Shakshuka originates from North Africa and the Middle East and the name comes from the Arabic word meaning “mixed” or “shaken up”. Originally a vegetarian dish, it is often cooked with chorizo or merguez sausage.
Did you know?
You can vary the colour of shakshuka, simply by changing the ingredients. Make it green using green peppers and chillies and chopped spinach. Yellow peppers and chopped butternut squash will give you a nice orange colour.
Ingredients:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 100g chorizo, sliced
- 2 roasted red peppers from a jar
- 1 garlic clove, minced or chopped
- a good handful of coriander, chopped
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 1 birds eye chilli, chopped or chilli flakes or cayenne pepper (optional)
- Tomato sauce
- 4 fresh tomatoes
- 4 large eggs
- chopped parsley and mint to garnish
Step by step:
Make the shakshuka sauce...
Step 1.
In a large lidded pan, sautee the chopped onions and chorizo and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Add the peppers and garlic with a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt, coriander, paprika, cumin and chopped chilli, or chilli flakes (if using) and cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 2.
Add the tomatoes and a good glug of tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, cover and leave to simmer for about 15 mins. Uncover and continue cooking until the sauce has thickened.
When the sauce is ready, add the eggs...
Step 3.
We added poached eggs separately on this occasion. Normally, we just make wells in the sauce and crack in the eggs.
Serve the dish in the pan garnished with the parsley and mint. Some crusty baguette is great for mopping up the sauce.
Tips and variations:
- Use fresh peppers if you prefer
- Chopped spinach goes well, added after 10 mins of cooking
- Mince your garlic for a milder flavour
- Add a drizzle of tahini when serving for extra flavour.
HEAL 