Turkish Scrambled Eggs (Menemen)
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO HERE
When we were in Istanbul, we had the privilege of having this delicious dish. We thought it was shakshuka when we ordered it, but its honestly so much better. The ingredients are simple and things that most of us have in our home already, and it takes 30 minutes to make over low heat. When we got back stateside, we decided that we wanted to learn how to make it, but with a little bit of spice. Using jalapeno as the base pepper and bringing in some scallions to add a little bit of a sweet onion flavor, we found our perfect recipe. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Turkish Scrambled Eggs (Menemen)
Prep Time: 10 MINUTES Cook Time: 25 MINUTES Serves: 2
1 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs olive oil
1 jalapeno, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 roma/plum tomatoes, peeled and diced
To peel a tomato, cut an “x” on the bottom of the tomato and put into boiling water for 1 minute. Remove and put directly into a bowl of iced water. The skin should peel right off
Whites of 1 scallion, diced
1-2 strips beef bacon (optional)
4 tbs pepper jack (or melting cheese of your choice), separated
2 large eggs
Sumac (optional)
Special Equipment:
Small cast iron skillet - cooking in a cast iron skillet makes this recipe so much easier because you can mash your ingredients right in the skillet, and it doesn’t look bad to serve in it either
Potato masher - you could use a fork if you wanted, but a potato masher gets the job done in a fraction of the time
Preparation:
Add butter and olive oil to small skillet and heat over low heat (keep the heat low the entire time)
Allow butter to brown, you’ll know its ready when there’s a nutty smell coming from your skillet
Toss in minced garlic and jalapeno, stir and let sit for 1 minute or until garlic starts to brown a little bit
Add diced tomatoes (you can use canned tomatoes or even tomato sauce if you want) and the whites of scallion, stir and cover for 5 minutes
Once tomatoes have begun to soften, using a fork or potato masher, mash everything in the skillet
Add diced bacon and 2 tbs cheese, stir and cover for another 3-4 minutes to allow bacon to cook
Add 2 eggs and stir to scramble, cover and let cook for 2 minutes
Top with remaining 2 tbs cheese and sprinkle with sumac if you have it
Warm up some pita, toast, or naan and enjoy the masterpiece you just made