“Çılbır”, pronounced “tcheulbr”, is the name given to this dish that Turks even eat for breakfast. It is also said that it was the favorite dish of the Ottoman sultans, from the 15th century onwards.e century. Recipe ? Poached eggs served with yogurt and generously drizzled with melted spiced butter. When tasting, the eggs are split so that the yolk flows out and mixes with the buttered yogurt. This results in a thick and fragrant sauce, which can be enjoyed with bread or why not, pita chips, as an aperitif.
We might as well tell you that we can’t wait to add this specialty to our book of world recipes.
How to successfully cook poached eggs?
Delicate stage of the recipe, cooking the eggs deserves our full attention. Especially since if hard-boiled eggs forgive 1 minute of error, this is not the case with poached cooking, which is done almost by the second. Undercooked, it will be impossible to handle the eggs, overcooked, you won’t get the runny yolk promised.
So remember: poaching eggs takes 3 minutes in boiling water. No more no less.
Also, this technique requires cooking the eggs in boiling water (so far so good), but without the shell. And this is where things get tricky, since it is absolutely necessary to prevent the white from disintegrating in the water. For a successful poached egg, you will therefore need to crack the egg into the pan, then roll it on itself. Cook the eggs one by one if that seems easier to you. Once the 3 minutes have passed, rinse them with lukewarm water to stop the cooking, without cooling them completely and keep them until use.
Tip: the fresher the eggs, the less the white will be scattered in the pan. So choose eggs that are fresh or 2 to 3 days old at most. A splash of white vinegar can also help eggs coagulate.
The recipe for poached eggs, Turkish yogurt
Preparation: 20 mins
Cooking time: 8 mins
For 4 people
For the flavored butter
- 1 clove of garlic
- 20g butter
- 1 tbsp. teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp. teaspoon of Espelette pepper
- 2 tbsp. tablespoon of olive oil
- 10 cl of white vinegar
- 4 extra fresh eggs
- 400 g of Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp. teaspoon of salt
- a few sprigs of dill
- a few mint leaves
- 4 slices of toast
Peel and finely slice the garlic clove.
Melt the butter over low heat in a pan and add the minced garlic.
Brown for 5 minutes, then add the smoked paprika and Espelette pepper.
Remove the pan from the heat, add the olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Let cool while cooking the eggs.
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
When the water boils, add the vinegar, stirring to create a swirl. Cook the eggs one by one. Use a spatula so that the egg white surrounds the yolk. Cook for 3 minutes, turning the eggs regularly for even cooking.
Take out the eggs then quickly immerse them in a bowl of lukewarm water.
Mix the yogurt and tbsp. teaspoon of salt, distribute among 4 deep plates. Place the eggs on top. Drizzle with flavored butter and sprinkle with sprigs of dill and chopped mint leaves. Serve with toasted bread.
All that’s left to do is taste !
