🍴 How To Nail Your Shakshuka 🍳

Shakshuka is a North African dish and also a favorite in the Middle East. It is especially popular in Israel, where it is commonly eaten as a good hearty breakfast. I personally eat it mostly for lunch, accompanied by some flat-bread to mop up all that delicious tomato-y sauce. This recipe is one of my own and brings the best from both the African and Yemenite recipes by incorporating the spices of Yemenite cooking such as cardamom, cumin, clove, and the African method of serving the eggs whole instead of scrambled.

I went to a restaurant a couple of weeks ago and my wife ordered a Shakshuka. What they served us was a runny, bland, light-red coloured slop. That was exactly how to desecrate an all time favorite dish! So, if you love Shakshuka, or want to know what all the fuss is about, then this recipe is for you. I'm sure you will agree that when you follow this recipe, that you will have discovered a whole new Shakshuka world. One of the secrets is cooking it for a long time. Whilst I'm not a fan of overcooking my veggies, when it comes to a good tomato sauce, I make an exception!

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What You Will Need

Serves 2-4 People

• 4 - 6 eggs
• 6 tomatoes
• 12 oz tomato puree
• 2 onions
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 x Bell Peppers
• red chills (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 tsp paprika
• ½ cardamom seed powder
• a pinch of clove powder
• fresh coriander leaf or parsley for garnishing
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
  
• 1 pinch sugar (optional, to taste if you have very tangy tomatoes)

How To Make It!

1. Use a good heavy iron pan if you have one. Else use the thickest and heaviest pan you have. This will prevent the dish from burning as it will cook for a long time.
2. Add a generous amount of olive oil and heat up in the pan.
   
3. Add diced bell peppers and sliced onions
   
   
   
4. Fry on medium to high heat for 10-20 minutes. Don't stir it too frequently as you want some of that tasty brown-ness to appear on the vegetables.
5. Shift everything to one side of the pan and add the cumin powder, turmeric powder, cardamom powder, clove powder and fry for 20 seconds.
   
   
   
6. Add garlic and fry for 2 minutes. Then stir everything together, and add salt and pepper. and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Add the tomatoes and tomato puree and mix well.
8. Garnish with paprika, cumin powder, coriander powder and black pepper.
   
   
   
9. Cover the pan and turn the heat down to the lowest setting. You will not mix this any more.
10. Cook without mixing for 40-60 minutes. Once the sauce is thick and dark red you are ready to add the eggs.
    
    
11. Make enough space using a spoon to accommodate one egg. Crack the egg straight in if you are brave enough, or else use a cup and then transfer it.
    
    
12. Add as many eggs as you like, I usually like at least 4 and sometimes 6 if I am sharing it.
13. Cover and cook for 3-5 minutes for a soft egg and 8 -10 minutes for a firm egg.
14. I had some dough leftover from my pizza Sunday session and so I made some fresh garlic and butter flat-bread to go with it.
    
    
15. Garnish with coriander or parsley and add some more seasoning as desired.
    
    
16. ALL DONE! You are ready to eat ;-)

 

Shakshuka is often served with hummus. If you would like to learn how to make incredible hummus please check this recipe out!

Let me know if you try it out and how it compares to how you used to make it!

 

 

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