Menemen (Turkish Scrambled Eggs with Tomato & Peppers)
Silky eggs folded through slow-cooked tomatoes and sweet green peppers — menemen is the beating heart of a Turkish breakfast, ready in one pan in 25 minutes.
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Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter
4 Turkish sivri peppers (about 100g), deseeded and finely sliced
500g ripe tomatoes (4-5 medium), grated or finely chopped
1 tsp mild Turkish pepper paste (biber salcasi)
4 medium free-range eggs
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp pul biber (Turkish red pepper flakes)
30g Turkish white cheese, crumbled, to finish (optional)
Warm pide or crusty bread, to serve
Instructions
- 1
Warm the olive oil and butter in a wide frying pan (or a traditional sahan) over medium heat until the butter foams.
- 2
Add the sliced sivri peppers and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring now and then, until softened and just starting to catch colour.
- 3
Stir in the pepper paste and cook for 30 seconds, then add the grated tomatoes with the salt and black pepper.
- 4
Simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes thicken into a jammy sauce and the oil starts to pool at the edges.
- 5
Turn the heat to low. Crack the eggs directly into the pan and let them set for about 30 seconds before gently folding them through with a wooden spoon.
- 6
Cook for 2-3 minutes more, folding occasionally, until the eggs are just set but still soft and creamy — they will keep cooking off the heat.
- 7
Scatter over the pul biber and crumbled white cheese, and bring the pan straight to the table with warm bread for scooping.
Ask ten Turkish cooks how to make menemen and you will start a friendly argument that lasts all morning — with onion or without, eggs stirred through or left in soft pockets. What everyone agrees on is the method: ripe tomatoes and thin green sivri peppers cooked down in good olive oil until they turn into a sweet, jammy sauce, with the eggs added only at the very end so they stay soft and creamy.
The secret is patience with the tomatoes. Grate them or chop them finely and let them bubble until most of the water has evaporated — if the sauce is watery, the eggs will go rubbery instead of silky. A spoonful of Turkish pepper paste deepens the flavour beautifully, and a knob of butter stirred in with the olive oil gives the richness you taste in a good Istanbul cafe.
Menemen is always eaten straight from the pan, with plenty of fresh bread for scooping — never cutlery-first. Serve it with black olives, white cheese and endless glasses of black tea for the full Turkish breakfast experience. Everything you need, from sivri peppers to pepper paste, is available at Turkish Online Market with UK-wide delivery.
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