Nigella Lawson Turkish Eggs

Nigella Lawson’s Turkish eggs are poached eggs on a bed of warm, garlicky yoghurt, finished with a fierce drizzle of hazelnut-brown butter spiked with Aleppo pepper. The runny yolk, cool-turned-warm yoghurt and spiced butter make it a brunch that feels far grander than its effort. It serves two and takes about 20 minutes.

The dish is çılbır, a Turkish classic, and Nigella’s version in At My Table has one detail most people skip: she warms the yoghurt. Gently heating it with garlic and salt until it’s the consistency of lightly whipped cream stops that fridge-cold shock against the hot egg. She also poaches with lemon juice instead of vinegar, because she doesn’t like vinegar’s taste on the egg.

The one move that decides the whole plate is browning the butter without burning it. Nigella takes it to a hazelnut colour, what the French call beurre noisette, then kills the heat before stirring in the oil and pepper flakes. A few seconds too long and it turns from nutty to acrid, and the burnt taste carries straight through the dish.

Nigella Lawson Turkish Eggs

Recipe by Pinch PerfectCourse: Dinner, SidesCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Calories

450

kcal

From At My Table: A Celebration of Home Cooking, as seen on her BBC Two series. Poached eggs over warmed garlic yoghurt with Aleppo-pepper brown butter and dill, best eaten the moment it’s assembled.

Ingredients

• 200g Greek yoghurt

• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced

• 1 tsp sea salt flakes

• 2 x 15ml tbsp unsalted butter

• 1 x 15ml tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp Aleppo pepper/Turkish red pepper flakes

• 2 large eggs, fridge-cold

• 2 tsp lemon juice

• a few fronds of dill, chopped

• To serve:

• sourdough or other bread, chunkily sliced and toasted

Directions

• Set up the poaching pan: Fill a wide-ish saucepan (Nigella uses one 22cm across) with water to come about 4cm up the sides. Cover and put on the heat to warm through. Line a plate with kitchen roll and have a slotted spoon ready nearby.
• Warm the yoghurt: Fill a second pan with 3-4cm of water and bring to the boil. Put the yoghurt in a heatproof bowl, stir in the garlic and salt, and sit the bowl over the pan without letting the base touch the water. Stir until it reaches body temperature and has the consistency of lightly whipped double cream, then turn off the heat and leave the bowl in place.
• Make the spiced butter: Melt the butter gently in a small pan until it just turns a hazelnut brown, taking care not to let it burn. Turn off the heat, stir in the olive oil, then the red pepper flakes, which will foam up fiercely. Set aside. Put your toast on now.
• Prep the eggs: Crack the first egg into a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl and swirl gently for about 30 seconds to let the watery white drain away. Tip the egg into a cup or ramekin and add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, aiming for the white. Repeat with the second egg.
• Poach: When the poaching water is just starting to simmer, gently slide in the eggs, one each side of the pan. Turn the heat right down so the water is completely still, and poach for 3-4 minutes until the whites are set and the yolks still runny. Lift out with the slotted spoon onto the paper-lined plate, and switch off the heat.
• Assemble: Divide the warm yoghurt between two shallow bowls, top each with a poached egg, and pour the peppery butter around and slightly over the yoghurt. Scatter with dill and serve at once with the toasted bread.

FAQs

Why does Nigella warm the yoghurt?

Cold yoghurt straight from the fridge would chill the poached egg and turn the whole dish lukewarm. Warming it gently to body temperature, until it’s like lightly whipped cream, keeps everything at the right temperature and softens its texture. Keep the heat low and the bowl off the water, because yoghurt splits if it gets too hot.

Why poach with lemon juice instead of vinegar?

Most cooks add vinegar to help the whites set, but Nigella uses lemon juice because she doesn’t like the taste vinegar leaves on the egg. The acid does the same job of firming the white, just without that sharp tang, the same brightening trick behind a good homemade lemon curd. Aim the teaspoon at the white, not the yolk, so it works where it’s needed.

What is Aleppo pepper, and can I swap it?

Aleppo pepper, or Turkish red pepper flakes (pul biber), is a mild, fruity, slightly smoky chilli that’s gentler than standard chilli flakes. It’s what gives the butter its glowing red colour without blowing your head off. If you can’t find it, use a smaller amount of regular chilli flakes with a pinch of sweet paprika to mimic the fruitiness.

Why strain the egg before poaching?

Passing each egg through a fine strainer drains off the loose, watery part of the white that otherwise feathers into wispy threads in the water. What’s left is the thicker white that clings to the yolk, giving you a neat, compact poached egg. It’s the single best trick for tidy poaching, and it takes about 30 seconds.

Can I make Turkish eggs ahead?

No, and Nigella says so plainly: this isn’t a dish to make ahead or store. The warm yoghurt, hot butter and runny poached egg all rely on being freshly assembled and eaten straight away. It comes together in around 20 minutes though, so treat it like her other quick plates from the Nigella Lawson recipes you make and eat on the spot.

What bread is best for serving?

Nigella serves it with chunky slices of well-toasted sourdough, and the sturdiness matters. You want bread firm enough to scoop through the yoghurt and mop up the runny yolk and spiced butter without collapsing. A good crusty country loaf works just as well; soft sliced bread would go soggy and can’t stand up to the job.