SHAKSHUKA

Living in Middle East for more than a decade, you tend to adapt the eating habits of the prevailing local community. Shakshuka has become one of the favorite weekend breakfast for my family.

Shakshuka is an easy to make one pot dish which loosely translates to ‘all- mixed up’ in Arabic. It’s a delicious dish that is full of flavour and is originated in North African countries like Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria but traveled to Middle Eastern countries and is adapted by them too. It has all different variations to make this dish. I’m sharing my version with you and I like serving it with pita bread which is perfect for sopping up those oozing egg yolks with delicious peppery tomato sauce and crumbled feta. Crusty bread goes really well with that too.

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SERVES: 4 people

PREP TIME: 15 minutes

COOKING TIME: 14 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 29 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 x 400g canned tomatoes, chopped

• 1 onion, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and diced

• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1/2 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp cumin powder

• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black or mixed pepper

• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp Himalayan pink salt

• 2 tsp sugar (optional)

• 4 eggs

For Garnishing:

• 100g crumbled feta

• 2 tbsp chopped parsley

METHOD

1. In a large pan, heat oil on medium low fire.

2. Add onions, sauté for 1 minute and add garlic, cook for another minute and add chopped bell peppers, stir to cook for 2 minutes.

3. Add paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin powder and salt, stir to roast the spices for a minute.

4. Add tomatoes, stir to combine well, increase the flame and cook on medium high heat. Keep stirring in between for about 7-8 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked and water from the tomatoes is evaporated but they are still moist.

5. Add sugar and mix. Taste, season more if required.

6. Reduce the flame to low heat, make 4 cavities in the tomatoes, crack one egg in each cavity, cover the pan with a lid, let the egg whites cook while the yolks are still soft and runny for about 3-4 minutes. Remove from fire and uncover.

7. Garnish with crumbled feta and parsley. Sprinkle freshly ground pepper and salt on eggs. Serve immediately with pita bread or sourdough bread.

COOK'S NOTES:

• I used Himalayan salt as it contains more minerals like potassium, magnesium and calcium than a normal table salt. You can use normal salt by all means if you cannot get hold of the pink salt.

• I like my yolks runny and soft in the center, but if you like your eggs hard, leave for another 3-4 minutes on fire to cook well done.

• You can also add sliced jalapeño peppers and sliced avocado on top to garnish and serve with bread of your choice.

• I like adding sugar as it balances the tartness of tomatoes. You can omit if you don’t want.

#MiddleEastern #Arabic #Breakfast #Lunch #NorthAfricanCuisine #brunch #egg