Where has shakshuka been all my life? I can’t believe I only started making this in lockdown. It is such an easy, quick and simple dish. Plus, it is full of flavour and so filling. It is also a dish I like to classify as a ‘date day’ meal. I don’t often share my food – but this is great for when I am fancying more of a sharing breakfast. Or brunch.. or any kind of time of day meal really!
Shakshuka is a common dish in the Middle East and North Africa. It is nourishing and uses items you likely already have in your cupboards. The basic recipe includes tomatoes, eggs, herbs and beans. You can easily customise it for your own taste, though. For instance, I often add olives, bacon or cured meats to mine. I also adore adding a tbsp of hot sauce for a slight kick. I am not usually a chilli fan, but it really works in this. Trust me.
The eggs in this dish are beautifully runny and poached when cooked well. I’ll be honest, I had some failed attempts in the past. I used to try and bake my eggs into the shakshuska. There were so many times I would pull the skillet out of the oven, push my knife into the egg yolk to find it was hard in the centre. The ‘lid method’ I have used here seems to be much more foolproof. The key is lowering the temperature, though. I’ve tried this without doing that and only one of 3 eggs was runny. High hopes it will work for you after all the trial and error!
So why not whip up this tomato-based dish to share with your friends/family? It makes for a great brunch date on a weekend! It always looks so sophisticated and more complex than it actually is. You’ll be onto a winner with this one.
Shakshuka
Equipment
- Large skillet (10")
- Mixing spoon
- Saucepan lid (to fit the skillet)
Ingredients
- 1 tin Chopped tomatoes ~400g
- 1 tbsp Tomato puree
- 1-2 tbsp Hot sauce To taste
- 1 tbsp Dried mixed herbs Oregano, basil and parsley
- 3 large Eggs
- 1/2 tbsp Smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp Chopped chillis To taste
- 25 grams Biltong Optional
- 10 Pitted green olives Optional
- 1 tin Mixed beans ~240g drained
- 1.5-2 tbsp BBQ sauce
- Fresh parsley To serve
Instructions
- Heat the skillet on a medium-high heat
- Add the chopped tomatoes into the skillet and warm through
- Add in the tomato puree, herbs, paprika, hot sauce (optional), BBQ sauce and chopped chillis (optional) to the skillet and mix in
- As the tomato mix starts to thicken (~5 minutes), add in the mixed beans and cook for 5-10 minutes
- When the sauce has thicken, make three wells in the mixture and crack the eggs into the holes
- Reduce the heat to a medium setting and cover the skillet with a lid
- Cook for 4-6 minutes, until the egg whites are fully cooked and but the egg yolks are still runny
- Remove from the heat and garnish with fresh parsley, biltong (optional) and olives (optional)
- Tuck in and enjoy!
Notes
- Calories are for 2 servings
- Consume on day of cooking
