Cager Telur: Madurese Boiled Eggs & Cabbage Curry

Madura is an island located off the northeastern coast of Java, Indonesia. If you happen to visit  Indonesia and ask some locals what the island of Madura is famous for, most probably, you will receive these three answers: karapan sapi or bull racing competition, Soto Madura or Madurese soto (a type of soup), and Sate Madura or Madurese satay. These three things are always associated with Madura. 

While soto and sate Madura are legendary, some of the Madurese hidden treasures are yet to be discovered. Little is known about Madurese food and there are many delicious, less famous dishes which are not quite exposed yet. They’re rarely served in public eateries outside the island, nor appear in the media. Sometimes this can’t be helped –  Indonesia has been blessed with countless delicious cuisines, which makes it hard for everyone to be familiar with everything. The good thing is, it creates more room for discovery.

Cager telur is one such example. This savory dish originates in the Sampang Regency, and is made of egg and white cabbage. It is very delicious, but hardly popular outside Madura. The dish feels simple and homely, and yet is quite tasty. To create it, hard boiled eggs are deep fried until golden brown and crispy crust forms on the outer part of the eggs. They are then simmered in a fragrant spice paste and herbs, and towards the end of the cooking, bite-sized pieces of fresh white cabbage are added. To add some contrast to the dish, sliced big red chillies are included as well. 

Cager telur resembles an egg curry, except that it’s slightly lighter in flavour. No coconut milk is used in this recipe. The dish obtains its creaminess from the candlenuts. This rich egg dish is a wonderful accompaniment for steamed rice.

Cager Telur: Madurese Boiled Eggs & Cabbage Curry

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• Author: Nunuk Sri Rahayu
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Chicken & Poultry
• Method: Sautéing
• Cuisine: Indonesian
• Diet: Halal

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Description

Cager telur is an egg and cabbage curry from the island of Madura. Unlike other curries in Indonesia, it doesn’t contain coconut milk, but is nevertheless creamy from candlenuts.

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Ingredients

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• 6 hard boiled eggs, peeled
• 200 gr white cabbage, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 big red chillies, sliced diagonally
• 6 shallots, peeled, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled, chopped
• 3 candlenuts, chopped
• 4 cm turmeric, peeled, chopped
• 2 cm ginger, peeled, chopped
• 2 cm galangal, peeled, chopped
• 2 kaffir lime leaves
• Salt to taste
• A pinch of sugar
• 3 tbsp cooking oil
• 200 ml water
• Fried shallots and garlics for garnish

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Instructions

1. Deep fry the eggs until golden brown (around 2 minutes each side), set aside.

   

2. Blend into a fine spice: shallots, garlic, candlenuts, turmeric, ginger and galangal.
3. Heat the cooking oil in a wok over medium high heat, then sauté the blended spices and kaffir lime lime leaves until fragrant (around 3 minutes).

   

4. Add salt and sugar. 
5. Add the water and let the mixture boil.
6. Add the eggs, and cook for about 5 minutes.

   

7. Add cabbage and sliced chilies, cook for another 5 minutes.

   

8. Transfer the dish into a serving bowl and garnish with fried shallots and garlics.

   

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Notes

• For a healthier version, the hard boiled eggs can be left unfried, even though this will make the dish less authentic.

Keywords: One-pot meal, Candlenuts, Turmeric