How to make traditional Turkish “menemen” (scrambled eggs with tomato)

This quick tomato scrambled egg dish or “menemen” is a Turkish favorite for breakfast. It’s served with pita bread and can also be complemented with cheese (usually Feta) or cold meat, such as Pastirma (dried beef with fenugreek) or Sucuk (garlic sausage).

Heat a little olive oil in a not very large frying pan without letting it smoke. Chop the onion, pepper and garlic and sauté them over moderate heat, taking care not to burn them.

Peel the tomato, cut it into small pieces and add it to the sauce together with the tomato paste. Season and continue cooking for about 7 more minutes.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs separately, add salt and pepper to the pan, stirring constantly to integrate them with the vegetables.

After 3-4 minutes the menemen will be ready. Garnish with a little parsley and serve with pita bread.

Tips and tricks:

1. In case of using pastirma or sucuk, stir some slices or small pieces before incorporating the tomato.
2. Tomato is an essential ingredient in this preparation, but I personally like to do without it when using pastirma, as seen in the featured photo.
3. If you use Feta cheese, crumble it and add it to the beaten eggs.
4. Any available pepper will do, but the favorite one for this recipe is the elongated green one called “Sivri”, which gives a distinctive touch.
5. The reason I suggest avoiding a very large pan is so that the ingredients are integrated and not cooked separately.
6. It’s preferable to cook the eggs for a shorter time rather than curdle them excessively. Even if they seem to be raw, the residual heat from the pan will finish cooking them. To be perfect, this recipe should be rather juicier than dry.
7. Keep in mind our additional tips to prepare a sofrito (stir-fry) that improves all your recipes.
8. Check out also our shakshuka recipe, another traditional oriental dish of eggs with tomato.