SEARCH

Poach

Turkish-Style Poached Eggs with Garlic Yogurt, Chili Flakes & Walnut Butter

by:
April 30, 2016
5
2 Ratings
Photo by Bobbi Lin
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 7 minutes
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

This traditional way of cooking eggs and serving it with yogurt goes back to the time of the Ottomans. The sweetness of the poached eggs and the sourness of the garlic yogurt goes well with the chili flakes & walnut butter on top. —Gamze Mutfakta (Piper Nigrum)

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: This is Piper Nigrum (GamzE)’s first time as a contest finalist!
WHAT: Poached eggs in a bed of garlicky yogurt and topped with a spicy, walnut-y butter.
HOW: Poach eggs, mix yogurt with mashed garlic, and fry chili flakes and walnuts in butter. Layer everything on a plate, season with red peppercorns and salt and pepper, and eat.
WHY WE LOVE IT: A quick egg dish that gives you a lot of flavor for minimal effort. If you really like garlic, don’t be afraid to use a clove more, and be sure to use good yogurt—it really makes the dish. —The Editors

Continue After Advertisement
Ingredients
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup Turkish yogurt
  • 1 garlic clove, mashed
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, crushed
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 piece flat leaf parsley
  • 1 teaspoon red peppercorns
  • Salt and pepper
Directions
  1. Crack each egg into separate small, shallow bowls. Prepare water to poach your eggs. Bring to a boil over high heat and add the vinegar. Lower the heat to a simmer.
  2. Stir to create a vortex in the water and gently add eggs one at a time by lowering the bowl into the water in the center gently .
  3. Cook for about 3 minutes for a soft yolk or about 4 to 5 minutes for a hard yolk. Place on a paper towel to drain excess water.
  4. Put the yogurt in a bowl add the mashed garlic and stir. Divide the yogurt in to serving plates.
  5. Add the butter to a small skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter with the chili flakes and crushed walnuts and sizzle for 1 to 2 minutes until the butter turns a golden color.
  6. Place eggs on top of the yogurt and pour the spiced butter with walnuts on top of the eggs. Garnish the eggs with parsley and sprinkle with the red peppercorns and salt and pepper to taste.
Tags:
Contest Entries

See what other Food52ers are saying.

More Great Recipes

Slow-Cooked Tuscan Kale with Pancetta, Bread Crumbs, and a Poached Egg

Roasted Asparagus with Poached Egg and Lemon-Mustard Sauce

Crispy Salt and Pepper French Toast

Kimchi & Italian Sausage Fried Rice with Poached Eggs

Popular on Food52

The Best Vanilla Extract Substitute Is Probably Hiding in Your Kitchen

11 Easy Dinner Recipes for When It's Been a Loooong Week

The 15 Best Pasta Salad Recipes to Make All Summer Long
Continue After Advertisement

40 Reviews

Write a Review
cmtm April 29, 2018
I made this last night for myself and my French husband and we both thought it was excellent. I made modifications based on what we have available here in France: A grind of white pepper instead of red peppercorns, toasted slices of baguette as an accompaniment, greek yogurt instead of Turkish. Dipping the toasted baguette into the egg/yogurt was so good! I screwed up the poaching because it was the first time I poached eggs (ha), so the eggs weren't beautiful but it didn't ruin the taste at all. This is a simple and inexpensive recipe that is surprisingly rich and impressive. Try it! :)
Gamze M. April 29, 2018
Glad you enjoyed it :)
Kevin K. April 8, 2018
Tasty. Note: there is no need to add vinegar to the poaching water or to swirl it. Have the water simmering, add the eggs, cover, then turn off the heat. The eggs will be poached soft in 3-4 min; allow another minute if you'd like them more done. Use Aleppo or Urfa pepper in place of the dried chili [SIC] flakes.
Gamze M. April 13, 2018
Lowering the pH of the cooking liquid by adding acid (in this case vinegar, you could add lemon juice or even wine) is one way to lower the temperature required for coagulation of the egg whites. So, in a way, this does prevent feathering of the eggs, because they don't need to get as hot. I prefer chilies (turkish ones of course) because of their taste and bright orange color, Urfa pepper ''İsot'' is also a good option... Thank you..
Kevin K. April 13, 2018
Yes but acid really doesn’t work that well. Unless you strain off the thinnest parts of the egg white before cooking - time consuming - the quicker cooking whites the acid provides is a moot benefit. One certainly can acidify this water if one prefers.
Vicky M. November 17, 2017
This was excellent. I'm usually underwhelmed by Mediterranean cooking and this recipe seemed bland. However, I'm always looking for new ways to prepare eggs and this has been one of the best egg recipes I've come across. Whole milk Greek yogurt worked fine for me and I otherwise followed the recipe verbatim.
Gamze M. November 18, 2017
Glad to hear it. Thanks a lot Vicky:)
cashaww September 27, 2017
Two things. One, is there a taste difference between Turkish, American?, or Greek? I live in a small rural town, and I can get Greek or American yogurt. Two, I assume this recipe will work with either scrambled, or hard fried egg? I might be the strangest person on the planet, but I can not do poached eggs.
Gamze M. September 27, 2017
Greek yoğurt is beter, and this dish really needs a runny egg yolk. So instead of scrambled eggs you can use fried eggs in butter with a very soft runny yolk :))
Leslie B. September 27, 2017
Piper, you are so helpful and open.... but I really don't think the fried egg works.... what if cashaww soft boiled an egg, and then scooped it out of the shell? I think that would both work and taste best, and kind of keep the integrity of the dish....... (i mean that it is not a fried egg with a sauce on top, etc ---)
Gamze M. September 29, 2017
yes that is the closest option I agree:)
Gamze M. March 23, 2019
Greek yogurt is Turkish yogurt actually.. yogurt is a Turkish word.. The reason why it is called greek yogurt in the western part of the world surprises me but I guess because greek immigrants were using it i it was called greek yogurt. It is the same thing with jarusalem artichokes! What a funny name..A root veg native to north America which has nothing to do with jarusalem or the artichoke family.. It is changing tho' now it is called earth apples or sunchokes..:)))
Leslie B. September 3, 2017
I am so lucky to live in London and 5 minute walk from Providores, Peter Gordon's restaurant where he makes Turkish Eggs a la Changa (an Instanbul restaurant) --chili poached eggs with youghurt, butter, etc. My very favorite meal.... and such a wonderful one that they finally had to add it to the lunch menu!!! Truly the most wonderful, indulgent meal.
Gamze M. September 4, 2017
perfect:))
Dana August 24, 2017
Hi , we have served poached eggs for 8-17 people many times, we use a muffin tin in the oven. I have an old iron one that works very well! They now have beautiful silicone muffin and small cake pans which work beautifully though they need to be placed on a cookie sheet for easy lifting out of the oven.
Corene W. May 1, 2017
This was so good, I turned around and made more !!
Gamze M. May 2, 2017
Perfect, so glad to hear:))
lilroseglow January 6, 2017
This sounds delicious, and I can't wait to try it. But really Food52 editors. Best crowd-feeding?!? Crowding feeding?!? Four people is not a crowd. Double the recipe, and eight people are not really a crowd. Ten to twenty people is a "crowd." And I can't imagine setting out 10-20 little bowls with a single egg each, and adequately poaching them all at once in a normal home kitchen. While delicious sounding, I think this recipe is a "cheat" for the specified title. Best intimate breakfast, maybe. But not best crowd-feeding.
fearlessem January 12, 2017
Couldn't agree more. I did a double take, as just the thought of poached eggs "for a crowd" seems absurd. I kept looking for some secret trick that was going to all you to poach eggs for eight or ten people at once, but no. Again, this is in no way to cast aspersions on this recipe, which is probably delicious, but I just don't see how this could win for this particular category.
Gamze M. January 13, 2017
Thank you for comment Lilroseglow. This type of poached eggs is a traditional breakfast and even eaten as lunch in many large families in Turkey. If you want to prepare this recipe for twenty, you can poach your eggs in advance (3-4 eggs at a time) only for 2-3 minutes and reheat them all in hot water just before serving.
nutcakes January 25, 2017
Just have to mention that poached eggs are great for a crowd. "Poached eggs can be made ahead of time and held in an ice bath until they are ready to be served, and then reheated in simmering water for 1 to 2 minutes. "
https://food52.com/blog/9611-how-to-poach-an-egg
lilroseglow February 9, 2017
I've tried that. Not poaching for a crowd, but poaching ahead of time so that I could pull out one egg each morning to warm up and have a "fresh poached egg" in minutes with no fuss. Those eggs didn't turn out well for me. Either they were really unappealing luke-warm, or they were adequately warmed but with a strange "lumpy" texture to the yolk. I tried several times, but was never pleased with the results of warmed over poached eggs.
lilroseglow February 9, 2017
One more final comment. EVEN if warmed over poached eggs are your thing, the recipe in question provided no instructions or guidance for that. As written, it is a recipe for 2. Simply stated, is is not a recipe for "a crowd."
Gamze M. February 9, 2017
I've never tried reheating poached eggs that were kept in the fridge for 24 hours . The more you leave them the more it will lose moisture. It is like boiled eggs. Once you peel them, the texture is not the same the day after. But if you prepare them the same day like 3-5 hours ahead, try to cook them less leaving the yolk runny or precooked and refresh them in ice water for 40- 50 seconds so that the cooking stops. And when you reheat them (leaving them covered in a moist paper towel)the yolk is not overcooked.
lilroseglow March 16, 2017
Hmmm. Get up 3-5 hours before my crowd arrives to pre-poach eggs for breakfast? Not likely at my house. But still a delish intimate dish for two. I've made this. It's fabulous. Thanks for the post.
Kevin K. April 8, 2018
Nah. It's simple. Poach the eggs ahead of time then immediately drop into cold water. Store in the fridge in the water. When almost ready to serve heat a pan of water to just under a simmer; remove the eggs from the cold water in the fridge and gently drop - one at a time - into the hot water on the stove; heat a minute or two; remove with a slotted spoon, blotting water with a tea towel; serve.
kelcancook January 2, 2017
Found this gem while driving home tonight from the Bay Area to San Diego. Had to try ASAP (12 am) and wasn't disappointed! Flavor combos were perfect. I did substitute the walnuts for almonds (walnut allergy) and I placed the yogurt and egg atop a bed of mixed greens and diced, fresh tomatoes. After tasting, I opted to add (my favorite) South African seasoning blend from TJs for an added smokey flavor. With or without my amendments, definitely an amazingly simple, yet complete surprise of joined ingredients. Yum!
nutcakes January 25, 2017
I love the idea of the greens - thanks for the suggestion.
Caroline January 1, 2017
Made this for breakfast, substituting some garlic confit from the Gjelina cookbook for the raw garlic. Delicious. A real keeper, and very quick and easy to make from the pantry. I was in Turkey in the spring; this brought back memories of the wonderful food there.
Gamze M. February 10, 2017
Thank you so much:)
cookinalong December 22, 2016
I made this first thing this morning to celebrate the beginning of the Christmas Cook-A-Thon and it was wonderful! I used homemade Greek yogurt because that's what I had on hand. Is Turkish yogurt substantially different? Thanks for a wonderful start to the day!
Gamze M. December 22, 2016
So glad to hear you enjoyed it.. Turkish yogurt is the same as greek yogurt but it is not strained. Thank you for the lovely comment..
creamtea December 16, 2016
Congrats, GamzE! It's a pleasure to be a fellow finalist with you! Your recipe sounds delicious and caught my eye when you submitted! Cheers and good luck.
Gamze M. December 16, 2016
Thanks Lisanne, likewise. Thanks for such a lovely comment. Sweet vs savory. Yours also sounds perfect , good luck:)
Mike D. December 22, 2016
Where would one find Turkish yogurt? Is there a brand in particular?
Gamze M. December 22, 2016
Mike hi, I really dont know any brands in the states.. I've heard of Chobani..
Mike D. December 22, 2016
Ok thx
kelcancook January 2, 2017
Mike- I was so anxious to try this that I opted for a blend of sour cream and cream fraiche, already in my fridge. I loved it!
nutcakes January 25, 2017
Interesting, I looked up Chobani which calls itself Greek yogurt and is strained - the founder is Turkish.
Gamze M. January 29, 2017
Yes the owner is aTurkish Kurd, although yogurt (actually that word is turkish not greek) is not Greek. in his intreview he admits that people in the Us referred to it as Greek yogurt, thats why he named it like that. He brought a yogurt master from Turkey:) The thing is here we call strained yogurt (süzme yogurt) which is what you eat as greek yogurt...
http://europe.newsweek.com/its-all-greek-him-chobanis-unlikely-success-story-237526?rm=eu