Shakshuka with Feta and Couscous Recipe by Molly Yeh (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between shakshuka and Menemen? ›

The spice varieties vary depending on where it's served. Shakshuka features a thick, saucy tomato base of peppers and onions with baked eggs. With menemen, the concept is a little different. Think of it as more of a soft egg scramble with lots of silky green peppers and fresh tomato.

Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the eggs. Carefully transfer the skillet to the oven (it's heavy) and bake for 8 to 12 minutes, checking often once you reach 8 minutes. They're done when the egg whites are an opaque white and the yolks have risen a bit but are still soft.

Also, it is perfectly acceptable to eat shakshuka straight out of the pan, using wedges of pita bread as your spoon. Of course, if you prefer a knife and fork, spoon the eggs with their sauce over lightly toasted bread. This recipe is especially tasty served on toasted Bloody Mary Bread.

​ WHAT IS SHAKSHUKA? Shakshuka (Arabic: شكشوكة‎; Hebrew: שקשוקה‎) is a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, chili peppers, onions, which is often spiced with cumin. It is believed to have a Tunisian origin. Shakshuka means "a mixture" or “shaken” in Tunisian dialect.

Even though many people today associate shakshuka with Israel, it actually originated in North Africa and the Ottoman Empire: the only reason shakshuka is eaten in Israel is because North African Jewish immigrants brought it there.

Serve it with pita or crusty bread for breakfast or brunch...or dinner!

Shakshuka is a simple dish made of gently poached eggs in a delicious chunky tomato and bell pepper sauce. Said to have originated in Tunisia, this breakfast recipe is popular in many parts of North Africa and the Middle East. It is so satisfying, you can serve it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Then return the skillet to a gentle simmer at medium-low heat. Spoon some of the sauce over the whites. After breaking the eggs into the sauce, gently spoon some of the sauce over just the whites. This helps the whites cook faster so they set before the yolks overcook.

Options for the latter include adding flour, cornflour mixed with cold water, a beaten egg, cream cheese, or making a beurre manié from equal parts softened butter and flour. Stir well and give your thickener of choice a few minutes to work its magic.

What religion is shakshuka? ›

In Jewish culture, a large batch of tomato stew is made for the Sabbath dinner and the leftovers used the following morning to make a breakfast shakshouka with eggs.

It's a great nutritious option for lunch or for a vegetarian dinner with a side of crusty bread for dipping.. How to store: Carefully plate any leftovers into an airtight container. Shakshuka will last for 3-4 days, but the poached eggs yolks may not taste as good after a day.

“Shakshuka should be made and served in a cast iron pan.”

While you do want a pan that can take the level of heat you are willing to apply, there's no need to strip the seasoning off your favorite heirloom cast iron.

This staple of hip, British brunch cafes is commonly thought of as coming from Israel, where it has been adopted as a national dish, but, insomuch as they can be traced, shakshuka's origins lie in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Morocco.

Menemen is a popular traditional Turkish dish that includes eggs, tomato, green peppers, and spices such as ground black and red pepper cooked in olive oil. Menemen may be made with onions, but the addition of onions is often debated and is more common when menemen is eaten as a main dish, rather than at breakfast.

These two dishes are completely different. Huevos rancheros are fried eggs served with warm salsa on a fried tortilla and Shakshuka are eggs poached in a zesty tomato sauce.

Turkish Menemen and Israeli shakshuka are very similar but differ in the method and seasoning. Both are breakfast dishes where eggs are cooked in a tomato sauce. In menemen the eggs are virtually scrambled into the sauce, whereas shakshuka eggs are placed on the sauce and only slightly mixed.