You may recall a couple weeks ago I went a little crazy over Turkish food (for proof see this post, and this one, and this one, too). Well, today we’re going to have another dish called Menemen, or Turkish style scrambled eggs.
I’ve had other, similar permutations of this dish…like huevos rancheros or shakshuka, an Israeli egg dish. This is a good thing because it means you’ll most likely have everything you need to make menemen already on hand.
This post from Serious Eats discusses how the author and his family enjoyed menemen during a trip to Turkey and his attempt to recreate the dish at home. I’ll confess it sounded a bit too involved for scrambled eggs with tomatoes, peppers and onions, but to each their own. My version is extremely tasty and perfect for Meatless Monday.
Make no mistake…this is a tasty meal for anytime of the day. Add a salad or cut up fruit and you’re in for a delicious time. This recipe will serve four people and is easily adjusted to accommodate more servings.
Ingredients
- olive oil
- pinch red pepper flake
- 1 medium onion diced (about a cup)
- 1/2 red pepper diced (about a half cup)
- 1 or 2 tomatoes, depending on their size, seeded and diced
- 1/4 teaspoon smoky paprika more or less
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin more or less
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 eggs
- chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat some olive oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes in the bottom of a large skillet
- Saute the onions and peppers until softened, then add the tomatoes, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper.
- When the vegetables are cooked the way you like them and most of the liquid is cooked away, crack the eggs directly into the pan.
- Immediately break the yolks and scramble the eggs gently with the veggies.
- The menemen is ready when the eggs are softly set. Garnish with the chopped parsley.
A dish like this makes a pleasant change from a meat and cheese laden omelet. The flavor is incredible.
More Mediterranean favorites:
Super nice! I must have made 100rds of scrambled egg variations (love them) but not this one yet. Enjoyed it!
Thanks! It seems like most of the Mediterranean cuisines have some sort of variation. The seasonings change as does whether the eggs are scrambled with the veg, poached in them or fried and placed on top. Have a great week! 🙂
I actually ate Menemen in Turkey (way back in… um… 2000)… I have been dreaming of it ever since.
Thanks for posting this!!
I would love to visit Turkey someday. If you make this you’ll have to let me know it it’s as you remember 🙂
We love menemen, although we don’t make them enough! Thanks for this beautiful recipe; such a lovely job!
I’ve never heard of this dish, but it sounds like just the sort of thing I love, so thank you for expanding my horizons and exposing me to something new! Yum.
I think we may all have eaten something similar, we just didn’t know the name of it 🙂
I love a good hearty breakfast. And smoked paprika and cumin make everything better!
I am so keen on any recipe that gets more vegetables onto my plate. This is such a super easy way to do that.
I like menemen one of my favorite foods, like it when my dad makes it :)_
I bet his tastes better than mine! Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment 🙂