Shakshuka is one of my favourite brunches. In fact, it’s probably one of my favourite meals. I grew up having it for dinner more than breakfast, actually, and pretty much everyone in my household (mum, aunts, uncles, cousins) have their own way of making it. Different spices, popping the yolks, different vegetables in the base.
Here’s mine. I have tweaked this recipe over several years, and it’s inspired by the various shakshukas I had growing up. My recipe is pretty straightforward, but it is a time-consuming dish considering its simplicity. I’d say it takes 30-40 minutes to make start to finish, including prep.
- 1 red onion (or two small)
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 small red chilli
- 1/4 sweet potato or regular potatoes
- 3 tomatoes or half a can chopped tomatoes
- A squeeze of tomato paste
- 4 eggs
- Dill (to garnish)
- Butter
- Olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked hot paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- Dice your onion, pepper, and chilli. Slice up your potato into thin slices, about half a centimetre.
- In a pan, pop a bit of butter (about 5g) and a drizzle of olive oil on a medium heat. Place your sliced potatoes and fry them off until golden on both sides. Drain on kitchen towel to remove excess oil. If you’d like to be healthier, drizzle the potatoes with olive oil and pop them in the oven to roast.
- In the same pan, add a tiny bit more olive oil, then begin frying off the onions. When they’re starting to pick up colour, add the diced peppers and chilli. Bear in mind this is a medium-spice dish. If you can’t handle spice, use half a chilli for flavour, or remove the seeds. Add the spices as well.
- Once that has picked up more colour and the spices have cooked off a little, add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Give it a couple of minutes, stirring.
- Finally, add the potatoes back into the tomato base. If it feels a little dry (it will reduce more), add a splash of boiling water. Crack four eggs over the top and cover. Leave to cook for 5-10 minutes.
Serve hot!
If you live in the Gulf, try to get some fresh khubiz (flatbread) to eat with this. If you’re elsewhere, go for whatever flatbread you have available, pitas or naan. I tend to have it with rice cakes, now. If you want to have it the way I used to as a child, smear a little cream cheese on your bread first before adding the eggs. Divine.
As always, bilafiya
(well wishes and wellbeing)
Sand Kitchen 
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