The very first time I tried shakshuka I completely fell in love. You know the feeling when you tried an absolutely spectacular dish and even to this day you remember the taste? That’s the kind of love I have for this breakfast. I believe it’s partially due my Jewish origin but first and foremost for its beautiful combination of flavours. It pairs the rich juicy taste of ripe tomatoes with ever so slightly hot chilli flakes and perfectly cooked eggs on top. You can eat it for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner and it only takes about 30 minutes to make from scratch. I also love that you can make shakshuka on budget with ingredients from the supermarket. Or you can go a step further and create the ultimate gourmet experience by sourcing organic ingredients from your local farmers’ market.
What is shakshuka?
Shakshuka is a mysterious Israeli dish which no one knows where it came from. Perhaps from Tunisia or Algeria, as the name suggests. Shakshuka means a “mixture” in Arabic however some sources are tracing all the way to Yemen.
It’s basically a rich tomato mixture with various spices (can be fairly mild or deadly hot). And it’s topped with eggs, feta cheese and coriander leaves. As fascinating as shakshuka’s origin is, it’s also noteworthy to consider its spread into other cultures. Today you can taste the original “red” shakshuka. But also a green version which replaces tomatoes with spinach leaves and chard or bokchoi and adds a dash of cream. Shakshuka based dishes can also be found in the southern cultures in the form of rich tomato sauce based dishes on tortillas, tacos and even nachos.
Shakshuka is perfect for those who are looking for a hearty breakfast. But don’t appreciate the greasiness and heaviness of a traditional English breakfast. This breakfast is fairly low carb. It’s also naturally gluten and dairy free. It’s easy to omit the red bell pepper to make it keto and even avoid eggs and cheese to make it vegan. A beautiful, delicious yet super easy and quick dish which impresses everyone at the breakfast table!
Simple & quick shakshuka
Delicious with a slice of homemade bread!
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp chilli flakes
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- 4 eggs
- feta cheese
- fresh coriander
Instructions
Preheat olive oil in a large pan. Add diced onion and pepper. Cook on medium heat until the onion turns golden.
Add all spices together with crushed garlic and keep on cooking for another 2 minutes or so.
Add a can of chopped tomatoes. Keep it on low to medium heat until it's warm throughout. Add salt and peppper to taste.
If you're cooking this dish on an oven proof pan, then you can leave the dish in it and move onto the eggs. If your pan is not oven proof, then move the mixture into a baking dish like I did.
Make 4 little dips into the sauce. Crack the eggs into each dip. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Place the dish into a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until the egg whites are white but still a little jiggly.
Serve with crumbled feta cheese and fresh parsley on top.
