Turkish Eggs (Cilbir)

I wish somebody would have told me before what an amazing dish you can get from the combination of herbed Turkish yogurt, spiced butter sauce, and perfectly poached eggs. Turkish Eggs or Cilbir are our new favorite brunch for a lazy Sunday morning.

What are Turkish eggs?

Turkish eggs are one of the most popular recipes in Turkish Cuisine. This recipe is made of poached eggs with a runny yolk, served on a garlicky yoghurt base and drizzled with warm spicy butter.

Cilbir or Turkish eggs is such a great breakfast or brunch meal being really easy and fast to put together and delivering beautiful and spicy flavours from Turkey.

Our Turkish Eggs recipe is:

• A breakfast or brunch
• Vegetarian
• Easy to make
• Middle-eastern style dish
• Made with simple ingredients
• Spicy
• Perfect for weekends

How to make Turkish Eggs

Cilbir is something that is made when you don't have many ingredients in the fridge and you want to prepare something quick, healthy and delicious for your family. It uses staple ingredients that many people have already at home, especially in Middle Eastern or Mediterranean countries.

Ingredients and variations for the best Cilbir

Turkish Yogurt. Choose good quality and creamy Turkish or Greek Yogurt. It needs to be thick in order to act as a base for the dish. If you cannot find Turkish or Greek yogurt, make sure you get any creamy yogurt (unsweetened).

Fresh herbs. We use fresh dill and fresh mint. You can add parsley, oregano, cilantro, or other fresh herbs of your choice.

Garlic. We like garlicky food and we normally add a couple of garlic cloves to our recipes but when served raw, garlic can overpower the rest of the flavors. Make sure to not add too much. A ½ clove should be more than enough.

Eggs. Make sure you are using fresh eggs. They are easier to poach. Normally we make one egg per person. Served with Greek yogurt, spiced butter buttery sauce, and some crusty bread, it should be enough to start the day. If you are thinking of making Turkish eggs for lunch or dinner, maybe two eggs would be better.

Butter. Our favourite butter to use at home is Kerrygold butter. We recommend using room temperature unsalted butter. You can as well use margarine or olive oil.

Spices. Chilli flakes and smoked paprika are the spices we use for this recipe as we always have them at home. If you have Aleppo pepper you will want to use this instead.

Step by Step Method

Cooking Method

1. Prepare the yogurt. Turkish eggs or Cilbir are made with Greek yogurt combined with fresh herbs and garlic. We use fresh dill and mint for our yogurt base. Finely chop the dill and mint, add some crushed or grated garlic and combine the ingredients with the Greek yogurt. Then season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Optionally, you can add a teaspoon of lemon juice.
2. Poach the eggs. Poaching eggs can sound simple for some and really challenging for others. If you are in the second group or this is your first time making poached eggs, don't worry, getting a perfect poached egg is easier than you think. Fill a deep pot with water and bring it to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar and create a vortex. Crack the egg and add it to the middle of the boiling water vortex. Cook for 2-3 minutes to get the perfect egg with a runny yolk. Remove the egg with a slotted spoon and leave it aside while you cook the second egg.
3. Make the chili-butter sauce. Using a small pan or pot, melt the butter at medium heat. When the butter starts to bubble add the spices and stir using a wooden spoon. Traditionally, Aleppo pepper is used when making Turkish eggs but for our recipe, we use chili flakes and smoked paprika. Stir and the sauce will be ready to serve.

Assembling the Turkish Eggs

1. Spread one thick layer of the garlicky yogurt with herbs on a serving plate or small bowl. You can use shallow bowls for this recipe as well as plates.
2. Add the poached eggs to the yogurt base.
3. Drizzle the spiced butter and add some more fresh mint and dill and black pepper before serving.

Make Turkish Eggs or Cilbir for Kids

Turkish eggs are spicy so they are not the best option for kids. You can slightly change the recipe to make it kid and toddler friendly.

Change the chilli flakes or Aleppo peppers for sweet paprika. As well, we recommend reducing the amount of garlic used. Garlic is healthy but adding too much can be a bit overpowering for your little one.

Dipping some toasted bread on the runny yolk egg it's such a fun way to start a brunch! Our toddler Luca loves it when we make Shakshuka or Turkish eggs, he makes sure he's the first one dipping his bread in the egg. If you want to involve them in the kitchen, they can as well help you prepare the yogurt base.

Serving Suggestions

Turkish eggs can be served for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. Such a versatile dish, you can combine it with some toasted bread, or pita bread, and some other side dishes such as this Homemade Loaded Hummus or a yummy Baba Ganoush.

Make sure you add enough chilli melted butter on the top of the eggs and yoghurt, I find this to be the best part of this meal.

FAQ and Tips

• Are Turkish Eggs healthy? This breakfast is a protein-packed breakfast. Eggs and yogurt are high protein sources. Butter is saturated fat, but using a small amount makes this breakfast still a healthy choice.
• Can I make this dish mild? Yes, instead of adding chili flakes, add sweet paprika.
• The garlic can overpower the rest of the ingredients, so we suggest adding just ¼ or ½ a garlic clove and adjusting later to taste. We use a Microplane to grate the garlic so it's easily incorporated with the rest of the ingredients.
• Do not add salt to the water as it will help to separate the white part of the egg and always try using fresh eggs.
• Use fresh eggs. The fresher the eggs, the easier it will be to poach them.
• Can I make Turkish Eggs vegan? If you know us a little bit, you will know that we love "veganizing" traditional recipes but Turkish Eggs are a recipe we kept as a vegetarian. To make this recipe vegan, you could use vegan butter and vegan creamy yogurt for this recipe and instead of using poached eggs, you can add silken tofu.

If you tried our recipe, please leave a comment or tag us on Instagram @Sixhungryfeet. We are always happy to see your creations!

Other brunch recipes:

• Vegetarian Nasi Goreng
• Shakshuka
• Vegan Quesadillas