andrejthechef
TürkiyeEggsBreakfastVegetarian

Menemen

Menemen, the Turkish breakfast of eggs softly scrambled into tomatoes and green peppers, cooked in one pan and served with plenty of bread for scooping.

prep
15 min
cook
20 min
total
35 min
serves
2
level
easy
A copper pan of menemen, eggs scrambled softly into tomatoes and green peppers, with a basket of crusty white bread behind it

Menemen is a Turkish breakfast of eggs scrambled into a stew of tomatoes and long green peppers, cooked in one pan and brought to the table in it, with bread for scooping. It is simple, and the quality of the tomatoes shows. Whether it should contain onion is an argument Turks have with each other, and this version includes it.

The key is the tomato base. Cook it down until the juices have mostly evaporated and it looks like a thick sauce, otherwise the eggs turn watery. Then add the eggs and stir only a little: you want soft, separate curds in the tomato, not a uniform scramble.

If you like eggs cooked in tomatoes and peppers, try our shakshuka, where the eggs are set whole in the sauce rather than scrambled through it.

Menemen is one of the best breakfasts from around the world.

method

  1. Cut a small cross in the base of each tomato, drop into boiling water for 30 seconds, then lift out and peel. Chop the flesh roughly, keeping all the juice.

  2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a 22 to 24 cm (9 inch) skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 4 minutes until soft but not browned, then add the peppers and cook another 5 minutes.

  3. Add the tomatoes, pepper flakes and the salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring now and then, for 10 to 12 minutes, until the juices have mostly cooked off and the mixture looks thick and glossy.

  4. Lower the heat. Crack the eggs straight into the pan, let them sit for 20 seconds, then break the yolks with a fork and stir gently once or twice.

  5. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, stirring slowly, until the eggs are just set but still soft and a little wet. They finish cooking in the heat of the pan, so stop earlier than you think.

  6. Season with black pepper and serve in the pan, with plenty of bread to tear and dip.

chef's tips

  • No fresh tomatoes worth using? A 400 g (14 oz) can of whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand, works better than pale out-of-season ones.
  • For softer eggs, take the pan off the heat when they still look underdone and let the residual heat finish them.
  • Some cooks leave the yolks whole and just break them at the table. Both are normal.