Spicy Menemen (Turkish Scrambled Eggs And Tomatoes) Recipe
Picture this: a colorful table laden with mosaic tiles and myriad little dishes, each containing a different salad, a few slices of cheese, or a handful of briny olives. The aromas of all the little plates intermingle with each other, but none can eclipse the undisputed king of the table, the large pan of spicy menemen, or Turkish scrambled eggs and tomatoes.
According to Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant's Table, few can resist the magic of this unique dish when she makes it. Though many people know shakshuka, the Middle Eastern dish of eggs cooked in tomato sauce, many find themselves polarized by the barely cooked eggs with the quivering middle. In menemen, that dilemma is solved for you as the eggs are scrambled into the spicy tomato sauce.
So, for your next brunch, make a large platter of Turkish menemen, arm yourself with a basket of freshly cooked Turkish flatbread or Greek-style pita bread, and go to town on mopping up all that sauce. Your stomach will thank you!
Gather the ingredients for spicy Turkish menemen
To make this unique Turkish egg dish, you will need a few everyday ingredients — olive oil for starting the sauce, onion and bell peppers to flavor it, hothouse tomatoes for the body, and garlic, paprika, cayenne pepper, and cumin for seasonings. Gather as many eggs as you need — two per person is a good rule of thumb — some chopped parsley for garnish, salt and pepper for flavoring, and you're ready to cook. Pita bread for serving is not mandatory but highly advisable.
Step 1: Preheat pan with olive oil
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
Step 2: Saute onion
Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Add bell pepper
Add bell pepper and saute for 2 minutes.
Step 4: Add tomatoes, garlic and spices
Add the tomatoes, garlic, paprika, cayenne, cumin, salt, and pepper.
Step 5: Cook the sauce
Cook for 5 minutes, adding a touch of water to make the tomatoes saucier.
Step 6: Add your eggs
Crack eggs directly into the tomato sauce and scramble.
Step 7: Continue cooking the eggs
Continue cooking the eggs, scrambling constantly, until cooked to your desired doneness, about 10 minutes.
Step 8: Serve with olive oil, parsley, and pepper
Drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with parsley and cracked black pepper. Serve immediately, with pita, if desired.
- ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 hothouse tomatoes, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- Pitas, for serving
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add bell pepper and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, garlic, paprika, cayenne, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Cook for 5 minutes, adding a touch of water to make the tomatoes saucier.
- Crack eggs directly into the tomato sauce and scramble.
- Continue cooking the eggs, scrambling constantly, until cooked to your desired doneness, about 10 minutes.
- Drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle with parsley and cracked black pepper. Serve immediately, with pita, if desired.
What are other traditional Turkish sides you can serve with menemen?
A Turkish breakfast is usually a feast made up of many small Turkish dishes, some cooked but most served cold. One popular Turkish side is fresh bread, such as pide or simit, which is perfect for soaking up the flavorful juices from the menemen (a few slices of pita bread will do in a pinch as well). Sliced or diced cucumber and tomato salad, known as çoban salatası, is another classic accompaniment, providing a refreshing contrast to the richness of the eggs.
For a heartier option, börek (or burek), flaky pastries filled with cheese, meat, or vegetables, make for a an incredibly flavorful and hefty dish to go alongside your eggs. If you prefer a lighter option, cacık is the Turkish take on tzatziki, a refreshing yogurt-based dip with cucumbers, dill, and garlic, that can help balance the richness of the menemen. Finally, no Turkish meal would be complete without olives — specifically the black, dried, and cured ones.
What other ingredients can you add to menemen?
Traditional menemen does not contain much more than a tomato sauce with egg. But like shakshuka or even the Western omelet, there is no shortage of things you can fold into these saucy eggs to make them more filling or simply more interesting.
One popular addition is sucuk, a dry-cured Turkish sausage that adds a smoky and spicy element to the dish. If you cannot find sucuk, feel free to use chorizo or merguez. Diced or crumbled beyaz peynir (a brined Turkish cheese) or feta makes for an incredible addition when sprinkled on top of the cooked eggs, providing a tangy and creamy counterpoint to the richness of the dish. For a burst of aromatic freshness, substitute the parsley for mint or even dill. Spices of sumac or Aleppo pepper can be sprinkled on top of the ready dish to introduce new layers of flavor.