‘Shakshuka’ means ‘all mixed up’ in Arabic. This versatile egg based dish is eaten in Israel and throughout the Middle East in many forms. Its recent increase in popularity as a café or restaurant choice is notable – it’s not just a hearty breakfast! Alternative flavour additions includes harissa, olives, chickpeas, chillies, chorizo, aubergine, and feta cheese.
Serve it, with bread or pita to mop up the delicious sauce, in the cooking pan as a perfect sharing dish.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 3-4 people
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
~
1 onion – peeled and finely sliced
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chilli powder
800g ripe tomatoes – skinned and roughly chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
6 eggs
Small bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Method
Heat the oil in a large lidded frying pan over a medium heat and add the onion. Cook until golden, then add the peppers. Fry until both are soft, then stir in the garlic and spices and cook for another couple of minutes.
Add the tomatoes and stir in the sugar and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Taste and season, adding more cayenne and chilli powder if you prefer it spicier.
Make 6 spaces in the sauce and break in the eggs. Season them lightly, turn the heat right down as low as possible, cover and cook for about 5 minutes until they’re just set. Sprinkle with coriander and serve.
