, but as a feeling—one that smells faintly of incense, fresh ledgers, and something sweet simmering in the kitchen. Celebrated by Bengalis across the country and the world, the day is all about dressing in your finest cottons, being close to loved ones, exchanging mithais, and, of course, devouring a spectacular lunch spread right at home. For your tables this year, Dyuti Banerjee, a MasterChef India contestant from season 7, shares a delectable recipe, perfect for small and extravagant celebrations alike. According to the chef, “This is the fieriest egg curry you can possibly have, and it was patented by my father. Or it should have been.”
Before you set your mind to it, here are a few non-negotiables that the chef recommends you keep in mind.
This curry needs good-quality duck eggs about the size of your fist; if you have smaller (or bigger) fists than usual, measure the eggs with caution!
The shell must be hard to crack, unlike your New Year’s resolutions, and once boiled, should reveal a bluish-grey egg white and a vibrant orange yolk. That is the sign of a good duck egg.
The other thing this dish needs is potatoes, medium ones, cut in half, large ones cut in quarters, fried just lightly golden in mustard oil, along with the eggs, so that a flimsy but delicately crisp coating is rendered on both the eggs and the potatoes.
Spicy, flavour-forward and piping hot, Chef Banerjee endearingly refers to this recipe as ‘Baba’r Haansher Diimer Jhol’—Dad’s Duck Egg Curry. A favourite in her household, it’s a staple for festive celebrations just like Poila Boishakh. “Even amongst chitol, ilish and mangsho, this diimer jhol holds its own, like the star it is,” says the chef.
