Egg shakshuka, sometimes spelt as shakshouka, is a popular Middle Eastern breakfast recipe that is thought to have originated from North Africa. This healthy shakshuka recipe is made with eggs that are gently poached and simmered in a spicy tomato sauce. A one-skillet dish that can be served in its pan is made with everyday ingredients that you are sure to have. This egg breakfast recipe is perfect for those cold Winter mornings to warm you up. Garnish this delicious egg shakshuka recipe with fresh coriander then serve this rich and saucy egg breakfast with a slice of thick buttered toast.

Egg shakshuka was something I hadn’t even heard of up until about two years ago when I had it at my uncle and aunties house, and it tasted delicious. Now me (and my sister as well) HATE cereal. So we always look for different ways to avoid having to eat cereal in the morning. This egg breakfast recipe was the perfect substitute for cereal as it is traditionally made at breakfast time anyway.

If you haven’t heard of egg shakshuka then let me tell you what it is. It’s a dish made with eggs that are gently poached in a simmering mixture of tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and garlic. Dash in a few warm spices and garnish with fresh coriander then serve!

This dish is one of those dishes that have been around for decades. It is thought that it could be dated all the way back to the Ottoman empire! Although it is very popular in the Middle East its actual origin is somewhere in North Africa. Regardless I love this dish. Eggs are one of my favourite dishes and I literally love it all recipes (kind of like potatoes). If you haven’t heard of this trust me when I say you have to try it. Especially if you are a fan of eggs.

I always try to keep my recipes as authentic as possible, so I had to do a lot of research. To keep this recipe as close to traditional as possible I asked a few of my Middle Eastern friends and checked online. I made it a few times for my family, and they all loved it. Even the times when I kind of messed it up.

One time I added in 6 eggs. As my pan was too small the eggs kind of ended up looking very… not nice. It still tasted delicious though! However, as with everything in life practice always (not always, but most of the time…) makes perfect! Don’t worry, if you fail (I fail at pretty much everything I try first time, so…) just try and try again. I think this recipe post is turning a tad motivational, so let’s get back to talking about the recipe!

In this recipe I add tomato purée (tomato paste in the US) because it adds a much deeper and more intense tomato flavour. This makes it seem as if this has been simmering on the hob for hours. The canned tomatoes are what make this dish. So, as with most ingredients really, the better quality the canned tomatoes are, the better the dish will taste. However, I will be honest with you I usually use any canned tomatoes I can find. I just wanted to put that out there just in case!

One tip that I have that I don’t show in the video is that it is good to bake in the oven for a few minutes. This ensures the eggs are cooked and this is how it is usually cooked. However, I find that covering with a lid doesn’t always cook the eggs. This is because the condensation that forms on the lid drops back into the pan leaving watery egg whites. That’s not good obviously. This is why I recommend baking the skillet at the top of a preheated oven at 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5 until the eggs are just about done. In both cases remember that residual heat always ends up cooking the eggs a bit more than when you remove it from the heat. Always keep that in mind otherwise you will end up overcooking the eggs!

Garnish this egg shakshuka with freshly chopped coriander and serve immediately with a slice of buttered toast!

Egg Shakshuka

by Sadia Halimah Aziz

Egg shakshuka,sometimes spelt as shakshouka, is a popular Middle Eastern breakfast recipethat is thought to have originated from North Africa. This healthy shakshukarecipe is made with eggs that are gently poached and simmered in a spicy tomatosauce. A one-skillet dish that can be served in its pan is made with everydayingredients that you are sure to have. This egg breakfast recipe is perfect forthose cold Winter mornings to warm you up. Garnish this delicious egg shakshukarecipe with fresh coriander then serve this rich and saucy egg breakfast with aslice of thick buttered toast. 

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Course Breakfast, Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean, Middle Eastern

Servings 4 servings

Calories 164

Ingredients

  

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Onion/Pyaz finely diced
• 1 Red Bell Pepper/Shimla Mirch finely diced
• 2 Garlic Cloves/Lehsan chopped
• 400 g Canned Tomatoes
• 1 tbsp Tomato Purée
• 1 tsp Salt/Namak
• ½ tsp Black Pepper/Kali Mirch Powder
• ½ tsp Cumin Powder/Jeera Powder
• ½ tsp Paprika
• ½ tsp Cayenne Powder
• 4 Eggs/Anday

Instructions

 

• In a large skillet pan heat up the olive oil on medium heat until hot
• Add the finely diced onions and salt then cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions are slightly softened – adding the salt with the onions helps to bring the moisture out of the onion to allow them to cook down and brown more evenly without burning the onions
• As the onions are cooking wash, peel and finely dice the red bell pepper and finely chop the garlic cloves then add the finely diced red bell pepper with the finely chopped garlic cloves into the pan before cooking for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bell peppers soften
• Add the tomato purée and cook for another 1-2 minutes
• Add the canned tomatoes and allow the mixture to come to a gentle simmer before covering with a lid and cooking for 6-8 minutes on low-medium heat
• Add the cumin powder, paprika, black pepper and cayenne powder then cookthe spices on medium heat for 4-6 minutes adding a few tablespoons of water toprevent the spices from burning
• Reduce the heat to low then create 4 pockets in the mixtures and crack the eggs into a separate bowl before adding each egg into one of the pockets
• Cover with a lid and cook for 6-8 minutes until the eggs are cooked through or done to your personal preference – alternatively it is possible to bake the skillet at the top of a preheated oven at 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5 to cook the egg whites quickly
• Your egg shakshuka isready!

Video

Keyword eggs, spicy, vegetarian