Turkish eggs (cilbir)

Turkish eggs (cilbir)
Serves: 4
Course: Main Course
Cooking Time: 0 hr 20 mins

Ingredients

  • 500g Greek yogurt, at room temperature
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 4-8 eggs, as fresh as possible
  • Sea salt
  • 2tbs butter
  • 1tbs olive oil
  • 1tsp smoked paprika
  • ½tsp chilli flakes
  • 2tbs fresh dill, chopped
  • TO SERVE:
  • Sourdough toast or pitta breads

1 Place the yoghurt in a wide bowl. Add the crushed garlic and season with salt. You can add a generous spoon of chopped dill to the yoghurt at this stage but I like to keep the texture smooth. Set the yoghurt aside, at room temperature.

2 Melt the butter and oil in a small pan. Remove from the heat and stir in the paprika and chilli. Set aside.

3 Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Lower to a very gentle simmer. Crack each egg into a cup. Stir the water with a wooden spoon to create a swirling vortex. Gently drop the egg in and leave to cook undisturbed until the whites are just about set, about two minutes. Transfer the cooked eggs into a bowl of hot water to keep warm while you cook the remaining eggs. You can remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and blot with kitchen paper to remove any excess water.

4 Divide the yoghurt between four bowls. Top each with an egg or two. Drizzle over the spiced butter and scatter the dill on top. Serve right away with the toasted bread or pitta.

Lilly Higgins

Lilly Higgins

Lilly Higgins, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a food writer