Shakshuka (Eggs Poached in Spiced Tomato & Pepper Sauce)
شکشوکہ (مصالحے دار ٹماٹر اور مرچ کی ساس میں پکے انڈے)
Shakshuka comes from North Africa, especially Tunisia, and is now eaten across the Arab world and far beyond. A sauce of tomatoes, sweet peppers, onions and garlic is simmered with cumin and paprika until thick, then eggs are cracked into little wells and gently cooked until the whites are set and the yolks still runny. It's served straight from the pan with plenty of bread. South Asian readers will recognise a cousin of egg curry and of Turkish menemen.
- ⏱ Total: 35 min
- Prep: 10 min
- Cook: 25 min
- Easy
- Serves 4
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Heat the oil in a wide, deep frying pan and cook the onion and peppers for 8–10 minutes until soft and sweet. Add the garlic and spices and cook for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and sugar and simmer for 10–12 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick and saucy.
Make 6 wells in the sauce with a spoon and crack an egg into each. Cover and cook on low heat for 5–7 minutes until the whites are set but the yolks are still soft.
Scatter with herbs and feta and serve straight from the pan with bread.
Kitchen notes
Cook the sauce until thick before adding the eggs, or it will be watery.
For firmer yolks, cook covered for 2–3 minutes longer.
Add a green chilli with the peppers for a South Asian touch.
From North Africa to the world
Shakshuka is usually traced to Tunisia and the Maghreb, where spicy tomato and pepper stews with eggs have long been everyday food. It spread across the Middle East and became popular in cafés worldwide. The name is often said to mean “mixed up” or “shaken”.
A good sauce first
The secret is patience with the sauce. Peppers and onions are softened slowly until sweet, spices are toasted briefly in the oil, then tomatoes are simmered until thick. Only then do the eggs go in, cooking gently in the steam under a lid.
Adjusting the heat
Tunisian versions are often spicy with harissa; others are mild and sweet with paprika. Adjust with chilli flakes, harissa or green chillies to suit your table.
Serving
Serve straight from the pan with crusty bread, khubz or manakish to scoop up the sauce, plus labneh and olives. For the Turkish cousin, try menemen.
Questions people ask
How is shakshuka different from menemen?
In shakshuka the eggs are poached whole in a thick spiced sauce. In Turkish menemen they're stirred into the vegetables like soft scrambled eggs.
Can I make the sauce ahead?
Yes. The sauce keeps for 3 days in the fridge; reheat and add the eggs just before serving.
What is harissa?
A North African chilli paste with garlic, caraway and coriander. A spoon adds heat and depth.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 260
- Protein
- 12 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
