Poached eggs with garlic yoghurt and spiced butter
Serves: 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes
The combination of warm spiced butter and cool yoghurt with softly poached eggs is indulgent, comforting, and utterly delicious — especially when served with crunchy, buttered sourdough toast. This recipe is a hybrid of two beloved versions: Peter Gordon’s Turkish Eggs and the Çilbir Eggs from Honey Bones Café in Grey Lynn. The nutty aroma of browned butter and the tang of yoghurt make this a breakfast to remember.
Ingredients
Garlic yoghurt: 250g (1 cup) plain yoghurt, at room temperature; ½ lemon, juiced; 2 small garlic cloves, peeled and crushed.
Spiced butter: 50g butter; 2 tsp sumac; 2 tsp Aleppo chilli; 2 tsp Zingy Za’atar (see page 35).
Eggs: 8 eggs; 1 tbsp white vinegar.
To serve: 1–2 slices toasted sourdough per person; chopped flat-leaf parsley or dill fronds.
Method
Bring a large pot of water to the boil for poaching the eggs. In a small bowl, mix the yoghurt, lemon juice, and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and set aside. Heat the butter in a small pan over medium heat. When it starts to foam, add the sumac, Aleppo chilli, and za’atar. Swirl the pan gently for about 30 seconds, then remove from the heat and set aside. Divide the yoghurt among four warmed small bowls. Add the vinegar to the boiling water, then carefully lower in the eggs. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for around four minutes, or until the whites are set and the yolks remain soft. Place two drained eggs into each bowl. Give the spiced butter a good stir, then spoon it over the eggs. Scatter with herbs and serve immediately with toasted sourdough on the side.
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Fatimas has been serving bold, fresh flavour to Aucklanders since 1995–now, with more than 100 recipes, you can bring a little of that magic into your own kitchen. This book is packed with the dishes and techniques that have kept our kitchen humming for 30 years.
