Turkish eggs

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Peter Gordon's Turkish eggs recipe produces the perfect brunch - big on flavour and not too complicated. He first came across this dish in Istanbul, and it is has become a regular on his restaurant menus ever since. "These eggs are inspired by a simple Turkish dish called “cilbir". I tried them in 2000 on my first visit to Istanbul, when I went over to meet Tarik and Savas, who had approached me to consult on their soon-to-open restaurant Changa. I took the consultancy on as I immediately fell in love with Istanbul, and I’ve been there around 50 times since. It’s a wondrous and sprawling city, full of exotic ingredients, fantastic people, incredible sights and amazing culinary traditions - dating back to the Ottomans and before. In fact, there are records of cilbir being served to Ottoman sultans in the 15th century. I came back to London and we put these eggs on the menu at The Providores and also at Kopapa (although we dropped the garlic!), and they continue to be one of our biggest-selling dishes. If you haven’t been to Istanbul then you are missing out on one of the great culinary cities in existence."

First published in 2015

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Method

1
Add the yoghurt to a bowl with the garlic and whisk together for 10 seconds to combine. Set aside at room temperature until ready to serve
2
Add the butter to a pan and cook until a pale beurre noisette is achieved. Remove from the heat, add the chilli flakes and swirl the pan gently, allowing the flakes to sizzle. Stir in the remaining oil and the chopped dill, then set aside in a warm place
3
Bring a large pan of water to a rapid simmer, then add the vinegar. Add the eggs and poach to your liking - never add salt to the water when poaching eggs, as this causes them to break up
  • 100ml of white vinegar
  • 8 eggs
4
To serve, divide three quarters of the yoghurt into warmed bowls. Add 2 poached eggs to each bowl, then serve the remaining yoghurt on top of the eggs. Sprinkle dill and parsley over the top, then spoon over the chilli butter. Serve immediately
First published in 2015

Decades on from the halcyon days of The Sugar Club, the 'King of Fusion', Peter Gordon still reigns supreme on the London dining scene.

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