Moroccan Shakshuka - Frugal in SA

This is a guest post by Harjeet Kaur who blogs over at Fire, Water, Food & Travel Harjeet’s blog is filled with delectable and mouth-watering recipes and they are a must for any foodie to try!

I’m happy to have Harjeet as a guest on Frugal in SA. Thank you so much Harjeet for sharing this recipe with us. It looks absolutely delicious and I can’t wait to try this recipe on a budget!

Shakshuka is a Moroccan dish which resembles our very own Indian egg curry a lot. We make egg curry in an onion and tomato sauce too but our eggs are boiled and placed in the sauce, whereas in Shakshuka they are served sunny side up.

Shakshuka literally means ‘mixed.’ It invites innovation and as you can add pretty much anything in an omelet, you can add it to Shakshuka too. Shakshuka is a yummy combination of eggs, tomatoes, and spices well-liked across the Middle East and North Africa and now becoming popular across the globe. It is mainly a breakfast dish but then you can also have it for lunch or dinner – like I did!

I first heard about Shakshuka from my daughter and I looked it up and found myriad recipes online, each different from the other. I realized that the recipe for Shakshuka is like most Punjabi dishes – very versatile. The eggs can be well done or left a bit runny, the sauce can be thick or thin, the vegetables can vary from red, yellow or green peppers, peas, mushroom, cheese, and the dish can be made vegetarian, dairy, or with meat but it’s always so scrumptious.

The best thing about Shakshuka is that it’s mostly made out of staples that you are guaranteed to have in your pantry, with the exception of peppers or basil which are optional. This means you’re pretty much ready to make a fantastic meal anytime of the day or week!

And if you are rushed in the mornings and want to make it for breakfast, the tomato base can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. You can reheat the sauce the next morning before adding the eggs and your healthy, nutritious and flavorful Shakshuka is ready. It is perfect with your morning cuppa or your 11am hunger pangs or in your lunch box, or for dinner or for every meal and snack in between. Soak it up with bread, or roti or naan – it tastes so good!

I love this recipe because it is easy, healthy and yet so scrumptious and gratifying.

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 Onion, thinly sliced

5 large tomatoes, blanched and chopped finely

4 eggs

1 Green pepper, thinly sliced

2 Chili Peppers, slit in half

3 Cloves Garlic, thinly sliced or mashed

2 Tbsp. crumbled Feta cheese or Cottage cheese

½ Tbsp. Red Chili Powder or Paprika

½ Tsp. Mixed herbs (optional)

½ Tsp. Chili flakes (optional)

1 Tbsp. minced Basil or Parsley

4 Basil leaves, fresh (optional)

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

To serve: Tortillas or Crusty bread or Pita Bread or Baguette

Method:

Heat olive oil in a skillet or pan over high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté. Add the chopped green pepper and sauté until slightly browned then immediately add tomatoes, chilies, red chili powder or paprika, chili flakes, mixed herbs and minced basil or parsley and stir to combine. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes then season with salt.

Blanched and peeled whole tomatoes are any day better than canned, puréed ones. I peeled them after blanching and chopped them finely. I like whole peeled tomatoes as they allow you to adjust the texture to suit your needs which makes the cooking part easier and adds a brighter colour and flavor to your food.

Now that you’ve got yourself a wonderful sauce that can be made well in advance, or even frozen for later, you can complete it into a meal, by adding a few eggs. Make four holes in the sauce with a spoon or spatula, then break the eggs directly into the holes. Cover the pan and let it simmer and steam just until the egg whites are barely set and the egg yolks are still golden and soft.