Turkish Menemen

Menemen is a hearty, healthy dish from Turkey. Creamy scrambled eggs flavoured with tomatoes, peppers and Aleppo pepper. It’s an amazing combination of flavour and fragrance, perfect alongside buttery flatbreads any time of the day.

Nothing is more comforting to me than eggs! I love them in every conceivable preparation. Breakfast is always my go-to egg meal and this Turkish recipe is special on every level.

I first ate menemen in Istanbul on a holiday and was presented with a giant pan one morning. It was meant for two, but my other half had his eye on the pastries so I devoured the lot with abandon.

I was new to menemen and everything appealed to me about the dish. It has an amazing creamy texture alongside a sweet, earthy flavour from the tomatoes with just the tiniest hit of spice. The recipe followed me home and I've been cooking it for years for myself.

Let me share with you my recipe, a super quick and easy affair that I'll make for Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch and sometimes even dinner. A one pot meal that only requires bread to accompany.

What's Ahead?

What is Menemen?

Menemen is a Turkish egg dish from the a small town called Menemen in Western Anatolia, near the city of Izmir. A sauce of sorts is made from tomato, green peppers and a little mild Aleppo pepper or Pul Biber pepper flakes. The eggs are then mixed and cooked into the sauce to create a rich, creamy scrambled egg. Menemen often features other ingredients like onion, parsley, dried herbs and sometimes even Turkish sausage called 'Suçuk'.

Being a Western Turkish dish, and geographically close to Greece, it shares similarities to a Greek recipe called Strapatsada which also uses tomato and eggs. Both are creamy, sweet and delicious!

Menemen Vs Shakshuka

Many people wonder if menemen is the same as Mediterranean shakshuka. The answer is not really. Both use tomatoes with eggs, but the preparation is very different. The eggs in shakshuka are poached whole in a rich tomato sauce while the eggs in menemen are scrambled into the sauce instead. This gives a very different end result.

Why it works?

It's egg! - I'm a lifelong fan of eggs - any time, any day so if like me you love eggs, you will love menemen, guaranteed.

It's quick and satisfying - eggs are quick to cook and this scramble is just that. Making the sauce is pretty quick and then it's just a case of pouring in the beaten eggs and letting them set to a creamy consistency.

Stuff You'll Need

Menemen is a simple affair, needing only a few easy to grab ingredients - good news for those who aren't morning people.

• Eggs
• Tomato - three ways... fresh, passata (blended) and concentrate. This ensures the delicious sweetness is very present in the final dish.
• Green peppers - add a savoury note to the eggs. If you can get the long banana style chillies, all the better, but a regular green bell pepper is fine too.
• Shallot - or onion. This isn't always added but I use a little for more depth of flavour.
• Aleppo pepper - or Turkish Pul Biber pepper flakes add a sweetness and the smallest bit of spice to the eggs.
• Parsley - I like to add a final grassy note to my garnish.

Step by Step

Scrambled eggs couldn't be easier... here's how to make your Menemen the best.

1. Step 1 - Using a large, deep frying pan or skillet, heat a little olive oil until hot. Fry the shallot and green pepper for a few minutes until lightly softened.
2. Step 2 - Add some salt, pepper, Aleppo pepper and tomato concentrate and stir to combine.
3. Step 3 - Add the fresh chopped tomatoes and passata and stir well. Let this simmer for a few minutes.
4. Step 4 - Pour in the eggs and begin to slowly stir, scraping up eggs from the bottom of the pan as you go.
5. Step 5 - Cook until creamy and a little underdone - remove from the heat (the eggs will continue to cook).
6. Step 6 - Portion up the eggs and garnish with a sprinkling of Aleppo pepper and chopped parsley. Serve with bread of some kind... I love flatbreads or crusty sourdough.

Pro Tips and Suggestions

• Suçuk - Adding Turkish sausage (suçuk) to the eggs brings a more filling and fragrance to the eggs. Add them in slices or cubes after the onions and peppers have been frying and cook for a few minutes more.
• Fresh Herbs - Parsley is traditional, but I'll often stir fresh herbs into the menemen once cooked. My favourites are chopped fresh mint, oregano or dill.
• Dried herbs - add 1/2 tsp of dried oregano or thyme when you're frying the onion and peppers.
• Cheese - Sprinkle over some grated Kashkaval cheese or crumbled white cheese like Peynir or Feta over the finished menemen.

Serving and Storage

• Serve - Serving menemen right away will give the best results, but you can also serve it at room temperature. I like to serve it in the skillet I cooked it in, in the centre of the table surrounded by flatbreads.
• Fridge - If you have any leftovers, they'll stay good for 2-3 days in the fridge - eat them cold or gently reheated in the microwave.
• Freezer - Eggs don't freeze well, so I wouldn't recommend freezing.

Ready to get cooking?

So now you've learned a little more about Turkish menemen, you can see how quick and easy it is to pull together yourself at home. This is particularly helpful if you're not a sparkly individual in the morning. 20 minutes of cooking and you'll have fabulous morning meal to set you in good stead for the day ahead. I hope you enjoy!

More Turkish recipes

If you liked this recipe for Menemen, I'm sure you'll love some more of my favourite Turkish recipes.

• Turkish Pide
• Sumac Onions
  
• Turkish Suçuk with Eggs
• Turkish Beetroot & Yoghurt Dip
  
• Cacik (Turkish Yoghurt & Cucumber)
  
• Briam (Greek Roasted Vegetables)
  
• Turkish Mücver (Zucchini Fritters)
  
• Haydari (Turkish Yoghurt Meze)
  
• Turkish Bean Salad (Fasulye Piyaz)
  
• Turkish Green Beans (Zeytinyağlı Fasulye)
  
• Çılbır (Turkish Eggs)
• Turkish Rice Pilav with Orzo (Sehriyeli Pilav)

This recipe uses affiliations and may receive a commission based on your activity (link clicks). Learn more.