Turkish Eggs

Are you looking for a simple yet delicious breakfast that will awaken your taste buds? If so, you’ll have to give my Turkish Eggs recipe a try! Turkish eggs or çilbir is an incredibly satisfying dish that is full of big and bold flavours and couldn’t be easier to make. Perfectly poached eggs combine with dill yoghurt and fragrant Aleppo butter to create a breakfast meal that you’ll be making on repeat! This showstopper of a breakfast tastes as good as it looks! It’s almost time to dig in!

My Turkish Eggs recipe starts off with two classic poached eggs – with runny yolks and firmer egg whites. Poaching eggs can be an intimidating process but it doesn’t have to be! Simply bring a large pot of water to a low boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer (i.e. small bubbles). Poaching in simmering water allows the eggs to gently cook while maintaining their beautiful shape. An aggressive boil agitates the eggs and results in a break down and disbursement of egg whites throughout the pot. Vinegar is added to the water to coagulate the egg whites and helps them keep their shape. Crack the eggs into two heat-proof bowls or ramekins and carefully lower them into the poaching liquid, leaving enough space between them. Let the eggs cook undisturbed for 2 ½ - 3 minutes. You know your eggs are ready when the egg whites have firmed up and the yolks are still soft to the touch. Next, using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs from the pot and place them on a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

The eggs are placed over top of a creamy and rich dill yoghurt. Plain Greek yoghurt serves as the blank canvass for this dish. It’s flavoured with minced garlic, dill fronds, freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt and pepper. These ingredients transform the yoghurt into a bright, creamy, fragrant, fresh, rich and tart spread, that coats the base of your plate or platter.

The poached eggs and dill yoghurt are then coated in an aromatic, bright, earthy, fruity and slightly spicy Aleppo butter. Melted butter transforms into nutty, browned butter with just a few minutes of cook time. The butter is then infused with crushed Aleppo pepper, smoked paprika and ground cumin, imparting spiciness, smokiness and sweetness to this butter-based sauce. Aleppo pepper, also known as a Halaby pepper, is a moderately spicy variety of Capsicum. Its burgundy-coloured pods are sun dried, seeded and crushed or ground. When combined with smoked paprika, this hot red pepper gives the butter the most vibrant orange-red hue and complex and fragrant flavour profile.

All the ingredients combine to create the most creamy, fresh, fragrant, rich, smoky, spicy and satisfying bite! Serve my Turkish Eggs alongside your favourite crusty bread and savour every spoonful! Enjoy it for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner! So, let me show you how it’s done. Grab a spoon and come and cook with me!

For more fun and exciting egg ideas, try my Crustless Quiche, Breakfast Egg Cups, Shakshuka and Egg Salad Sandwich recipe!

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 - 11 minutes

Total Time: 15 - 16 minutes

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

Turkish Eggs

• 2 large eggs, fresh and at room temperature (See Notes below)

• Cold water

• 1 Tbsp distilled white vinegar

• 4 - 5 mint leaves, roughly torn

• Additional dill fronds, as a topping

• A slice of crusty bread, pita or naan, as an accompaniment

Dill Yoghurt

• ¾ cup plain Greek yoghurt

• 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced

• 2 tbsp fresh dill fronds, finely chopped

• 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

• ¼ tsp coarse salt

• Freshly ground pepper, to taste 

Aleppo Butter

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter

• 1 tsp crushed Aleppo pepper (See Notes below)

• ¼ tsp smoked paprika

• ¼ tsp ground cumin

Instructions:

1. Prepping the Eggs: Set a fine-meshed sieve over a small heat-proof bowl or ramekin. Crack the egg into the sieve to remove any loose whites. Discard the loose whites and carefully transfer the egg back into the bowl. Repeat the process for the remaining egg and set aside.

2. Creating the Dill Yoghurt: To a medium bowl, add the Greek yoghurt, garlic, dill, lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix until combined. Set aside.

3. Making the Aleppo Butter: To a small saucepan set over medium heat, add the butter and cook it for 2 ½ - 3 minutes or until it turns golden brown in colour and emits a nutty aroma. Turn off the heat and add the crushed Aleppo pepper, smoked paprika and cumin and mix until combined. Transfer the Aleppo butter into a heat-proof bowl and set it aside to slightly cool.  

4. Poaching the Eggs: To a large pot, add cold water (approximately 3 inches in depth) and bring it to a gentle or low boil over medium-high heat.

5. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer or medium-low and add the vinegar.

6. Carefully lower the eggs into the pot, leaving enough space between them. Cook the eggs for 2 ½ - 3 minutes or until the yolks are soft and the whites are firm and have set.

7. Using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs from the pot and transfer them to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.

8. Assembling the Turkish Eggs: Grab a dinner plate or platter and spoon the Dill Yoghurt over the base. Lay the poached eggs over top and drizzle with Aleppo butter. For some added freshness, garnish the eggs with mint leaves and additional dill fronds.

9. Serve the Turkish Eggs alongside your favourite crusty bread, a warm pita or naan and enjoy!

   
   

   

   
   

Notes:

1. Eggs: When poaching eggs, you want to look for and use fresh eggs. Fresh eggs have thicker whites that hold their shape better, when poached. It’s also important to get your eggs to room temperature for approximately 20 minutes, prior to poaching. This will enable the eggs to cook more evenly and quickly.

2. Using a Sieve: The key to achieving a perfectly shaped poached egg is by using a sieve. This handy kitchen tool keeps the yolks and thicker whites intact, while draining or separating the looser and watery portion of the egg whites. The loose and watery whites, when cooked, give the poached eggs their wispy look and uneven shape. Now, if you don’t mind a rustic appearance, you can skip this step and simply crack the eggs right into the bowls.

3. Can’t Find Crushed Aleppo Pepper?!: If you don’t have crushed Aleppo pepper handy or can’t find it at your local grocer, simply substitute it with crushed red pepper flakes. Crushed Aleppo pepper is fruiter in flavour and milder in heat relative to its red pepper counterpart, crushed red pepper flakes. When substituting Aleppo pepper in this recipe, start with ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes and adjust accordingly, depending on your desired heat level.