Menemen (Turkish Scrambled Eggs with Vegetables)
By Steve DunnPublished on April 3, 2023
Time
45 minutes
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Cubanelle peppers can be used in place of the Anaheim chiles. Tulum, a Turkish sheep or goat's milk cheese, can be found online or at specialty cheese shops; feta can be substituted. If not using cheese, season with salt to taste before serving. We strongly recommend seeking out the mild Turkish red pepper flakes pul biber; Aleppo pepper may be substituted. Though the eggs will be loose, the extended cooking time ensures that they reach a safe temperature. Menemen is a traditional breakfast dish but can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner as well.
Instructions
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in 10-inch nonstick or carbon-steel skillet over medium-low heat until shimmering. Add onion, Anaheims, ½ teaspoon pul biber, oregano, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper, and stir to combine. Cover and cook until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking. Add tomatoes. Increase heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until tomatoes are soft and excess moisture has evaporated, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Move skillet off heat for 2 minutes to cool slightly. While skillet is cooling, whisk eggs in medium bowl with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper.
- Return skillet to heat and adjust heat to low. Add eggs. Cook, stirring slowly and constantly, scraping edges and bottom of skillet with rubber spatula, for 4 minutes. (If egg mixture is not steaming after 4 minutes, increase heat slightly.)
- Continue to stir slowly until eggs thicken and are just set (spatula drawn across bottom of skillet should leave clean trail), 5 to 6 minutes longer. Remove skillet from heat. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons oil over top and sprinkle with cheese, if using; parsley; and remaining ½ teaspoon pul biber. Serve immediately, passing bread separately.
Time
45 minutesYield
Serves 4Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
The most popular style of Turkish menemen features scrambled eggs that are tender and softly set. We found that there were a few tricks to achieving this lush consistency. First, the vegetables in the dish—onions, tomatoes, and Anaheim chiles—needed to be cooked long enough to soften and evaporate excess moisture. Removing the skillet from the heat aftaer sautéing the vegetables allowed the skillet to cool slightly before the eggs were added, preventing the eggs from setting too quickly. The second key was to cook the eggs very slowly over low heat while constantly stirring so that the eggs heated gently and evenly, turning deliciously creamy. To finish the dish, we sprinkled it with chopped fresh parsley, tulum (a crumbly sheep or goat's milk cheese), and pul biber chile flakes for mild heat and a smoky essence. Check out our version for two.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
Cubanelle peppers can be used in place of the Anaheim chiles. Tulum, a Turkish sheep or goat's milk cheese, can be found online or at specialty cheese shops; feta can be substituted. If not using cheese, season with salt to taste before serving. We strongly recommend seeking out the mild Turkish red pepper flakes pul biber; Aleppo pepper may be substituted. Though the eggs will be loose, the extended cooking time ensures that they reach a safe temperature. Menemen is a traditional breakfast dish but can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner as well.
Instructions
- Heat 3 tablespoons oil in 10-inch nonstick or carbon-steel skillet over medium-low heat until shimmering. Add onion, Anaheims, ½ teaspoon pul biber, oregano, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon pepper, and stir to combine. Cover and cook until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking. Add tomatoes. Increase heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until tomatoes are soft and excess moisture has evaporated, 5 to 8 minutes.
- Move skillet off heat for 2 minutes to cool slightly. While skillet is cooling, whisk eggs in medium bowl with remaining ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon pepper.
- Return skillet to heat and adjust heat to low. Add eggs. Cook, stirring slowly and constantly, scraping edges and bottom of skillet with rubber spatula, for 4 minutes. (If egg mixture is not steaming after 4 minutes, increase heat slightly.)
- Continue to stir slowly until eggs thicken and are just set (spatula drawn across bottom of skillet should leave clean trail), 5 to 6 minutes longer. Remove skillet from heat. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons oil over top and sprinkle with cheese, if using; parsley; and remaining ½ teaspoon pul biber. Serve immediately, passing bread separately.
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