I’ll confess, I’m not much of a breakfast person. I’ll often skip it during the week, and at the weekends I’ll often have something with meaty or with lots of carbs. They’ll also be typically English – Full English, crumpets, muffins… you get the drift.
But I do love trying new things, and Shakshuka is definitely that. It’s a dish that originates from the Middle East and Africa, and it consists of a wonderful sauce that is (usually) packed with tomatoes, peppers and onions, which is then used to poach (or bake) eggs in it. But as long as you have tomatoes and eggs, then it’s really up to you as “Shakshuka” means “a mixture” in Arabic (I believe – correct me if I’m wrong.) It can be served with flatbread, crumbled feta or just by itself.
If you fancy a bit of a change from the usual breakfast, then I highly recommend you give this a try!
Shakshuka
Print RecipeIngredients
- 4 x Eggs
- 2 x Large Onions
- 4 x Peppers
- 2 x 400g Chopped Tin Tomatoes
- 2 x Red Chillies
- 3 x Garlic Cloves, Crushed
- Fresh Coriander
- Fresh Parsley
- 1 Tbsp Tomato Puree
- 1 Tsp Salt
- 2 Tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1/2 Tsp Caraway Seeds
- Olive oil, for cooking
Instructions
Peel and finely slice the onions
Core, de-seed, and finely slice the peppers
Add a large frying pan (preferably with a lid) over a medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil and allow to heat up for a couple of minutes
Add the onions and the peppers to the pan and cook for around 10 - 15 minutes, stirring often, until the onion and peppers have softened and wilted
Next, add in the salt, paprika, cayenne pepper, cumin seeds and coriander seeds and stir them in well
Add in both tins of chopped tomatoes and stir into the onions and peppers
Add a good tablespoon of tomato puree and stir that in as well
Bring the mixture up to a gentle simmer and let it bubble away for about 20 minutes so it reduces down into a sauce
Using a spoon, create four wells into the sauce - one at a time - and crack an egg into each well
Place a lid on to the pan, and poach the eggs for around 4 - 5 minutes for softer, runnier eggs, or for 8 - 10 minutes for much firmer eggs
Serve up with flatbread, crumbled cheese, or just by itself!
