Turkish Poached Eggs Recipes

ÇıLBıR RECIPE (TURKISH POACHED EGGS WITH YOGHURT)

Steps:

• Bring a saucepan of water with a splash of vinegar to the boil.
• Meanwhile, mix your yoghurt with the garlic, mint, paprika and salt and divide between two plates.
• Swirl a spoon in the centre of the yoghurt to spread it out and leave a well in the centre.
• Crack your eggs one at a time onto a small plate, taking care not to break the yolk.
• Stir your boiling water with a whisk so that it starts to swirl.
• Whilst the water is swirling, carefully pour one egg into the centre of the swirl and poach for 2-3 minutes.
• Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and place into the iced water. repeat the process for the remaining three eggs.
• Leave the boiling water on the heat.
• If you are having your çılbır with toasted bread, start to toast it now.
• Meanwhile, gently heat your butter and chilli flakes over a low heat and stir until the chilli has infused and the butter is starting to bubble. Remove from the heat.
• Now place all four poached eggs back into the simmering water for 30 seconds to reheat. The eggs can all go into the water together.
• Remove each one carefully with a slotted spoon and drain before placing two eggs into the centre of each yoghurt well on your plates.
• Drizzle the melted chill butter over the poached eggs and yoghurt and serve immediately with your hot, toasted bread.

TURKISH EGGS (CILBIR)

Steps:

• Spoon yogurt into a medium bowl. Grate in garlic and mix to combine. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Add dill and mix thoroughly. Set aside at room temperature.
• Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; heat until bubbles begin to burst. Add cumin, paprika, and chili flakes. Stir until color is uniform, then turn off heat and let spices infuse.
• Grind parsley and jalapeno together in a mortar. Season with salt, drizzle in olive oil, and stir to combine.
• Fill a large saucepan with 2 to 3 inches of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, pour in vinegar, and keep the water at a gentle simmer. Crack an egg into a small bowl then gently slip egg into the simmering water, holding the bowl just above the surface of water. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Cook eggs until the whites are firm and the yolks have thickened but are not hard, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes. Remove the eggs from the water with a slotted spoon, dab on a kitchen towel to remove excess water, and place onto a warm plate.
• Dollop yogurt mixture onto serving plates. Use the back of a spoon to spread yogurt out into a bed for the eggs, carving ridges into the top to catch the oil. Drizzle on some jalapeno oil. Top with eggs and a spoonful or two of the Aleppo butter. Sprinkle sea salt on top.

ÇILBIR (TURKISH POACHED EGGS WITH GARLIC YOGURT)

Steps:

• Wash and chop the dill and finely mince or grate the garlic.
• Either in a medium bowl or directly onto your serving dish, combine the yogurt, dill, garlic, and salt and pepper. Mix well and then set aside to "marinate" while preparing the remainder of the dish.
• There are several ways you can poach the eggs, including cracking them gently into a swirling pool of hot water OR using a "spoon" hack method. There are also egg poaching pans and silicone molds. Follow this method for poached eggs for all my top tips and tricks! However, the basic gist is:Bring a medium saucepan of water to a gentle boil (when fine air bubbles begin to rise), then add the vinegar (this will help stop the eggs from dispersing in the water).
• Meanwhile, crack your eggs, one at a time, into a small sieve to remove any of the "watery" whites (for better shaped poached eggs). Then transfer the eggs to separate small bowls (which makes it easier to pour them into the water).
• When the water is ready, mix it with a spoon to create a vortex and then pour the first egg into the center of the pan. Allow it to gently move to one side and begin forming before pouring the second egg into the other side of the saucepan (so they don't "stick").
• Allow each egg to cook for between 2-3 minutes based on how soft you want the yolk to be, then use a slotted spoon to remove them from the water to stop them from overcooking.Feel free to place them in an ice bath or rinse with cold water to eliminate any leftover vinegar flavor and stop the cooking process. Though this isn't necessary. You could also transfer to paper towels to drain.
• At the same time as poaching the eggs, prepare the paprika butter by melting the butter in a small skillet, then adding the smoked paprika and stirring well for just a few seconds.It's best to remove it from the heat almost immediately after adding the paprika, to reduce the risk of burning it.
• To assemble the Çılbır, place the yogurt base first, drizzle with a small amount of extra-virgin olive oil, the paprika butter, and finally, top with the poached eggs. Sprinkle with additional dill and some Aleppo pepper over the top.
• Make ahead: the garlicky yogurt base tastes even better after some time "marinating," so feel free to make it a day or two in advance and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Then, remove it 20-30 minutes before enjoying the cilbir to bring it back to room temperature.Store: cilbir is best served immediately, while the eggs and melted paprika butter are at the optimal temperatures. So I recommend eating it immediately.

TURKISH EGGS

Steps:

• Put the chilli and butter in a small pan and melt on a very gentle heat to ensure the chilli flavour infuses while you make the rest of the dish.
• Whisk the garlic into the yogurt. Season well and add the lemon juice. Bring a large pan of water to a simmer. Add the vinegar, make a swirl with a large spoon, then crack each egg into the water. Poach for 3 mins until set, then drain on kitchen paper.
• To serve, put half the yogurt in each bowl, add a poached egg to each, then drizzle with the melted chilli butter. Season, top with sumac and coriander leaves, and serve with toast.