"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.
