I love poached eggs so when I started spotting shakshuka all over the interwebs a few years ago I knew I had to give it a go. I add extra smokiness to mine by using smoked everything whenever possible.
When do you eat shakshuka and what do you have with it?
Shakshuka is awesome and delicious and fun to say out loud, especially if you like your breakfast, lunch or brunch with a little kick to it.
Have it with your favorite bread for dipping, I like mine with pita or pide.
Smokey Shakshuka
Spicy smokey Middle Eastern poached eggs in tomato sauce are a true breakfast of champions.
Equipment
- Frying pan with a matching lid
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 4 small shallots finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 3 jalapenos finely chopped, deseeded if you prefer less heat
- 1 T - 20 gr smoked paprika regular will do if you can't find this
- 1 t - 5 gr ground cumin
- 14 oz - 400 gr tin tomatoes I prefer peeled plum
- 1 T - 20 gr tomato puree
- pinch salt
- pinch pepper
- 4 eggs 2 if you're eating alone
- sprinkling parsley flat or curly, roughly chopped
- sprinkling feta optional, crumbed with a fork
Instructions
- Pick a frying pan that will either comfortably hold 4 or 2 eggs, depending with how many people you are planning to eat your shakshuka.
- Fry off 4 finely chopped shallots, 4 cloves of garlic and 3 jalapenos in some olive oil on a medium heat for about 5 minutes, until they turn soft and are just starting to brown.
- Add 1 T - 20 gr of smoked paprika and 1 t - 5 gr cumin and fry off for another 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Mush up your tin of tomatoes (I used a small knife and bang it around in the tin) before adding them to the frying pan with half a tin of water and 1 T - 20 gr of tomato puree.
- Leave to simmer until the sauce is reduced by half (5 to 10 minutes) and season to taste with pepper and salt.
- If you are eating alone, now is the time to remove half of the sauce with a ladle and leave it to cool so you can store the remainder of the sauce in your fridge or freezer.
- Reduce the heat to a comfortable bubble and carefully plunk in 2 to 4 eggs. If you want to avoid breaking the yolks, break the eggs into little separate bowls before easing them into the sauce.
- Now leave to slowly bubble away until the egg whites have set. Close your frying pan with a lid if it’s taking to long. The trick is to have set egg whites but a runny yolk.
- Sprinkle with the fresh parsley and crumbled feta and serve with warm bread of choice.
Notes
If you are storing half of the sauce for a later date, it will keep in a closed container for up to 3 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer.
