Turkish Scrambled Eggs (Menemen)

This radiant breakfast dish is the perfect gateway to the Turkish breakfast experience.

This traditional breakfast dish is just part of the grand Turkish breakfast spread, which is known called ‘serpme kahvaltı’. It not always practical to put this whole spread together just for yourself - you’ll have your work cut out - but some dishes including ‘menemen’ can make a great stand-alone breakfast dish and give you a taste of the Turkish breakfast experience. ‘Menemen’ is a Turkish-style egg dish from Izmir, featuring eggs scrambled with fresh tomatoes, peppers and a tingle of paprika. The key to this dish is cooking the eggs as slowly as you can bear to create fine, tender curds that are spreadable. They’re gorgeous served with plenty of bread. Let’s go!

INGREDIENTS (serves 2x)

• 4 large eggs

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 25g butter

• 1x shallot, diced

• 1x bell pepper (ideally green, or red), diced

• 2x tomatoes, diced

• 2 tsps Aleppo pepper [BEST BUY] or 1 tsp paprika

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• To serve: chopped parsley, chives

WALKTHROUGH

1. Into a bowl, crack 4 large eggs and whisk with 1/2 tsp salt until smooth. Set them aside.

   

2. Place a frying pan onto medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 25g of butter. Heat the mixture until the butter is melted and foaming. Add the 2 tsp Aleppo pepper or paprika and 1/4 tsp of black pepper and stir through the ingredients. Allow the spices to bloom for 1 minute.

   

3. Add the diced shallot, bell pepper and tomatoes. Fry the vegetables on medium heat until they are slightly wilted, about 4-5 minutes.

   

   

4. Add the beaten eggs and immediately turn the heat down to low. Using a spatula, stir the pan very slowly but constantly, clearing all the edges of the pan and breaking up any large egg curds. Once the mixture starts to coat the spatula, turn off the heat. Continue stirring the eggs for 1 minute then leave them to stand for a further 1 minute to thicken before serving.

   

   

   

5. Serve the menemen with fresh bread or toast, as well as a scattering of fresh parsley or chives. Enjoy!