Menemen: Turkish Scrambled Eggs with Peppers
Around the World in 80 Eggs, day 16
Turkish menemen is a vibrantly coloured and super flavourful classic Turkish breakfast dish that's sure to spice up your morning. Imagine a dreamy combination of scrambled eggs, chopped tomatoes, and green peppers, all seasoned with warm spices like red pepper flakes and black pepper...
The ripe tomatoes add sweetness and tang to balance the richness of the eggs and to make it even richer in flavour and texture, you can crumble some feta cheese on top for a creamy touch. I didn't do it here but I'm definitely adding that next time.
Regardless of cheese of no cheese, no menemen experience is complete without a side of warm, crusty bread for dipping up and mopping up all those delicious juices. So next time you're looking for a quick, flavourful breakfast dish, give menemen a try. It might just become your new weekend brunch favourite.
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About this recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 1 brown onion
- 1 green bell pepper (I only found yellow so that's what I used here)
- 2-3 tomatoes, finely diced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper, or more for a spicier kick
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Aleppo pepper (adjust to your preferred spice level)
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Pair it with
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and peppers (if using) and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped tomatoes, Aleppo pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes soften and release their juices, about 10 minutes.
- Pour the beaten eggs into the man and gently stir together to mix with the tomato sauce in the pan. It doesn't need to be homogenous as the slight separation of egg and tomato is the signature look.
- Garnish with some fresh parsley and serve immediately with warm crusty bread for dipping.
Tips:
- For a richer flavour, use a combination of olive oil and butter to sauté the vegetables.
- Add some crumbled feta in during the cooking process for a creamier outcome.
- If the tomatoes don't release enough liquid, you can add a splash of water or vegetable broth to make it more saucy
- Serving this with a side of griller halloumi is also an amazing pairing.
- For some freshness, why not try it served with a side of olives or sliced cucumbers?
Video demonstration
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