Tunisian spiced tomato and egg stew with merguez sausages and harissa — a fiery brunch classic.
Ojja is Tunisia's answer to shakshuka — eggs poached in a fiery, cumin-laced tomato sauce that is spiked with harissa and often enriched with merguez sausages or prawns. Unlike the more restrained Moroccan version, Tunisian ojja is deeply spiced and aggressively seasoned, true to the bold heat of Tunisian cooking. It is a popular weekend brunch dish eaten with thick bread for scooping.
Serves 4
Heat olive oil in a wide frying pan. Fry merguez rounds until browned. Remove and set aside.
Cook onion in the same pan over medium heat until soft. Add garlic, cumin and paprika. Cook 1 minute.
Add tomatoes and harissa. Simmer 10 minutes until sauce thickens.
Return merguez to the pan. Stir through.
Make 4 wells in the sauce. Crack an egg into each well. Cover and cook 5–7 minutes until whites are set but yolks still runny. Scatter parsley. Serve from the pan with crusty bread.
Adjust harissa quantity to your heat preference.
Serve immediately from the pan — eggs continue cooking off the heat.
Prawns or tuna are excellent alternatives to merguez.
Omit merguez for a vegetarian version — add chickpeas instead.
Add a handful of olives for a saltier Mediterranean version.
Best eaten fresh. Sauce without eggs keeps refrigerated for 3 days.
Ojja is one of Tunisia's most traditional dishes, with roots going back centuries in coastal cooking. The merguez version is popular in the north; prawn ojja is favoured in coastal Sfax.
Harissa is a North African red chilli paste made from dried chillies, garlic, caraway and olive oil. Tunisian harissa tends to be hotter than Moroccan versions.
Per serving · 4 servings total
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