Menemen (Turkish Scrambled Eggs and Tomatoes)

 

For the menemen

• 2 beefsteak tomatoes
• 8 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
• 6 sivri biber (Turkish green peppers), seeded and finely diced
• 1 tablespoon tatli biber salçasi (Turkish sweet pepper paste)
• 1 teaspoon pul biber (ground Aleppo pepper)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For garnish

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon pul biber
• 1/4 bunch fresh parsley, leaves coarsely chopped 

Prepare the tomatoes and eggs:

Stem the tomatoes. Using the largest holes on a box grater, grate the tomatoes into a medium bowl. Discard any excess peel.

Crack the eggs into a separate medium bowl and beat with a whisk.

Cook the onion, garlic, and peppers:

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic followed by the green peppers (sivri biber) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the tatli biber salçasi, tomatoes, and spices:

Add tatli biber salçasi and stir it into the vegetable mixture until evenly distributed. Add the grated tomatoes, pul biber, oregano, and black pepper and simmer until most of the juices from the grated tomatoes have been cooked off and the mixture has thickened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.

Cook the eggs:

Pour the beaten eggs into the pan and stir to distribute evenly into the vegetable mixture. Stir gently until the eggs start to firm up, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. 

As the menemen mixture has a lot of tomatoes and vegetables, the consistency will be wetter than plain scrambled eggs.

Garnish and serve:

Mix 1 teaspoon pul biber with 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small bowl. Garnish the menemen with drizzles of the flavored oil and chopped parsley leaves scattered on top. Serve immediately.

Leftovers should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge and eaten within 2 days. Menemen can be reheated in the microwave or gently heated in a skillet on low heat.

 

NUTRITION FACTS
229	CALORIES
16g	FAT
13g	CARBS
10g	PROTEIN