"All
happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast." -John Gunther
In Israel the word shakshuka is synonymous with breakfast. It's best served with a
slice or two of challah bread to sop up the juices. shakshuka is
a dish of poached eggs in a sauce of tomatoes, chili
peppers, and onions, often spiced with cumin. It is believed to have a Tunisian origin.
Shakshuka is a staple of Tunisian, Libyan, Algerian, Moroccan,
and Egyptian cuisines, traditionally served in a cast iron pan with
bread to mop up the sauce. It is also popular in Israel, where it was
introduced by Tunisian Jews and Maghrebi Jews, hundreds of thousands
of whom immigrated to Israel during the 1950s.
Because eggs
are the main ingredient, it is often on breakfast menus, but in Israel, it is
also a popular evening meal. According to some food historians, the dish was
invented in the Ottoman
Empire, spreading throughout the Middle East and
Spain, where it is often served with spicy sausage. It’s a one-skillet recipe
of eggs baked in a tomato-red pepper sauce spiced with cumin, paprika.
Nutritionally,
shakshuka is just about as lean and svelte as it gets. You’re effectively
eating spiced up tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions—a well of vitamins (A/C),
antioxidants, and other anti-inflammatory compounds—with little bombs of
protein floating on top.
Eggs
are slowly cooked in a cumin flavored tomato sauce and it all becomes a sweet,
spicy and protein packed one-pot-dinner that you eat with a piece of bread on
the side. It’s a great and simple budget recipe that easily takes care of
any leftover vegetables you might have lying around. All you need are a few
very basic ingredients; onion, garlic, canned tomatoes and eggs. If you got
that, you are good to go. Now if you can find some fresh fresh spinach, bell
pepper, fresh tomatoes, cauliflower or any other type of vegetable, they can be
added as well. Be inventive. Try new variations.
Shakshuka
Ingredients
2 tbsp oil
2 medium onions, chopped finely
1 cup of bell pepper(
green, red and yellow) chopped finely
6 to 7 cloves of garlic,
chopped
4 tomatoes, chopped finely
3 tbsp tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon or more chilli
powder
1 tbsp ground cumin powder
1 tbsp sugar
Salt to taste
11/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
5 eggs
1 tbsp chopped coriander
leaves
Method
1. Heat the oil in a
shallow, medium skillet. Add the onion and Cook on medium heat, stirring
occasionally until the onions are translucent. Add the bell pepper and cook
till softened.
2. Add in the garlic and
cook for about 1 minute.
3. Now add the chopped
tomatoes, chili powder, cumin powder, salt, sugar and pepper. Stir until everything is well
combined. Add tomato puree and stir. Cover the skillet with a lid and let the
tomatoes cook on medium heat until they are soft and mushy, about 10 minutes.
You should now have a sauce that is a gravy like consistency. If the sauce is
too thick, add water and stir.
4. Layer the coriander leaves on top.
5.Now
carefully crack the
eggs.
Place a small sieve over a cup or
small bowl. Crack the egg into the sieve, swirl a bit, allowing the runny
watery whites of the egg to drain through. Place the egg that's left in the
sieve into individual little bowls or ramekins.
6.Gently pour the egg into the surface of the tomato sauce.
Repeat with all remaining eggs so that the surface of the tomato sauce is
covered in eggs. Take care not to disturb the egg yolks, they need to be
intact.
5. Cover the skillet and
let the sauce gently simmer until the egg whites are set, about 2 minutes. If
you like your eggs firm, cook the shakshuka covered for another 2 minutes or
until the egg whites and yellows are fully cooked and set.
6. Sprinkle some ground
pepper and Garnish with chopped coriander. Serve hot with bread.
Some additional Tips:
Remove eggs
from refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to cooking.
Place
a small sieve over a cup or small bowl. Crack the egg into the sieve, swirl a
bit, allowing the runny watery whites of the egg to drain through. Place the
egg that's left in the sieve into individual little bowls or ramekins.
If
making the shakshuka, most recipes say to crack the eggs directly into an
indentation in the sauce and cover the pan to finish cooking. DON'T if you want
the pretty sunny side up eggs for presentation. Instead, crack the eggs as
described above through a sieve and then into their own small ramekins as so
that all the eggs are ready to go into the pan one after the other. When
they're in the pan, allow them to simmer undisturbed until the whites are set
up to your liking. Preferably, just until the whites set up, ensuring the yolks
have thickened but are still runny.
