Eggs poached directly into a bubbling, spicy tomato and pepper sauce, the rustic Georgian skillet dish known as chirbuli.
Chirbuli is a simple, rustic Georgian dish traditionally associated with mountain shepherds and hunters, built from whatever tomatoes, peppers and eggs were on hand around the fire. A thick sauce of stewed tomatoes, onion and hot green peppers is cooked down until deeply savory, then whole eggs are cracked directly into the pan and left to poach gently in the sauce until just set. The defining feature of chirbuli is its generous use of hot green peppers, giving the dish real heat that distinguishes it from milder egg-and-tomato dishes found elsewhere. A scatter of fresh cilantro or basil at the end adds a herbal lift, and the dish is traditionally cooked and served directly in the same cast-iron or clay pan it was made in, kept bubbling at the table. Getting the sauce right requires real reduction time so it's thick enough to hold the eggs without turning watery once they're added — a loose, thin sauce won't set the eggs properly and leaves the dish looking more like scrambled eggs in broth than a proper chirbuli.
Serves 3
Heat oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Cook onion and hot green peppers until softened, about 6 minutes.
Add tomatoes, garlic, salt and ground coriander. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes until thick and the raw tomato smell is gone.
Reduce the sauce until it's genuinely thick — a spoon dragged across the pan should leave a brief trail before the sauce flows back.
Use the back of a spoon to create shallow wells in the sauce, then crack an egg into each well.
Cover and cook over low heat 5 to 6 minutes until the whites are set but the yolks are still soft, or longer if you prefer firmer yolks.
Scatter with cilantro or basil and serve immediately, straight from the pan, with bread for scooping.
Leave the seeds and ribs in the green peppers if you want authentic chirbuli heat; remove them for a milder version.
Reduce the tomato sauce fully before adding the eggs — a watery sauce won't hold the yolks in place while poaching.
Serve directly from the cooking pan while it's still bubbling; chirbuli is meant to be eaten hot and fresh, not reheated.
Add crumbled sulguni or feta cheese over the top in the last minute of cooking for a richer version.
Use bell peppers instead of hot green peppers for a much milder, family-friendly take.
Stir in a spoonful of ajika at the start for extra depth and heat.
Best eaten immediately; if needed, refrigerate the tomato-pepper base (without eggs) up to 2 days and reheat before poaching fresh eggs into it.
Chirbuli has roots in the cooking of Georgian mountain regions, where shepherds and travelers made quick, hearty meals from tomatoes, peppers and eggs cooked together in a single pan over an open fire.
It's meant to have real heat from hot green peppers with their seeds left in — reduce the number of peppers or remove the seeds if you want a milder version.
Yes — the tomato and pepper base keeps refrigerated for up to 2 days; reheat it to a simmer before cracking in fresh eggs to poach.
The sauce is likely too thin or the heat too high — thicken the sauce properly first, then cook covered over gentle heat so the eggs poach evenly without the whites spreading too thin.
Per serving (240g / 8.5 oz) · 3 servings total
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