turkish poached eggs (çılbır)
I’ll be heading from Spain to Turkey when this recipe comes out, and breakfast may be the part of the trip I’m most excited about. Turkish breakfasts are famously abundant, but çılbır proves you don’t need an entire table of food to make something spectacular.
It’s poached eggs nestled into cool, garlicky yogurt, then covered with warm butter infused with Aleppo pepper. Creamy, runny, tangy, spicy—and absolutely begging for a piece of crusty bread to drag through it.
turkish poached eggs (çılbır)
Marianne Murciano
2
10 minutes
10 minutes
385
Turkish Cuisine
Breakfast
Perfectly poached eggs sit on a bed of cool, garlicky yogurt and get finished with sizzling Aleppo pepper butter. This traditional Turkish breakfast is creamy, spicy, surprisingly simple and impossible to eat without plenty of bread for dipping.
Ingredients
For the Garlic Yogurt
- 1 cup whole-milk Greek yogurt, preferably room temperature
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Eggs
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- Kosher salt
For the Aleppo Pepper Butter
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½ teaspoons Aleppo pepper
- ¼ teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika, optional
For Serving
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or parsley
- Flaky sea salt
- Warm pita, crusty bread or toasted sourdough
Directions
Make the garlic yogurt.
Stir together the yogurt, garlic and salt until smooth. Divide it between two shallow bowls and let it sit at room temperature while you prepare the eggs.
Cold yogurt and hot eggs are not the dream here. Taking the chill off makes the whole dish much better.
Make the Aleppo pepper butter.
Melt the butter and olive oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat.
Add the Aleppo pepper and paprika, if using. Cook for about 30 seconds, swirling the pan, until fragrant and deep red. Remove from the heat before the spices burn.
Poach the eggs.
Fill a wide saucepan with about 3 inches of water and bring it to a gentle simmer. Add the vinegar.
Crack each egg into a small bowl. Stir the water gently to create a slow swirl, then carefully slide in the eggs, one at a time.
Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and blot the bottoms gently with a clean towel.
Assemble.
Place two poached eggs over the yogurt in each bowl.
Spoon the warm Aleppo pepper butter generously over the eggs and yogurt. Finish with dill or parsley and a little flaky salt.
Serve immediately with plenty of warm bread. This is not the moment to be stingy with it.