Menemen – Turkish scrambled eggs with tomatoes and peppers Recipe
Menemen is a fluffy scrambled egg dish simmered with tomatoes, peppers, and onion, most often eaten in Turkey for late, lazy breakfasts. It’s served straight from the pan, and everyone tears off pieces of bread to scoop up the eggs instead of using a fork. The flavor is a bit like shakshuka, but milder and more creamy.
Menemen is a classic of Turkish breakfasts: simple, inexpensive ingredients turn into a fluffy, aromatic, and very comforting dish. The slow sautéing of vegetables builds a deep flavor, and the eggs stay wonderfully creamy thanks to gentle cooking over low heat. It’s also a very social dish, meant to be shared straight from the pan with plenty of bread.
Chef's tips
Don’t rush the vegetable stage – well-softened onion, pepper, and tomatoes are the base of the flavor. Make sure the tomato mixture is fairly thick before adding the eggs, otherwise the menemen will be watery. Cook the eggs over low heat and take the pan off the stove while they are still slightly runny; they will finish cooking in the residual heat and stay creamy instead of dry.
How to serve
Serve menemen in the pan it was cooked in, with plenty of fresh bread or Turkish-style flatbread. Add a small plate of olives, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, and some feta or white cheese on the side. It also pairs well with strong black tea served in small glasses, in true Turkish breakfast style.
Ingredients
- eggs - 4 pieces
- tomatoes medium, ripe - 3 pieces
- pepper preferably green or yellow, sweet - 1 piece
- onion small - 1 piece
- butter - 20 g
- olive oil - 1 tablespoon
- salt to taste
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- paprika powder sweet or hot, to taste - 0.5 teaspoons
- parsley chopped - 2 tablespoons
- feta cheese optional, crumbled - 40 g
- wheat bread for serving - 4 slices
Preparation
- Score the tomatoes with a cross, pour boiling water over them for 1 minute, rinse with cold water, peel off the skin, and cut into small cubes, removing the hard core around the stem.
- Halve the pepper, remove the seeds, and cut into small cubes. Peel the onion and dice finely.
- In a medium pan, heat the olive oil with the butter over medium heat until the butter melts but does not start to brown.
- Add the onion and fry for 3–4 minutes over medium heat, stirring often, until it softens and turns slightly translucent but does not brown.
- Add the pepper and fry for another 4–5 minutes, until it softens. If it starts to brown, reduce the heat.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, a pinch of salt, pepper, and paprika powder. Cook for 5–7 minutes over medium heat, stirring, until the tomatoes break down and you get a thick sauce without excess liquid.
- In a small bowl, lightly beat the eggs with a fork just until the whites and yolks are combined (do not whip to a foam).
- Reduce the heat under the pan to low. Pour the eggs over the vegetables and gently stir from the edges toward the center for 2–3 minutes, until the eggs begin to set but remain moist and creamy.
- When the eggs are almost set, remove the pan from the heat – they will finish cooking in the residual heat of the pan. Sprinkle with parsley and, if using, crumbled feta.
- Serve immediately, straight from the pan, with slices of bread for scooping up the scrambled eggs.
Storage
Menemen najlepiej smakuje od razu po przygotowaniu; po wystudzeniu jajka twardnieją. Jeśli zostanie porcja, przechowuj ją szczelnie przykrytą w lodówce i podgrzej delikatnie na małym ogniu, dodając 1–2 łyżki wody, aby nie wyschła.
