Menemen is one of the simplest and most delicious Turkish recipes, and today I’ll be sharing a very tasty version that you can enjoy at breakfast or dinner! What’s more, you can make this recipe in just a few simple steps using a few ingredients.
First, let’s look at the ingredients and equipment you’ll need.
You’ll need:
Ingredients
- Butter (50 gram)
- 3 tomatoes
- 1 pepper
- 2 egg yolk
- Salt (1/4 TSP)
Equipment
- Pan
Preparation phase
- Firstly, cut the peppers into thin rings.
- Then, chop the tomatoes into small pieces – one without peeling the skin and the other after peeling the skin.
Here’s how to make menemen:
- Melt the butter.
- Sauté the peppers in the melted butter.
- When you’re sure the peppers are cooked and soft, add the tomatoes and then the salt.
- Close the lid of the pan.
- Once the tomatoes have cooked for a few minutes and softened, mash them with a potato masher or fork. You’ll know they’re ready when they look like a thick sauce.
- Add the egg yolks to the pan and stir gently once or twice.
- Just a heads-up: turn off the heat before the eggs are fully cooked.
There’s a big debate in Turkey about menemen. Should it be made with or without onions?
This question has actually split the country in two, and it's one of the biggest food debates in the country.
Mr. Vedat MILOR asked people on Twitter which way they prefer their menemen, and 437,657 votes were cast. The majority voted for menemen with onion, but the difference was small. If you're asking for my opinion, I think menemen should only be with pepper if it's for breakfast. If I'm eating my menemen for dinner, I prefer it with onions. If you want to get involved in this discussion, you can add onion to your menemen.
So how to make menemen with onion?
- Just chop the onions into small pieces.
- Once the butter has melted, add the onions to the pan and sauté them.
- Then add the peppers to the pan and sauté them in there too.
- Just a heads-up: if you sauté your peppers and onions for too long, they’ll burn. So use a medium heat and proceed carefully. When you’re sure the peppers and onions are cooked and soft, add the tomatoes and then the salt. Cover the pan with the lid. When the tomatoes are cooked for a few minutes and soft, mash them with a potato masher or fork. (When the tomatoes are crushed, it will look like a thick sauce.)
- Next, add the egg yolks to the pan and stir gently a couple of times.
- Just make sure you turn off the heat before the eggs are fully cooked.
The best menemen you’ve ever tasted!
Menemen is a dish eaten with bread in Turkey, so fresh bread is the ideal accompaniment. Take a piece of bread and dip it in the menemen, and enjoy your own delicious version of this traditional Turkish dish.
If you’re looking to enjoy Turkish tea with menemen, we’ve got a great article on how to brew Turkish tea.