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Egg 65 was born out of one of those Sunday evenings when I had leftover boiled eggs sitting in the fridge and zero patience for making an elaborate snack. A friend from Chennai once told me this dish actually started as chicken 65’s humble cousin, and after making it a dozen times in my own kitchen, I get why it stuck around. The crunch from the batter, the tang from the ketchup and siracha, and that unmistakable curry leaf aroma hitting hot oil all just work fine. This is my no-fuss version, tested and tweaked until it landed right.

Table of Contents

Quick Facts

Egg 65 is that perfect fusion snack with crispy fried egg pieces tossed in a spicy, tangy Indo-Chinese style sauce which disappears within minutes of hitting the table at home.
The taste is a lovely balance of heat from the chili powder and garlic, tang from the ketchup and siracha, and a slight herby experience from the curry leaves cooked in hot oil.
Serve it hot straight off the kadai as a starter alongside a simple onion salad and lime wedges to cut through the spice.
From start to finish, including boiling and peeling the eggs, this took me around 35 to 40 minutes; so, it is an easy weeknight snack when guests drop by unannounced.
If you enjoy this, you’ll probably love chili egg, chili paneer or gobi 65 too, since they follow the same frying-then-tossing technique with a similar spice base.

The Ingredients:

To fry the egg pieces:

6 pieces eggs (boiled, peeled, cut into 4 pieces each)
Cooking oil (an adequate amount)

To make the batter:

½ cup corn flour (or rice flour)
½ cup gram flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp black pepper powder
½ tsp chili flakes
1 tsp red chili powder
Water (as much as required)

To cook egg 65:

2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp garlic (finely chopped)
2 pieces green chilies (broken into half)
Spring onion (a handful, only the white part)
Curry leaves (a handful)
1 tsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp siracha chili sauce (or schezwan chili sauce, optional)
Coriander leaves (a handful, finely chopped)

How to Make Egg 65? (Step by Step Guide with Photos)

Step 1: Take 6 boiled eggs and cut each into 4 pieces.

(Pro tip: Remove the yellow part of egg. It ensures better frying without the yolks falling apart).

Step 2: Now in a mixing bowl take ½ cup of corn flour, ½ cup of gram flour, ½ tsp of salt, ½ tsp of cumin powder, ½ tsp of black pepper powder, ½ tsp of chilli flakes and 1 tsp of red chili powder and mix all together well. Then add water in it to the required consistency and make a batter.

Step 3: Now coat those egg pieces cut in step 1 nicely with this batter.

Step 4: Fry it in enough oil till nice and crisp on a medium flame.

(Pro tip: Don’t crowd the kadai, or pieces turn soggy).

Step 5: Check the doneness. Remove them onto a separate plate.

Step 6: Heat a kadai on medium heat and then add 2 tbsp of cooking oil, 1 tbsp of finely chopped garlic, 2 pieces of green chilies (broken into half), a handful of spring onions (only the white part), a handful of curry leaves and mix them well. Then add 1 tsp of tomato ketchup, 1 tbsp of siracha chili sauce, and a handful of finely chopped coriander leaves.

(Pro tip: Keep the flame medium — rushing this once left me with bitter, burnt garlic).

Step 7: Now add fried eggs into this and fry it well.

Step 8: Then add a handful of finely chopped coriander leaves and mix it well. Cook until dry. Check the doneness and transfer it to a serving tray.

(Pro tip: Resist the urge to add water if the sauce looks too thick at this stage — it loosens up naturally as the egg pieces release a bit of moisture while tossing).

Step 9: Your tasty and spicy homemade egg 65 is ready.

Creative Ways to Try

If you are keeping an eye on oil intake, swap the deep-fried batter for an air fryer version. I have tried it at 190°C for around 12 minutes, and surely it is not exactly as crisp, but it still does the job for a lighter weeknight bite.

On step 5, toss in a handful of chopped bell peppers right along with the garlic and green chilies for that extra crunch and more color too. I end up doing this a lot when I want to stretch the whole thing so there’s enough for more guests.

Put some vinegar with the ketchup. This will give an additional tang to the dish that you usually find in the roadside Indo-Chinese stalls.

Add some black pepper and white pepper powder along with some green chilies in the end for extra spiciness and heat.

Squeeze some fresh lime juice into the dish just beforehand to enhance the tartness that complements a hot day even better.

Egg 65 Recipe Quick Fixes

Q: Why did my batter slip off the egg pieces while I was frying?

A: Most of the time it is because the batter is just too watery. I found out the hard way on my second try, so make sure it is thick, not losing that proper clinging consistency, otherwise it just slides off every single piece.

Q: My egg 65 was not crispy. What went wrong?

A: The oil temperature is usually the villain here. Fry on medium flame, not too low, and don’t rush it. Also, drain the fried pieces on a plate first before you toss them into the sauce, like in step 6, ok?

Q: My sauce turned watery. It did not coat the eggs properly. Is there a fix?

A: Yes, cook the sauce a bit longer on medium flame after adding the fried eggs in step 6. Let the excess moisture evaporate completely, that is what gives you the dry sticky coating vibe people expect.

Q: Do I really need gram flour, or can I use only corn flour?

A: I once did an all-corn flour version and it felt less crispy. Gram flour adds body, plus a faint nutty aroma, so I’d still stick to the equal ratio for a better crunch.