turkish eggs

Poached eggs in any dish: I'm sold. The reigning champion in my heart has been eggs benedict, but there's been a duel for that top slot after trying Turkish eggs.

My first encounter was at Public's brunch, here in NYC for a friend's birthday last Fall.
Most recipes call for melted butter, but I chose to modify a version from FoodNetwork that will less likely clog our blood vessels.

Here's a short & easy version:

TURKISH EGGS

poached eggs, on top of Greek yogurt (minced garlic optional)
drizzle with some paprika and olive oil
top with chopped chives
(salt & pepper to taste)
done.

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Just kidding, here's some more in-depth versions of the recipe:



TURKISH EGGS  
printable recipe
serves 1

2 eggs
1 - 2 tablespoons of vinegar
pot of water

1/2 small container (7 oz) of Greek yogurt (about 3.5 oz, close to 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 - 1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon paprika
chili pepper flakes (optional)
salt
ground black or white pepper
chives (or herb of choice), chopped



-Poach eggs: Boil water & vinegar, crack an egg into small bowl, carefully slide into pot of water.
 Repeat with other egg. Cook for 3-5 min. Take out, drain.

-Put yogurt in small serving bowl (if you are using garlic, mix with yogurt).

-Mix oil and paprika in a separate bowl (save some paprika to sprinkle on eggs later).

-Place eggs on yogurt.

-Sprinkle reserved paprika on eggs. You can add salt & pepper (and chili pepper flakes if you choose).

-Pour oil/paprika mixture over eggs.

-Top with chives.

-Enjoy with a spoon. You can also serve with hearty, crusty bread to dip.


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STEP-BY-STEP VERSION:

Poaching eggs = fun. Skip ahead if you already know how to do this.

Boil a pot of water and add vinegar, stir. I'm the type to eyeball it and just splash some in, but for the purpose of this post, I actually measured this time. Depending on the size of your pot, a tablespoon or 2 should be enough to cook the egg in a uniform piece. Otherwise you'll have egg drop soup. Science.
Tip: Crack an egg at a time into a small bowl and carefully slide it into the pot of water/vinegar. Just cracking it in the pot will make the egg disperse too much.
Repeat with the other egg, and let them cook for a few minutes (around 3 to 5). The time depends on how you like your eggs. Some people like it super runny, others like it closer to solid form. I like it in between, kind of like molten lava. You can kind of tell by looking at the firmness of where the yolk is, as the egg floats. And practice (haha, don't tell that to A.I.).

While the eggs dance around in their underwater ballet, you can assemble the yogurt, along with the minced garlic if you choose to use it (I love garlic). Mix it up, lay it in a bowl.
Some recipes have you heat the yogurt in the oven, which I don't bother with (and would have you prepare everything in reverse). I just eat it as is, since the warmth of the eggs heat up the dish. (I guess you can also nuke it in the microwave for a few seconds, that's up to you).

Mix the olive oil (extra virgin if you want) and paprika in another small bowl, you can use more or less according to your taste. It makes this beautiful color. Save some paprika to sprinkle on top of the eggs at the end.

If you haven't taken your eggs out already (take out the eggs when they're done according to your liking, don't let them overcook in the water), do so and dry off so they don't make the dish too watery. 

On top of the yogurt, place the eggs.
Sprinkle the eggs with reserved paprika (or you can do this after you pour the oil, I like having the extra paprika before so it drips down when you pour the oil on it).
Pour the oil/paprika mixture over the eggs, you can add some salt & pepper.
Add the chopped chives on top (I used kitchen scissors to cut them).
Grab a spoon. Enjoy.

I don't think paprika is spicy at all, so I would add chili pepper flakes (I have the Korean kind) to give it a kick.

You can also serve with some hearty, crusty bread, it's fabulous to dip into this. Did I use the word fabulous?


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I'll probably update with step-by-step photos soon, me babbling is probably not as succinct as people might like for following a recipe. You can use the shorter version or printable version above :)





This post is dedicated to JS who first taught me about using vinegar to poach eggs years back,
and IH, whose birthday brought me to trying Turkish eggs at Public. Thanks!