The start of a “series” I am calling First-Case Scenario where I make something for the first time and hope it’s not a worst-case scenario.
A trend that I have been seeing constantly on my TikTok has been these Turkish eggs, cilbir, and for good reason. With its spicy, buttery sauce atop plump poached eggs that rest in garlicky yogurt, this is such a great way to start your day. I first learned about this dish years ago through a YouTube video from Nigella, and I too cannot believe that I haven’t attempted these before. Even if you’re not interested in making these eggs, I recommend checking out her video with her beautiful kitchen, calming voice, and general warmth.
This dish comes together in 3 parts: (1) the yogurt base (2) the buttery sauce and (3) the poached eggs. Maybe 4 if you’re counting the toast that you eat this with, which gives me such comfort, similar to the shakshuka-eating experience.
Ingredients (Serves 1-2)
- 1 plain or Greek yogurt cup (150 g / 5.3 oz / just over 1 cup)
- 2 strips of dill, chopped finely
- 1 tsp salt
- pinch of pepper
- 1/4 lemon
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp chilli pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 2 eggs
Directions:
- Prep the yogurt base. In a medium-sized bowl, combine yogurt, chopped dill, salt, pepper, juice of 1/4 lemon, and grated garlic. As an optional step, you can then warm the yogurt mixture over a double-boiler.
- Poach the eggs. Crack each egg into a separate small bowl or mug. Fill a medium-sized pot with water. Bring the water close to a boil (you start to see the bubbles appear and there are wisps of steam coming off of the water). Bring each bowl or mug of egg close to the top of the water and let it gently fall in. Let the egg rest at the bottom of the pot. Lower the heat so the water remains still. Poach for about 3-4 minutes, depending on your desired doneness of egg. Prep a plate with paper towel. Using a ladle or slotted spoon, scoop the eggs out while draining as much water as possible, and place them onto the paper towel.
- Make the buttery sauce. In a small pan on medium-low heat, melt the butter. Stir and heat until you start to see some brown bits, the beginning of a deliciously nutty browned butter. Add olive oil and stir to combine. Add chili pepper flakes and paprika. Stir to incorporate well. Take off the heat and set aside.
- Assemble. On a medium-sized plate or bowl, use a spoon to spread your yogurt base along the bottom. You can use the back of your spoon to create swirls and indents. Gently place your poached eggs on top of the yogurt base. Drizzle your buttery sauce all over the eggs and yogurt base. Add dill leaves for decoration. Serve with hearty slices of toast.
Notes
- This recipe typically calls for aleppo pepper flakes which I, sadly, did not have on hand so I used a combination of chili pepper flakes and paprika. If you happen to have aleppo pepper, you can substitute the chili pepper flakes and paprika with 2 teaspoons of aleppo.
- Feel free to adjust the amounts of dill, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and garlic for the yogurt base depending on your flavor preferences. You may also substitute the butter for more olive oil (3 Tbsp of olive oil total for the recipe) – you just won’t get that browned buttery goodness.
- If you are afraid of poaching eggs (I also get anxious every time right before I have to do it), you can substitute these with fried eggs. I have seen TikToks use this cooking method which probably helps control for a runny yolk, but I would recommend cooking them gently to keep the egg whites as white as possible and achieve a similar result to the poached eggs.
