When I first read of the combination of yogurt and poached eggs, I was quite sceptical. Really? I just couldn’t get my head around the liquid yolk paired with the tangy yogurt. But then more recently, this photo on Flickr had me wondering again. The answer is a resounding yes as I decided to make it at home topped with a chili spiced melted butter for a light supper one evening. The original dish is called Çılbır and comes from Turkey though I’m not sure what time of the day it’s normally eaten over there; I imagine it’s excellent for brunch. Garlicky thick yogurt, poached eggs with centres of liquid gold, and chili infused butter, all mopped up with accompanying slabs of Turkish bread; proper Turkish Aleppo pepper was not used but it was still good.
In London, a version is available at the Providores and Tapa Room where whipped yogurt is use (I’ve not tried it). I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s also offered up in the many Turkish cafes in Dalston.
And this is what I put together at home; what follows is not so much a recipe as just general guidelines. If I remember correctly, we had a salad of chopped cucumber and tomato on the side to cut the richness.
Turkish Eggs with Yogurt
Allow at least two eggs per person. Poach them. Crush a small clove of garlic into a generous amount of plain Greek yogurt. Divide the yogurt between your serving dishes. In a small pan/pot, heat approximately 1-2 tablespoons of butter per person. When the butter has melted, add some hot paprika, allowing it to be cooked into the butter, colouring it a deep orange-red. Top the yogurt with the poached eggs and drizzle over with the melted butter.
I didn’t have anything green to sprinkle on top but I reckon chopped fresh mint or flat leaf parsley would be lovely. Serve immediately, while the contrast between the hot eggs and the cold yogurt still exists, with some Turkish bread or pita on the side to mop up the yogurt and yolk.
Wed, 17 Nov, 2010 at 22:31
Wow, totally making this for breakfast. Looks amazing.
Wed, 17 Nov, 2010 at 23:30
Fascinating. I’ve never had anything like that before. But I love eggs and I love yogurt. Hmm. I have some Aleppo pepper in my pantry so I may just have to try this out!
Wed, 17 Nov, 2010 at 23:40
sounds delicious!
Thu, 18 Nov, 2010 at 02:29
Oooh, yes. I’ve been eyeing this for a while now. (I don’t even remember where or when I first saw this dish!) Hey, we do have thick Greek yogurt in the fridge. Will have to make this *now*!
Thu, 18 Nov, 2010 at 10:32
I LOVE this dish. Love it, love it, love it. Although I have not seen it yet in any Turkish cafes, and I have looked.
So easy to recreate at home but the Providores one is worth a trip for. 🙂
Thu, 18 Nov, 2010 at 11:10
This looks really good! hard to imagine what it actually tastes like but I will definitely order it if I see it somewhere on the menu.
Thu, 18 Nov, 2010 at 11:13
Kick of chilli with the tangy & creamy yoghurt plus poached eggs. My god it sounds so good. Would be perfect anytime of the day. So comforting and delicious esp for a lazy day.
Thu, 18 Nov, 2010 at 11:31
That’s interesting. I’m saving this bookmark for when I visit Dalston as I would like to try it made by the experts before doing it myself.
Thu, 18 Nov, 2010 at 11:52
Take a look at Heston’s column in today’s The Times (UK) paper on page 12… I’m even more sold on this.
Thu, 18 Nov, 2010 at 11:57
t&t, i would definitely recommend trying the providores for changa eggs although of course they are definitely more experience than creating them at home. the combination of yoghurt and egg can sometimes be counterintuitive but it’s great. i know the iranians make omellete with yoghurt in the mix.
i’ve got a review of the providores here…
http://comeconella.blogspot.com/2009/04/providores-tapa-room.html
Thu, 18 Nov, 2010 at 13:31
Oh the textures in this dish just make we want to swoon – all that smooth and creamy yolk and yoghurt, enlivened and cut with chilli – hot and cooling all at once. Delicious. Eggs and yoghurt are a fantastic brekkie combo.
Fri, 19 Nov, 2010 at 08:19
This looks amazing- sometimes when I’m a little dusty I make baked eggs in a ramekin ontop of a spicy ratatouille kind of thing- I put a bit of yogurt over the top to protect the yolks from cooking through totally. Have just moved here, so can’t wait to check out some Turkish places in Dalston too…
Fri, 19 Nov, 2010 at 12:56
I also love this dish and first tried it out at Providores!
I’ve recreated similar at home, but have also tried it with homemade labneh too, which also works really well. For me, it’s the chilli in nutty, slightly browned butter that makes it.
Sat, 20 Nov, 2010 at 18:44
This is definitely in my list of things to make! Sounds like a perfect dinner-for-one.
Sun, 21 Nov, 2010 at 11:15
This is so up my strasse it’s unbelievable. Anything with yoghurt. I’m addicted.
Mon, 22 Nov, 2010 at 14:30
Kat n Kim: It’ll be perfect first thing in the morning!
Karen: It sounds like you have everything at home to make it! 🙂
kat: It is!
TS: Did you make it?
Niamh: I rather enjoy making it at home. It’s a good dish to practice poaching eggs with! And if they screw up, you can hide the faults with the yogurt and butter!
Ute: It is difficult, isn’t it? Not a combination that shows up a lot in other cuisines.
Maunika: Yes, it’s perfect for any time of the day!
Robert: It sounds like Niamh has looked for it and hasn’t found it in any restaurant in London. I need to head to Dalston sometime too!
comeconella: I still find it hard to return to Providores ever since my first visit where I received some utterly terrible service. I also have great difficulty getting out of bed most mornings and hardly eat breakfast. Maybe one day!
The Grubworm: And butter….. lots and lots of butter…
Tori: That does sound gorgeous. It sounds a bit like another Turkish dish I’ve been reading about called menemen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menemen_%28food%29
Sharmila: Oooh, I bet the thicker consistency of labneh must be delicious here! And yes, buttttttttteeeeerrrrrrrr.
Foodycat: Absolutely perfect for one. In front of the telly. 🙂
Helen: Tee hee! Up your strasse! You don’t have a holiday to Germany/Austria planned soon, do you?
Mon, 22 Nov, 2010 at 17:01
i do agree that providores’ service leaves much to be desired for. and i also agree that mustering the courage for breakfast out is hard. i usually do brunch more near lunch time…
speaking of poaching how do you your eggs. i still haven’t managed to perfect this and would love some tips. please.
Fri, 26 Nov, 2010 at 15:06
mehrunnisa: A tsp of vinegar in the water (but I’m not sure if it does help). Mm…. very hot water so it “seals” the egg when I slide it in. A spoon to kind of get that egg spinning in a kind of vortex so the whites wrap around on itself. Oh, and practice, practice, practice. Seriously, that’s the only way!
Fri, 26 Nov, 2010 at 18:44
Thanks Su-Lin. That’s really helpful. I agree practice makes perfect. I found that with my fried and scrambled eggs too!
Wed, 1 Dec, 2010 at 17:29
dang, never heard of such a thing but it looks so tantalizing! I love to find new recipes for eggs…