An egg breakfast with a tomato base, very famous in the Middle East and North African regions…
I was a bit worried when I chose my first post for the theme “Travel through Africa” for the Blogging Marathon #136, the main reason being the confusion on the origin of this dish called Shakshooka. I am sure this dish needs no introduction – a thick tomato sauce nestling a few light boiled eggs in between, just enough to be scooped up by thick bread slices or flatbreads like khubz. I then came across Wikipedia which mentions some African countries like Algeria and Tunisia being among the countries where it originated from. That made me feel relieved. 😀 In fact, this is a breakfast or a brunch dish that is equally popular in the Maghreb region of the Middle East as much as it is popular in some of the North African countries. So I am doing this with a relaxed mind… Hehe…
I don’t know why, but even though Shakshooka as a recipe feels very easy to make, I have been deluded from making a good one back home. I have tried various combinations and somehow it never tasted good to me, as much as I really like having them when I eat from outside. The dish is to be dominated by the tomato and not with overpowering spices. Moreover, somehow I don’t like capsicum in this dish. Finally, Alhamdulillah, I got the perfect combination that worked for me – just enough sauce, just enough spice, with no extra bites… It actually felt like Baid Tamat for me, but without the scrambling part. I used strained tomato in packet because it gives a different taste and cooks faster than freshly pureed tomatoes, but give some time to cook it down if using the latter. I suggest not to miss adding some sugar to balance out the tartness of the tomato. Trust me, it just makes it better… Off to the recipe…
Shakshouka | Easy Shakshooka
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 small onion minced
- 1/4 tsp paprika powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin powder
- 200 gm strained tomato I used Pomi
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A pinch of sugar
- 3-4 eggs
- Dried parsley for sprinkling
Instructions
- Heat oil in a saucepan. Fry the garlic briefly.
- Saute the onion till just wilted. Add in the spice powders and saute till raw smell is gone.
- Add the tomato paste along with salt, pepper and sugar, and cook till the sauce is cooked, around 5-7 minutes.
- Now break in the eggs at different points in the sauce. Sprinkle some more pepper and allow it to cook till done.
- Sprinkle dried parsley on top. Serve hot with bread of choice.
Nice reading your notes on this dish. I have always been wanting to make this just for the looks. Since I don’t eat eggs, it’s been kept on hold, wondering what to replace it and if it really comes out as delicious as this one is supposed to be…recently saw another replacement and would surely make it soon..we can compare notes then..:)
You are right, this is one of those recipes with a 100,000 versions and you have to pick the one that works for your tastebuds. Glad you found the one you liked. Great clicks too !