All you need to know about Turkish eggs and where to eat this dish in Mumbai

Will cilbir, better known as Turkish eggs, be the new eggs Benedict to woo Mumbai’s foodies? We deconstruct the Ottoman classic

You can keep your eggs Benedict!” said an emphatic Nigella Lawson. “My first dreamy mouthful of Turkish eggs and I was utterly sold”. It was probably the first time we had heard of this seemingly exotic dish from Turkey. This, as the British food show host then proceeded to deftly put it together on her TV show Nigella: At My Table, almost a decade ago. And we couldn’t have agreed more with Lawson on that count. We, too, were sold on it. Without even tasting a single morsel of the delectable looking dish, mind you. Called cilbir in Turkey, this egg preparation is often served cold, or at the very least at room temperature. Never warm. Though recipes around the country vary a bit, the basic foundations of cilbir are pretty much the same.

A couple of medium-poached eggs are enrobed in a garlic-y yoghurt or labneh, then drizzled in chilli butter and sprinkled with fresh herbs like chopped parsley or purslane leaves. Served alongside the bagel-shaped, sesame seeds-topped Turkish street bread called simit, this dish is akin to a lighter, yet intensely flavourful Eastern cousin of the beloved eggs Benedict. Though it might seem like a breakfast dish, on a trip to Turkey a few years ago, we discovered that cilbir is actually eaten for lunch or dinner. Our food guide in Istanbul chuckled then, “It gets very tough to eat all that garlic-loaded yoghurt and get into a morning meeting.”

And while the aforementioned eggs Benedict and its myriad, equally scrumptious iterations — like eggs Florentine (with spinach) and eggs royale (with smoked salmon) along with their desi-fied versions that feature curry powder-enhanced Hollandaise sauce — have become a brunch staple here in India, Turkish eggs are slowly climbing up the popularity scales. We’ve made it easier for you with our curation of Mumbai eateries to try this at, and there’s even an easy-to-follow recipe if you’d like to whip it up in your home kitchen. Bon appetit. Or as they say in Turkey, “afiyet olsun!”

Turkish eggs (cilbir)

Ingredients
2 eggs
2 cups water
1 tsp vinegar
For yoghurt mixture:
200 gm hung curd
1 tsp grated garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp chopped dill
For paprika-chilli oil:
2/3 tbsp salted butter
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp paprika powder
1 tsp chilli flakes
100 ml oil

Method
Fill a large saucepan with two cups of water and bring it to boiling point. On a medium flame pour in vinegar and let the water be at a gentle simmer. Slip the eggs into the pan for three minutes. Remove eggs from the water and place on a warm plate. For the yoghurt mixture: put the hung curd into a bowl with grated garlic. Season with salt, chopped dill, black pepper and cumin powder. Mix well and set aside at room temperature. For the paprika-chilli oil, melt butter in a saucepan on a medium flame, add oil, cumin powder, paprika powder and chilli flakes. Stir until the colour is uniform. Spread the smooth yoghurt mixture onto a deep plate and place the eggs on the yoghurt-laden bed. Drizzle some paprika-chilli oil and season with salt and pepper.

Palak Shah, co-owner and recipe developer, Plush

Try it out

The Nutcracker, Fort: Garlic yoghurt, two poached eggs, chilli oil, burnt onions, paprika and garlic, served with pita bread.
Log on to: @thenutcrackermumbai 
Call: 49744970
Cost R380

Plush, Bandra: Two poached eggs, garlic yoghurt, paprika-chilli oil and dill. Served with multigrain toast.
Log on to: @plushcafebandra
Call: 9167864398
Cost: Rs 350

Coco Cafe, Goregaon: Labneh, two poached eggs, copper butter emulsion, chopped parsley and degi mirch powder.
Log on to: @cafebycococart 
Call: 9820248469
Cost: Rs 300

Moner, Bandra: Garlic yoghurt, two poached eggs, chilli oil, burnt onions and paprika. Served with toasted sourdough bread.
Log on to: @moner_mumbai 
Call: 7770014123
Cost: Rs 395

Donna Deli, Bandra: Two poached eggs, creamy garlic yoghurt and chilli butter. Served with brioche bread and chicken sausages..
Log on to: @donnadelibombay 
Call: 977349407 
Cost: Rs 330

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