I feel like these creamy Turkish eggs have been all over lately and honestly, when I first started seeing them, I didn’t know if I would like them or not. Fast forward a few months and I started playing with my own recipe and things moved pretty fast from this point.
My first try turned out well and while it wasn’t perfect, it made me realize that this recipe was definitely worth tinkering with. So I played with it, made some adjustments and finally settled on this wonderful recipe that I have deemed breakfast perfection and today, I am sharing it with you…
Begin by combining 1 1/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 large clove of finely minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh dill, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh parsley, some fresh lemon juice and a pinch salt and black pepper and set aside for now.
Now cook your eggs to your preference. I love sunny side up eggs, but çilbir is traditionally made using poached eggs. I think over easy eggs work good here too… as long as you have a soft yolk, you’ll be experiencing this dish in its best form.
The only thing left to do is to whip up a quick spicy tomato butter….
Add 4 tablespoons of butter into a small skillet and as soon as it has melted, add a teaspoon of tomato paste and up to 1/2 teaspoon of calabrian chili powder or crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how much heat you prefer) and bring it to a low simmer.
Let the tomato butter simmer for about a minute, but watch it carefully and take it off of the heat if it starts to get too dark. Keep things moving, so the chili powder doesn’t sit on the bottom and burn.
Now that everything is ready to go, divide that garlicky herby yogurt between 2 shallow bowls and add your eggs.
Drizzle some spicy tomato butter over everything and if you have any extra herbs laying around, add them too.
Grab some crusty bread and dig in!
The combination of warm yolk combined with cool, creamy yogurt and that spicy tomato butter is heavenly and once you give it a try, you will know what all of the hype has been about…
Çilbir - Turkish Eggs with Spicy Tomato Butter
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
Garlic Herb Yogurt
- 1 1/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 large clove of garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon of fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- fresh lemon juice
- salt and black pepper
Spicy Tomato Butter
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- 1 teaspoon of tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon of calabrian chili powder or red pepper flakes
Instructions
Make the garlic herb yogurt...
- Whisk 1 1/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 large clove of finely minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh dill, 1 tablespoon of finely chopped fresh parsley, some fresh lemon juice and a pinch salt and black pepper and set aside for now
Cook your eggs...
- Cook your eggs to your desired level of doneness (sunny side up, poached or over easy is highly recommended)
Make the spicy tomato butter...
- As soon as your eggs are done, transfer them out of the skillet and add 4 tablespoons of butter into the skillet
- As soon as the butter has melted, add a teaspoon of tomato paste and up to 1/2 teaspoon of calabrian chili powder or crushed red pepper flakes
- Simmer for about a minute, but keep a close eye on the heat so your butter does not burn
Assemble the bowls...
- Divide the yogurt between 2 shallow bowls, top with 2 eggs and a generous drizzle of tomato butter
- Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with crusty bread
