Turkish Menemen (Eggs with Tomatoes and Peppers)
Soft, just-set eggs folded into a jammy sauce of fresh tomatoes and green peppers, served bubbling from the pan with bread.
Menemen is a fixture of Turkish breakfast tables and roadside cafés. It's made in a small two-handled pan called a sahan and brought to the table still sizzling, and everyone tears off bread to scoop it up.
It is simple, but the texture matters: the tomatoes should cook down until jammy before the eggs go in, and the eggs should be stirred only a few times so they stay soft and creamy rather than dry.
Whether menemen should include onion is a famous debate in Turkey. This version leaves it out, but see the notes if you're on team onion.
Turkish Menemen (Eggs with Tomatoes and Peppers)
- Prep Time
- 5 min
- Cook Time
- 15 min
- Total Time
- 20 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 310 kcal*
- Difficulty
- Easy
Equipment
- 20–24 cm (8–9 in) frying pan
Ingredients
Instructions
Soften the peppers
Heat the oil in the frying pan over medium heat and cook the peppers for 4–5 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft.
Cook the tomatoes
Add the tomatoes, salt and pul biber. Simmer for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the sauce is thick and jammy.
Add the eggs
Crack the eggs straight into the pan. Let them sit for 30 seconds, then gently stir three or four times to break the yolks and swirl them through the sauce.
Cook gently
Cook for 1–2 minutes more, stirring once or twice, until the eggs are just set but still soft. Take the pan off the heat — they will keep cooking.
Serve
Scatter over the feta, if using, and the parsley. Serve straight from the pan with fresh bread.
Recipe Notes
- With onion: Cook 1 small finely chopped onion with the peppers for an extra 3 minutes.
- If your tomatoes aren't very flavorful, add 1 tsp tomato paste or pepper paste with them.
Tips & Tricks
- Don't add the eggs until the tomato sauce is thick. Too much liquid makes a watery menemen.
- Under-cook the eggs slightly; they finish cooking in the hot pan on the way to the table.
Substitutions
- Peppers: Use a green bell pepper plus a small hot green chili if you can't find long peppers.
- Tomatoes: In winter, one 400 g can of good chopped tomatoes works well.
Storage Instructions
- Menemen is best eaten immediately. Leftovers can be refrigerated for a day, but the eggs firm up.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with crusty bread or simit, olives, cucumber slices and a glass of tea or ayran.
- Pair with a slice of Easy Yogurt Cake for a relaxed weekend brunch.
Nutrition Information
Per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 11 g
- Protein
- 15 g
- Fat
- 23 g
- Saturated fat
- 5 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 7 g
- Sodium
- 640 mg
* Nutrition values are estimates calculated from the ingredient list and will vary with brands and portion sizes. See our disclaimer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between menemen and shakshuka?
Both cook eggs in a tomato and pepper sauce. In shakshuka the eggs are poached whole in the sauce; in menemen they are gently scrambled into it.
