Shakshuka
Source: The Bombay Chef – Varun Inamdar (Indian-style variation)
Jump to Instructions ↓Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 × 400g tin crushed tomatoes (or 4 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped)
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes (or to taste)
- Salt to taste
To finish
- Fresh parsley or coriander, chopped
- Feta, crumbled (optional)
- Crusty bread or pita to serve
Instructions
Cook
- Heat olive oil in a wide, lidded pan over medium. Add onion and bell pepper; cook until softened, 7–8 minutes.
- Add garlic, cumin, paprika, and chilli flakes. Stir 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add tomatoes. Season with salt. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and darkens — about 10 minutes. It should be thick enough that a spoon dragged through it leaves a trail.
Eggs
- Make 4 shallow wells in the sauce with a spoon. Crack one egg into each well.
- Cover the pan with a lid and cook on medium-low until the whites are just set but the yolks are still runny — 5–7 minutes. Check at 5 minutes; yolks continue to set from residual heat after you remove the lid.
- Season the eggs lightly with salt.
Serve
Scatter parsley or coriander over the top. Add crumbled feta if using. Bring the pan straight to the table — shakshuka doesn't wait well once the eggs are done.
Variations
Indian-style (the source recipe) — Replace cumin, paprika, and chilli flakes with: 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp pav bhaji masala. Use butter instead of olive oil. Add 1 tsp grated ginger with the garlic and add 1–2 green chillies sliced in. Finish with fresh coriander. The result is warmer, spicier, and distinctly Indian in flavour — a different dish that shares the same technique.
Green shakshuka — Replace the tomato base with a blended sauce of spinach, tomatillos (or green tomatoes), and green chillies. Finish with yogurt and coriander instead of feta. Milder and fresher.
With merguez or chorizo — Brown 100g sliced sausage in the pan before the onions. The fat renders out and becomes the cooking oil for the vegetables. Makes it more substantial and adds depth.
Firmer yolks — Leave the lid on for 8–10 minutes instead of 5–7. Or add a splash of water to the sauce before covering to create more steam.
Notes
- Tinned crushed tomatoes are more consistent than fresh for this dish. Fresh tomatoes need longer to break down and vary a lot in acidity.
- The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat it in the pan, then add the eggs fresh — cold sauce will take a couple of minutes longer to set the whites.
- Works as dinner too — add a simple salad alongside.
Added Aug 27, 2026 · Updated Aug 27, 2026