Turkish Poached Eggs (Çılbır)

Ingredients

To make my Turkish Poached Eggs recipe, you’ll need the following main ingredients:

• Eggs: Poached eggs are easiest to make with fridge-cold eggs, and using the freshest eggs you can lay (haha!) your hands on is essential. Over time, the structure of egg whites breaks down, which can make poaching a bit of a chore, so look out for super fresh eggs. 
• Yogurt: To make Cilbir, you’ll need thick, unsweetened Greek or Turkish yogurt. If you can only get normal plain yogurt, you’ll have to strain it through a clean cloth set in a sieve in the fridge until you’ve reached the required thickness. Make sure the yogurt is out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving, as room-temperature yogurt is much tastier with the eggs.
• Herbs and garlic: Turkish cuisine is full of glorious fresh herbs! Go and buy some big bunches of parsley and dill and use them generously. Not everyone wants to eat garlic in the morning, but it is very tasty in this recipe! A little goes a long way, so I’d start with about ½ a smallish clove.
• Pul Biber / Aleppo Pepper: One of my all-time favourite ingredients and something I always have in my kitchen! Pul Biber is mild or slightly spicy Turkish red pepper flakes. You can replace it with a mixture of paprika powder and mild chilli flakes, but do try to get the real thing if you can!
• Olive Oil or butter: Depending on your mood, you could use olive oil or butter in this dish; both will make a lovely red pepper topping.
• Quick Pickled Onions: I can never get enough of pickled red onion slices! They are great on burgers, but they are phenomenal when served with a dish like this, as they cut through all the richness and the creaminess of the rest. So good!

Instructions

When I make Turkish Poached Eggs, I use a fantastic never-fail technique from chef Adrienne Cheatham for perfectly formed poached eggs. It is reliable and means you can poach multiple eggs at a time. If you have your favourite way of poaching, go right ahead.

1. Get everything prepared. Slice your onions and submerge in a simple pickling brine of vinegar, sugar and salt. Mix the yogurt with the crushed garlic and fresh herbs, season, then spread the herb and garlic yoghurt over two serving plates so that it can warm up.
2. Next comes the unusual technique. Fill four ramekins or teacups ⅓ of the way with white vinegar. Top up to ⅔’s with water, then carefully crack an egg into each. Set aside for 10-15 minutes. This liquid will start to set the egg white, meaning you get perfect, beautiful poached eggs later on. Set a pot of water on to simmer over medium heat.
3. Combine the oil or butter with the pul biber in a small pan over low heat. Heat gently for 1-2 minutes, just until the butter has melted and the mixture is aromatic. Set aside.
4. When you are ready to poach the eggs, ensure the water isn’t boiling, then carefully tip the eggs one after the other into the simmering water (including the contents of the ramekin). Poach for 3-4 minutes until cooked to your liking, remove with a slotted spoon, blot on a paper towel to remove excess water, then place two on each plate.
5. Drizzle the red pepper oil over the top of the eggs, scatter over plenty of fresh herbs, nigella seeds, a pinch of salt and a few forkfuls of the pickled onions, then tuck in with plenty of toasted Turkish-style crusty bread. Afiyet Olsun!