Çılbır: Turkish Poached Eggs

Craving a taste of Türkiye?
Try making çılbır at home and bring the rich flavours to your table!

Recipe by Etienne van Wyk
Serves:
2

Ingredients:

  • 250g thick Turkish or Greek yoghurt
  • Handful of fresh dill (finely chopped)
  • Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley (finely chopped)
  • ½ clove of garlic grated
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 60g butter
    1 teaspoon chili flakes
    ½ teaspoon paprika Pepper Salt

How To Make Çılbır: Turkish Eggs

  1. Add the yoghurt, dill, parsley and garlic to a bowl and mix together.
    Season with salt and pepper then set aside.
  2. Fill a deep pot with water, bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low.
  3. Add white vinegar to the water and mix well.
  4. Add the butter to a small pot and bring to a medium heat.
    Once the butter has melted, add the chili flakes, paprika, a pinch of salt then stir to combine.
  5. Cook the spices in the butter for about 2-3 minutes. Chili butter is now ready to serve.
  6. Crack each egg into a small ramekin then carefully drop the eggs from the ramekin into the water.
  7. Cook for about 3-4 minutes to get the perfect egg with a runny yolk. Cook longer if you prefer a firmer yolk.
  8. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon, add to a bowl and dry with paper towel.
  9. Add the garlicky herbed yogurt to small bowl and spread into a thick round base.
  10. Add the poached eggs to the yogurt base and drizzle a generous amount of the chilli butter all over the eggs and yoghurt.
  11. Garnish with extra dill, parsley and a crack of black pepper.

To serve:

  1. For traditional Turkish Eggs, use Aleppo chilli flakes instead of normal chili flakes.
  2. Sprinkle dukkah over your Turkish Eggs for extra flavour and crunch.

Ingredients:

  • 70g hazelnuts
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
  • 3 tablespoons coriander seeds
  • 1½ tablespoon sesame seeds
  • Salt

How To Make Dukkah

  1. Bring a small pan to a medium heat and add the hazelnuts.
    Toast for about 2 minutes until golden brown.
  2. Add the rest of the seed ingredients to the pan and toast with the hazelnuts for about 1 minute, until the seeds are golden brown.
    Stir often, or it will burn!
  3. Add the toasted seeds, nuts and a pinch of salt to a pestle and mortar and crush until coarsely ground.
  4. The dukkah must not be ground fine. It must still have texture and be a bit chunky. You can use a blend of nuts as well such as pistachio and pine. Store dukkah in an airtight container for about a month.