Shakshuka – Poached eggs Egyptian style

A delicious dish packed with flavour

Shakshuka is a delicious dish and every mouthful packed with flavour.

Shakshuka can be eaten at any time of day

It can be eaten as a quick meal at any time of day; breakfast, lunch or supper. 

What is Shakshuka?

A firm favourite in Egypt

Shakshuka is an egg dish that originated in north west Africa and is now a firm favourite in Egypt.  I feel sure that once you try shakshuka for yourself it will become one of your favourites too.

Poached in a delicious red pepper sauce

The eggs are gently poached in a rich red pepper, onion and tomato sauce which is spiced to perfection.

Delicious with a kick of chilli

It’s delicious and has a bit of a kick from chilli, for those who like their food with a little spice. 

It’s traditionally served as a sharing platter scooped up with warm flat bread.

Only takes minutes to prepare

Shakshuka takes only a few minutes to prepare, so I feel sure Jamie Oliver would approve of it too.

These quantities make a good meal for 2 people.

Ingredients

• Oil for frying
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 pepper sliced into 1cm strips and cut into 4cm lengths approximately
• 4 large ripe tomatoes – finely chopped
• 1 chilli sliced thinly into rings or a good pinch of chilli flakes
• large handful of baby spinach (optional) or coriander leaves – chopped
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• salt and pepper
• 4 eggs

Here’s how to make your shakshuka

Heat oil in a pan

Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of oil into a large frying pan.  Put it over a medium high flame on the hob.

Fry the onions and peppers

Throw in the onion and sliced peppers and fry them, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to take on a little colour and become translucent.

Add the tomatoes and chilli

Add the tomatoes and chilli and continue cooking until the tomatoes begin to soften.

Throw in the spinach

Throw in the spinach or coriander at this point and stir them into the mix.  They will wilt down almost immediately.

Season

Season with the cumin, paprika and a good pinch of salt and pepper and stir again.

Add a little water if necessary

If the mix is a little dry add about a ¼ cup of water just to moisten it.

Make 4 little cradles for your eggs

Create four small dips in the mix which you can crack your eggs into.

Put your eggs to bed

Your eggs will sit in their cradles, just on top of the tomato mixture.

Put the lid on tightly, reduce the heat & poach your eggs gently

Reduce the heat of the flame and put a lid on the pan tightly so that the eggs can cook in the steam.

Cook for about 3 minutes

Cook the eggs for about 3 minutes until the egg whites cook through thoroughly.

Serve your delicious shakshuka with warm bread

Serve your Shakshuka with warm flat bread for a delicious supper, breakfast or lunch.

I hope this helped

I hope you found this recipe useful. Let me know how you enjoyed it.

And send in your photos