Egyptian Eggah with Ground Beef and Spinach
By America's Test KitchenPublished on March 16, 2021
Time
55 minutes
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
8 ounces (8 cups) baby spinach 6 tablespoons water 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 pound leeks, whites and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly8 ounces 90 percent lean ground beef 1 garlic clove, minced1 teaspoon ground cumin ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon Salt and pepper 8 large eggs ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
Before You Begin
Eggah can be served hot, warm, or at room temperature. You will need a 10-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe.
Instructions
- Place spinach and ¼ cup water in large bowl, cover, and microwave until spinach is wilted and decreased in volume by about half, about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from microwave and keep covered for 1 minute. Transfer spinach to colander and gently press to release liquid. Transfer spinach to cutting board and chop coarse. Return to colander and press again.
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add leeks and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin, cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in spinach until heated through, about 1 minute; transfer to bowl and let cool slightly.
- Beat eggs, remaining 2 tablespoons water, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together with fork in large bowl until thoroughly combined and mixture is pure yellow; do not overbeat. Gently fold in spinach mixture and cilantro, making sure to scrape all of spinach mixture out of skillet.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add egg mixture and cook, shaking skillet and folding mixture constantly for 15 seconds. Smooth top of egg mixture, reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook, gently shaking skillet every 30 seconds, until bottom is golden brown and top is lightly set, about 3 minutes.
- Off heat, run heat-resistant rubber spatula around edge of skillet and shake skillet gently to loosen eggah; it should slide around freely in skillet. Slide eggah onto large plate, then invert onto second large plate and slide back into skillet browned side up. Tuck edges of eggah into skillet with rubber spatula. Continue to cook over medium heat, gently shaking skillet every 30 seconds, until second side is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Slide eggah onto cutting board and let cool slightly. Slice and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Time
55 minutesYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
8 ounces (8 cups) baby spinach
6 tablespoons water
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound leeks, whites and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
8 ounces 90 percent lean ground beef
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper
8 large eggs
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
Ingredients
8 ounces (8 cups) baby spinach
6 tablespoons water
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound leeks, whites and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
8 ounces 90 percent lean ground beef
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper
8 large eggs
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
Ingredients
8 ounces (8 cups) baby spinach
6 tablespoons water
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound leeks, whites and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
8 ounces 90 percent lean ground beef
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper
8 large eggs
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
Why This Recipe Works
We started by choosing traditional Egyptian fillings of ground beef, spinach, and leeks. Using 90 percent lean ground beef ensured that our eggah didn't turn out greasy, and precooking the spinach in the microwave eliminated any excess moisture that could leave the dish soggy. A mixture of cumin, cinnamon, and cilantro enhanced the North African flavor profile. We precooked our filling and let it cool slightly before adding it to the beaten eggs. To cook our eggah, we borrowed a technique from our tortilla recipe, in which we cook the egg mixture in a hot skillet and then flip it halfway through using two plates.
Before You Begin
Eggah can be served hot, warm, or at room temperature. You will need a 10-inch nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe.
Instructions
- Place spinach and ¼ cup water in large bowl, cover, and microwave until spinach is wilted and decreased in volume by about half, about 5 minutes. Remove bowl from microwave and keep covered for 1 minute. Transfer spinach to colander and gently press to release liquid. Transfer spinach to cutting board and chop coarse. Return to colander and press again.
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add leeks and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up meat with wooden spoon, until beginning to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin, cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in spinach until heated through, about 1 minute; transfer to bowl and let cool slightly.
- Beat eggs, remaining 2 tablespoons water, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together with fork in large bowl until thoroughly combined and mixture is pure yellow; do not overbeat. Gently fold in spinach mixture and cilantro, making sure to scrape all of spinach mixture out of skillet.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add egg mixture and cook, shaking skillet and folding mixture constantly for 15 seconds. Smooth top of egg mixture, reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook, gently shaking skillet every 30 seconds, until bottom is golden brown and top is lightly set, about 3 minutes.
- Off heat, run heat-resistant rubber spatula around edge of skillet and shake skillet gently to loosen eggah; it should slide around freely in skillet. Slide eggah onto large plate, then invert onto second large plate and slide back into skillet browned side up. Tuck edges of eggah into skillet with rubber spatula. Continue to cook over medium heat, gently shaking skillet every 30 seconds, until second side is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Slide eggah onto cutting board and let cool slightly. Slice and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
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