Turkish Eggs with garlic yogurt (Çilbir)
Turkish Eggs with garlic yogurt, or çilbir to give its Turkish name, is a strangely addictive little dish. Gently poached eggs sit on thick and creamy, garlic-scented yogurt, topped with a drizzle of melted spiced butter. Perfect for a light meal on its own, or serve with toasted bread, plus chopped tomatoes and cucumbers.
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TURKISH EGGS
Poached eggs with yogurt may sound an odd combination, but in the form of Turkish Eggs it really works.
I’m always on the lookout for tasty, nutritious egg recipes. Packed full of goodness, cheap and quick to cook, eggs are perfect for an easy meal.
I’m also mad about yogurt, especially since discovering how easy Homemade Yogurt is.
So I was very excited when I first heard about Turkish Eggs.
I’ve made various versions since, and now want to share with you my own favourite way of making it.
Çilbir
In their homeland, Turkish Eggs are known as çilbir which (I think) is pronounced “chulburr”. It’s thought to date back to the fifteenth century Ottoman Empire.
I’ve two cookbooks with recipes for çilbir: Claudia Roden‘s A New Book of Middle Eastern Food (revised edition 1986) and Arto der Haroutunian‘s A Turkish Cookbook (1987).
Both of these pour yogurt over eggs. Roden simply seasons the yogurt with salt. Der Haroutunian, who fries rather than poaches the eggs, includes black pepper and cumin.
‘Even his cock lays eggs.’
– Such a lucky fellow!
Turkish saying alongside çilbir recipe in A Turkish Cookbook
But virtually all the more recent recipes I’ve seen for Turkish Eggs put the eggs on top of yogurt which has been flavoured with garlic.
Roden and der Haroutunian both drizzle over melted butter that has had paprika stirred into it. However, most recipes on the web call for some form of heat, usually chilli flakes or Aleppo pepper.
I hope you’ll experiment and find what suits you, but here’s my version of Turkish Eggs. You’ll find full instructions in the recipe card at the end.
MY TURKISH EGGS
Taking inspiration from many recipes, this çilbir is very much my own. But I still think it deserves the name of the original dish as the basic elements of eggs, yogurt and spiced butter are all there.
Although very few versions heat the yogurt, I find this makes the dish even better. It smoothes the raw garlic and helps the flavour permeate the yogurt. It only adds a couple of minutes anyway (or seconds if you use a microwave), so give it a go and see what you think.
Nigella Lawson’s version is one that does heat the yogurt (I’ll probably get shot for saying this, but I don’t generally connect with her style of writing or presentation. But credit where credit’s due). She also gives a good tip for those of us not very confident about poaching eggs. Crack your egg into a fine tea strainer before poaching. This gets rid of the watery part of the white and avoids having those nasty stringy bits all over the pan.
For the spiced butter, I like a combination of sweetish chilli powder or Aleppo pepper, black pepper and cumin. I sometimes add a teaspoon of olive oil too, but just use all butter if you prefer.
TO SERVE
The traditional accompaniment to Turkish Eggs seems to be bread, toasted or not. I sometimes eat them with toast, although more often I’ll skip it but have two eggs rather than one.
What I do like though is a bit of vegetable matter for balance and crunchy texture.
My favourite is diced cucumbers and tomatoes and a sprinkle of herbs. Coriander, parsley, dill or mint are all good.
However you make your Turkish Eggs, or çilbir with garlic scented yogurt and spiced butter, I think you’ll find it an unusual but strangely addictive pleasure.
If you’ve made this recipe, I’d love to know what you thought: leave a comment below.
Turkish Eggs with Garlic Yogurt (Çilbir)
Poached eggs on garlic-scented yogurt, topped with a drizzle of melted spiced butter. Perfect for a light meal on its own or serve with toasted bread plus chopped tomatoes and cucumbers.
Ingredients
- ½ - 1 small clove garlic finely chopped or grated
- 1 pinch salt
- 100-150 ml full fat thick or Greek style yogurt
- 20 g butter
- ¼ - ½ tsp Aleppo pepper, chilli flakes or paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- black pepper to taste
- 1 or 2 eggs
To serve (optional)
- dill, mint, coriander, or parsley finely or roughly chopped
- diced cucumber
- diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
- toast
Instructions
-
Have ready a kettle approximately half full of boiled water.
-
For the yogurt
Sprinkle the chopped garlic with a pinch of salt.
Using the flat part of a knife blade, mash the salt into the garlic to create a paste.
Optional: heat the yogurt
Put the yogurt in a microwave safe bowl and stir in the garlic paste. Heat for 10 - 25 seconds until just warm. Set aside.
If you don't have a microwave, heat the yogurt in a heatproof bowl over a simmering saucepan of boiling water. The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir the yogurt until it is just warm (2-3 min) then set aside.
-
For the poached eggs
Pour boiling water from the kettle into a small but deepish frying pan and bring it to a gentle simmer.
Swirl the water then crack in 1 or 2 eggs (see Recipe Notes for tip on poaching eggs) and simmer for 1 - 1½ minutes.
Take the pan off the heat and leave until the eggs are done to your liking (2-3 min).
-
For the spiced butter (make while the eggs are finishing)
Put the butter in a small saucepan and melt over moderate heat.
Add the spices and let it sizzle for about a minute (turn the heat up if necessary). Set aside.
-
To serve
Spoon the garlic yogurt over the base of a small bowl or plate.
Remove the poached eggs from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper if necessary. Place on top of the yogurt.
Pour the spiced butter over the eggs and yogurt.
Sprinkle over any of the optional suggestions and serve with toast if liked.
Recipe Notes
Get neater poached eggs.
Avoid those straggly bits of egg white when you poach eggs by cracking into a fine sieve over a bowl first. This allows the watery part of the white to drain away & you'll get a neater poached egg.
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