Menemen recipe: Turkish eggs with tomatoes and peppers
Menemen is Turkish scrambled eggs, but that does not quite do it justice. Green peppers are softened in olive oil, ripe tomatoes are cooked down until jammy, and eggs are stirred through at the last minute so they stay soft and loose. It comes to the table in the pan it was cooked in, and everyone tears off bread and dips in. It is the hot centrepiece of a Turkish breakfast and one of the quickest good things you can cook.
The dish takes its name from Menemen, a small town in İzmir Province on the Aegean coast, according to the Wikipedia entry on menemen. The technique is simple, but the details matter: ripe tomatoes, patience while they reduce, and eggs taken off the heat before they set firm.
What is menemen?
Menemen is made with eggs, tomatoes and green peppers, seasoned with salt, black pepper and red chilli, cooked in olive oil or butter. It is traditionally made in a sahan, a small two-handled pan, and served with fresh bread and the rest of a breakfast spread: cheeses, olives, cucumber, tomatoes, honey and tea. Turkey’s tourism board lists it among the Turkish breakfast dishes to try.
The onion question
Whether onion belongs in menemen is a genuine national argument. In 2018 the food critic Vedat Milor ran a Twitter poll that drew more than 437,000 votes, and the pro-onion side won with just 50.6%, which settled nothing. As a rule of thumb, breakfast menemen tends to skip the onion, and menemen served as a lunch or supper dish often includes it. This recipe makes it optional.
Popular variations
Sucuklu menemen adds slices of spicy beef sausage, fried first so the fat flavours the pan. Kaşarlı menemen has melted kaşar cheese folded in at the end. You will also see versions with mushrooms, pastırma (cured beef) or a handful of fresh herbs.
Ingredients
Serves 2 generously, or 4 as part of a breakfast spread.
For the menemen
- 2 tbsp olive oil, or 1 tbsp olive oil and 15g butter
- 3 long green Turkish peppers (sivri or çarliston, about 120g), or 1 green pepper, sliced
- 1 small onion (about 80g), finely chopped (optional)
- 4 ripe tomatoes (about 450g), peeled and chopped, or grated
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pul biber (Turkish chilli flakes)
- 4 large eggs
- Black pepper, to taste
To serve
- A small handful of parsley, chopped
- 40g beyaz peynir (white cheese) or feta, crumbled (optional)
- Crusty bread or simit, to serve
How to make menemen
1. Peel the tomatoes
Score a cross in the base of each tomato, cover with boiling water for 1 minute, then drain and slip off the skins. Chop finely. Alternatively, halve the tomatoes and grate the cut side on a box grater, discarding the skin.
2. Soften the peppers
Heat the oil (and butter, if using) in a 20–24cm frying pan or a two-handled sahan over a medium heat. Add the peppers, and the onion if you are using it, and cook for 5–6 minutes until soft but not coloured.
3. Cook down the tomatoes
Add the tomatoes, salt and pul biber. Cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring now and then, until most of the liquid has gone and the mixture is thick and glossy. This is the step that makes or breaks menemen.
4. Add the eggs
Lower the heat. Crack the eggs straight into the pan. Leave for 30 seconds, then stir gently with a wooden spoon in wide strokes, folding the egg through the tomatoes, for 2–3 minutes. Take the pan off the heat while the eggs are still soft and slightly runny; they will carry on cooking.
5. Serve
Grind over black pepper, scatter with parsley and the cheese if using, and take the pan straight to the table with plenty of bread for dipping.
Watch: how to make menemen
This video shows how far to cook down the tomatoes and how loose to leave the eggs.
Tips for the best menemen
- Use the ripest tomatoes you can find. In winter, a good tin of chopped tomatoes works better than pale fresh ones; cook it down a little longer.
- Reduce the tomatoes properly. Watery menemen is the most common mistake, so wait until the sauce is thick before adding the eggs.
- Do not over-stir. A few gentle folds give you soft ribbons of egg rather than a uniform scramble.
- Take it off the heat early. The eggs keep cooking in the hot pan on the way to the table. If you are cooking for anyone pregnant, elderly or very young, use British Lion eggs or cook the eggs until set.
- For sucuklu menemen, fry 80g sliced sucuk for 2 minutes before adding the peppers.
What to serve with menemen
Menemen is happiest as part of a full Turkish breakfast. Serve it with a plate of crisp sigara böreği (cheese pastry rolls), cheeses, olives and sliced cucumber, and finish with a small cup of Turkish coffee. If you are cooking eggs for a crowd, make çılbır (poached eggs on garlic yoghurt) alongside for a contrast of cool and hot.
Where to eat menemen in London
Almost every Turkish café and breakfast spot in London serves menemen, often in the sahan it was cooked in. Browse our Turkish breakfast listings, or read our guides to Turkish breakfast in London and Turkish brunch.
- Grand Bazaar – Turkish ocakbaşı & grill in Edgware Road & Marylebone
- Demezka Cafe – Turkish breakfast in Edmonton
- Gökyüzü Park Royal – Turkish ocakbaşı & grill in Ealing
- Gallipoli – Turkish meze & fine dining in Islington & Angel
- Çeşme Bazlama Kahvaltı Chingford – Turkish breakfast in Chingford
- Irmak Restaurant – Turkish ocakbaşı & grill in Enfield
See all 50 Turkish Breakfast places in London
Menemen FAQs
Is menemen the same as shakshuka?
They are similar but not the same. In shakshuka the eggs are usually poached whole in a spiced tomato sauce; in menemen they are stirred through, so the result is closer to soft scrambled eggs, and the seasoning is simpler.
Should menemen have onions?
It is up to you. Many cooks leave them out for breakfast and add them when serving menemen as a main dish. If you include them, cook them with the peppers until soft.
What peppers are best for menemen?
Long, thin-skinned Turkish green peppers (sivri or çarliston) are traditional and sold in Turkish grocers. A green bell pepper with a pinch of extra chilli is a good substitute.
Can I make menemen ahead?
Cook the pepper and tomato base up to 2 days ahead and keep it in the fridge. Reheat until bubbling, then add the eggs just before serving.
Photo: E4024, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
