Goan Egg Xacuti
Goa's xacuti masala — roasted coconut, poppy seeds and a dozen whole spices — usually made with chicken, here used with boiled eggs and with the coconut reduced.
- Region
- Goa
- Status
- Adaptation — eggs in place of chicken; reduced coconut
- Diet label
- Contains eggs
- Time
- Prep 20 min · Cook 30 min
- Serves
- 2 (3 eggs each)
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Good for
- Weekend dinner
- Tags
- Good source · Dairy-free · Soy-free · Whey-free · Gluten-free*
- Allergens
- Eggs; poppy seeds and coconut
Nutrition (estimated)
- Calories
- 515 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 43 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Headline values are for the full plate.
| kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Total sugars | Protein per 100 kcal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Egg xacuti only | 370 | 23 g | 12 g | 26 g | 9 g | 7 g | 7 g | 6.0 g |
| Dinner plate: xacuti, 40 g raw rice | 515 | 26 g | 43 g | 26 g | 9 g | 8 g | 7 g | 5.0 g |
High protein. Coconut and eggs make this the richest dinner in the chapter. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
- Xacuti masala: 25 g grated coconut · 5 g poppy seeds (khus khus) · 4 Kashmiri chillies · 1 tbsp coriander seeds · 1 tsp cumin · ½ tsp black pepper · ½ tsp fennel · 4 cloves · 1 small cinnamon stick · 1 star anise · pinch of nutmeg
- 120 g onion, sliced · 80 g tomato · 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste · 5 g tamarind · ¼ tsp turmeric · 4 g salt
- 10 g groundnut or coconut oil
- Plate: 80 g raw rice for 2, steamed
Method
- Dry-roast the coconut on medium-low until deep brown (5–6 minutes). Separately dry-roast the whole spices and poppy seeds for 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Grind coconut and spices with 150 ml water to a smooth, thick paste.
- Heat oil; cook onion 8 minutes until browned. Add ginger-garlic paste and tomato; cook 4 minutes.
- Add the xacuti paste and turmeric. Cook on low 6–8 minutes, stirring, until the oil separates.
- Add tamarind, salt and 200 ml water. Simmer 5 minutes.
- Halve the eggs lengthwise and add yolk-side up; simmer 3 minutes. Serve with rice.
Protein optimisation
- Eggs supply 19 g per serving; spices and onion 2.5 g; rice 3 g on the plate.
- Lighter and higher-protein: use 15 g coconut and add 2 boiled egg whites — about the same calories, 1.5 g less saturated fat and 3.5 g more protein per serving.
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional: mushroom xacuti — 300 g mushrooms with 4 eggs.
- Substitution: Goan poi (whole-wheat pav) instead of rice.
- Storage: masala keeps 3 days refrigerated; add eggs on the day.
- Food safety: refrigerate within 2 hours.
- Meal prep: grind the xacuti paste ahead; it freezes 1 month.
Nutrition values are estimates calculated from the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR-NIN) and typical product labels. They have not been laboratory-analysed and will vary with your ingredients, brands and cooking. Recipes are for healthy adults and are general information only, not a substitute for advice from a doctor or qualified dietitian. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, cooking for children, have food allergies, or live with kidney disease, diabetes or any other medical condition, please take professional advice about your diet. From the collection Protein-Rich India by Dr. Shantanu Deshpande · drshantanudeshpande.com