Turkish Menemen (Scrambled Eggs with Tomato & Peppers)

About This Recipe

Menemen is the crown jewel of Turkish breakfast culture. It is debated passionately across Turkey — onions or no onions? Scrambled or runny? Everyone's grandmother makes it differently. This version uses gently cooked vegetables and loosely scrambled eggs for the perfect balance.

Ingredients

Serves 2

• 4large eggs
• 3ripe tomatoes(grated or finely chopped)
• 2green sivri peppers or banana peppers(sliced)
• 1 smallwhite onion(finely diced (optional but recommended))
• 1 tspTurkish red pepper paste (biber salçası)
• 1 tsppul biber (Turkish chilli flakes)
• 2 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tspdried oregano
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• fresh flat-leaf parsley(to garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Soften onion and peppers

   Heat olive oil in a wide, shallow pan over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook slowly for 5 minutes. Add peppers and cook another 4 minutes until soft and slightly caramelized.

2. 2

   Add tomatoes and spices

   Add grated tomatoes and red pepper paste. Season with salt, pul biber and oregano. Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring, until the tomato has reduced and the mixture is a thick, fragrant sauce.

3. 3

   Add eggs

   Crack eggs directly into the pan over the vegetable mixture. Do NOT beat them first. Gently break the yolks and fold them into the sauce with large, slow strokes — you want large, soft, custardy curds, not fine scrambled eggs.

   Low and slow is the secret. High heat makes rubbery eggs. Menemen should look barely set.

4. 4

   Serve immediately

   The eggs should still be slightly underdone when you take the pan off the heat — carry-over cooking will finish them. Garnish with parsley, a drizzle of olive oil. Serve directly from the pan with crusty white bread.

Variations

• •

  Kaşarlı menemen: top with grated kaşar cheese in the last minute of cooking.

• •

  Sucuklu menemen: add sliced Turkish sucuk sausage with the onions.

• •

  Beyazpeynirli menemen: crumble white feta cheese over the top just before serving.

Storage

Menemen is best eaten immediately. It doesn't store or reheat well.

Frequently Asked Questions