ODDBIRD'S CLASSIC MENEMEN (TURKISH SCRAMBLED EGGS) RECIPE

Menemen, Turkey’s most famous scrambled egg recipe, is one of those dishes that every Turk thinks they have the best version of… and honestly because it’s always made with an enormous amount of love, they all may be right.

My sister swears by the addition of tomato paste, my stepfather says the special touch is letting the eggs sit in the pan until the whites start to form and mixing the egg yolks in last to create the perfect moisture, my mother adds parsley into the veggie mix and doesn’t use garlic, me, however… I add cumin and prefer to nurse my Menemen with continuous stirring and enjoy it with a gorgeous spicy harissa spread!

Whichever recipe you come upon online, which there are many, the common denominator will always be that Menemen is made with joy and of course, with the freshest ingredients you can find! (P.S I don’t believe in canned tomatoes for this recipe, that is sacrilege!)

Hope this simple yet dynamic breakfast staple is one you will enjoy this Father’s Day and revisit time and time again!

– Ceren

INGREDIENTS

SERVES TWO

3 EGGS
1 ONION
1 BANANA PEPPER
1/2 PASILLA PEPPER
3-4 ROMA TOMATOES (BASED ON SIZE)
1 CLOVE GARLIC
2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL
1 TEASPOON CUMIN
1/2 TEASPOON SALT (MORE IF NEEDED)
PEPPER TO TASTE

FRESH BREAD

OPTIONAL: HARISSA PEPPER SPREAD FOR A SPICY BITE! CEREN’S FAVORITE IS ‘TAZAH’ BRAND ‘HARISSA BERBERE’

METHOD

  1. Finely chop 1 onion and 3-4 roma tomatoes. De-seed and finely chop 1-2 peppers – keep separate and set aside.
  2. Saute onions until translucent (around 3 mins), mince the garlic, and add to the pan with the chopped peppers.
    When the peppers have softened, add the tomatoes and mix through.
  3. Add cumin, salt, and pepper to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes until veggies are soft and the water from the tomatoes has cooked down.
  4. Crack the eggs over the vegetable mixture and continue to stir until eggs are cooked through but still wet. Menemen is meant to be runny and not dry so be careful to not leave it idle – always keep stirring.
  5. Serve immediately with fresh chopped parsley garnish and toasted sourdough.

Optional:
Ceren loves to spread a spicy harissa and pepper spread called ‘TAZAH’ HARISSA BERBERE. It’s hot and a little goes a long way.

Some like to squeeze some fresh lemon over their eggs so it’s customary to serve menemen with lemon as an option.

Another option is to sprinkle fresh salty feta on top.

TRY OUR TURKISH BBQ RECIPES TO COMPLIMENT THIS DELICIOUS SALAD
NEED THE PERFECT ROBE FOR COOKIN'?
AFIYET OLSUN!
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