I feel very awkward with my self appointed role as some Shakshuka expert. It really is the equivalent of Chili or even a grilled cheese sandwich for Israelis. Everyone has some version and tricks but the principle is the same.
Can’t say I’ve seen any recipe in English that I like, so it’s better to just get the basic.
You need:
Oil. I use olive oil. Traditional places that serve Shakshuka do not use olive oil. Generous amount.
Garlic. Fresh garlic. I insist. It’s probably the only thing I’ll insist on. Don’t use any prechopped stuff.
Tomatoes. You can use fresh ones. You can peel them. It’s a debate. I use whole canned tomatoes, preferably Italian. Traditional places use a mixture of fresh tomatoes and tomato paste.
Heat. I use whatever fresh chilies I have. I love the taste of fresh chili over other methods of heat. Harissa or other North African chili pastes are a good alternative or addition. Traditional places use a lot of cayenne pepper and dried chili flakes.
Spices. This is where it becomes a personal dish and why everyone is sure their version is the best. I use Cumin, Smoked Paprika, Hot Paprika as the base, but I will add stuff according to what I have. Turmeric or ground Caraway are options. S/P, sugar if you like.
Eggs. One key thing that I don’t see many do in non-Israeli recipe is mixing the egg whites with the sauce. To me it’s key. This dish is about the yolks.
That’s the basic stuff. If you put all of these together, you’ll have a great shakshuka.
From here on you can add literally whatever you want.
Onions/Bell Peppers. They are in a ton of recipes, both Israelis and not. I personally don’t feel the need to add any, but obviously that’s a personal preference.
Meat. I mentioned this before, but spicy sausage is the best meat product to add to this. Fry them with the garlic and chili.
Feta Cheese. It kinda became standard in recipes I’ve seen in English, but it’s def not a standard addition.
Herbs. Cilantro/Parsley are the best if you went heavy on North African spices. Basil works well if you kept it more Italian. Preserved lemons are a trendy addition too (not a herb but i bundled those together).
Tahini. It might be weird to serve a paste with a dish that is somewhat of a paste to begin with, but we eat Tahini with everything.
Last part - Bread. Shakshuka is meant to be eaten with bread.
Do not use toasted bread. The idea is to soak the sauce and the yolk. No crunch is needed here.
There really isn’t much in terms of recipe. Like NBZ said, the whole idea is to poach eggs in something other than water. Play with it however you like. Just make a sauce you like and break some eggs in it. I’ve seen spinach shakshuka, eggplant shakshuka, white shakshuka. It all work if you like the combinations. Just don’t overcook the eggs.
Nice, I just bought some harissa on a whim but I will be using it in my weekend shakshuka. What type of oil do places typically use? I would think olive is ideal although I also have some toasted sunflower oil. Also I promise to use fresh garlic even though I hate dealing with it.
Yeah sunflowers oil is common. I don’t think it’s culinary choice but more of what was common and affordable. They will also use more oil than anyone possible needs so olive oil would make it expensive
I had a talk about this the other day while discussing Hot Ones. We don’t really have hot sauces in Israel. We have hot pastes. Harissa, Filfel Chuma, Zhug are all variation on the same thing. So use it wherever you want heat and feel the cumin/corriander seeds type of seasoning works for you. To me its the same as a non adventurous hot sauce
Inside the jar you can see how high it rose after feeding last time, 3+ times volume. The faster the rise, the better the dough retains tension and holds it’s shape.
Make shakshouka again and this time it was really, really good. But, it’s a ton of food if you make a whole batch. I ate half and put the rest in the fridge for tomorrow. Don’t really know how to reheat it without overcooking the eggs.
Yeah, that’s what my family always did. They aren’t horrible but not as good as a rack of smoked ribs. I suppose I could turn them into pulled pork sandwiches with my ripper teeth things.
