Turkish poached eggs (also known as çilbir) is a delicious meal. Made with a spicy sauce, fresh herbs, it is such an easy recipe. Make this breakfast (or lunch or dinner) today!
In North America, we tend to associate eggs recipes with breakfast and we forget about the rest of the day. Which is shameful because eggs make the perfect meal at any time of the day. For this Turkish poached eggs recipe (also known as çilbir), you will have to poach the eggs but I will walk you through it. I promise I will gently walk you through this process. Let’s dive in and make this fresh and delicious recipe that is not just reserved for breakfast.
FAQ
How do you poach the eggs?
To poach eggs, you will need the following:
- a pot
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- ramekin (or a small bowl)
- fine mesh sieve
- You do not require a slotted spoon
Poaching eggs is really simple. Let’s walk through this.
- Fill your pot up with water and bring it to a boil. Once the water is boiled, add the tablespoon of vinegar.
- Crack your egg over a fine mesh sieve. Eggs have water in them and by doing this, you eliminate the water which gives the poached eggs a much nicer finish. Let it sit in the sieve for 1-2 minutes. Then transfer to a ramekin.
- Take a spoon and stir the pot of water until a whirlpool forms. Stop stirring (the water will still be moving), gently slide the egg into the middle of the whirlpool into the simmering water. The cook time for the egg is 3 minutes. 3 minutes gets you the perfect poached eggs. If you go under the 3 minutes it will be undercooked and that is not healthy and if you go over the 3 minutes, the yolk will be hard and not what you want.
- Gently lift the egg out of the simmering water and gently place on your food or on a paper towel while you cook the rest of your meal.
Can I make any substitutions for this Turkish poached eggs recipe?
This recipe has dairy in it due to the yogurt mixture. If you are dairy free, you can try to use a dairy free yogurt. However, make sure that the yogurt you do use is thick and not thin.
If you cannot find Greek yogurt for your yogurt mixture, you can use labneh which is a similar yogurt but also similar(ish) to sour cream.
Traditionally, they use aleppo pepper but I know aleppo pepper can be hard to find in all grocery stores. If you cannot find aleppo pepper then you can use crushed red pepper flakes.
What is the difference between Turkish and Greek yogurt?
There is not much of a difference. They are strained slightly differently but they are thicker yogurt than the North American variety. If you google “the origin of yogurt”, the dish is thought to have originated in Mesopotamia but the yogurt that we now know is Turkish, as is the word yogurt itself. However, as there are long-standing rivalries regarding food and traditions between differing countries in the Mediterranean, there are conflicting narratives.
What do you need to make this Turkish poached eggs recipe?
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (made with whole milk, at room temperature)
- 1 Clove Garlic (you can use 2-3 if you’d like, finely minced)
- 2 Large Eggs
- 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or unsalted butter)
- 1 tablespoon Vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Aleppo Pepper (or Crushed Red Pepper Flakes)
- Fresh Dill (for garnish)
- Chopped Mint (for garnish)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
- Toasted Bread (optional)
- Sea Salt (to taste)
How do you make Turkish poached eggs?
- First and foremost, make sure that the yogurt is room temperature. So, if you plan to make this, take your yogurt out of the fridge at least an hour before you make the yogurt mixture.
- To make the yogurt mixture, take the room temperature Greek yogurt and stir with the minced garlic and salt. Take the dish and set aside. Once it it set aside, make the poached eggs.
- To poach the eggs:
- Fill your pot up with water and bring it to a boil. Once the water is boiled, add the tablespoon of vinegar.
- Crack your egg over a fine mesh sieve. Eggs have water in them and by doing this, you eliminate the water which gives the poached eggs a much nicer finish. Let it sit in the sieve for 1-2 minutes. Then transfer to a ramekin.
- Take a spoon and stir the pot of water until a whirlpool forms. Stop stirring (the water will still be moving), slide the egg into the middle of the whirlpool into the simmering water. The cook time for the egg is 3 minutes.
- Gently lift the egg out of the simmering water and gently place on your food or on a paper towel while you cook the rest of your meal.
- While the eggs are cooking, make your sauce to cover the eggs. In a medium saucepan, melt your butter or heat the extra virgin olive oil on a medium heat and place the pepper flakes or aleppo pepper into the pot. Make sure it does not get too hot, you do not want to burn the spice.
- Once the eggs are poached, place the poached eggs on the yogurt and cover with spiced sauce. Top with the chopped dill and mint. Serve immediately. Voila! Your Turkish poached eggs recipe is complete.
*The prep time for this meal is little but as stated above, the yogurt needs to be room temperature, so take that into consideration.
*If you are serving with toasted bread then add it on the plate as you place the poached egg on the yogurt. It looks so nice on the side!
Looking for similar recipes?
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Eggs and Polenta
Summer Quiche
Fried Egg with Rice
Çilbir: Turkish poached eggs
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt made with whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 Clove Garlic you can use 2-3 if you'd like, finely minced
- 2 Large Eggs
- 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil or unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon Vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Aleppo Pepper or Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Fresh Dill for garnish
- Chopped Mint for garnish
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice optional
- Toasted Bread optional
- Sea Salt to taste
Instructions
- First and foremost, make sure that the yogurt is room temperature. So, if you plan to make this, take your yogurt out of the fridge at least an hour before you make the yogurt mixture.
- To make the yogurt mixture, take the room temperature Greek yogurt and stir with the minced garlic and salt. Take the dish and set aside. Once it it set aside, make the poached eggs.
To poach the eggs:
- Fill your pot up with water and bring it to a boil. Once the water is boiled, add the tablespoon of vinegar.
- Crack your egg over a fine mesh sieve. Eggs have water in them and by doing this, you eliminate the water which gives the poached eggs a much nicer finish. Let it sit in the sieve for 1-2 minutes. Then transfer to a ramekin.
- Take a spoon and stir the pot of water until a whirlpool forms. Stop stirring (the water will still be moving), slide the egg into the middle of the whirlpool into the simmering water. The cook time for the egg is 3 minutes.
- Gently lift the egg out of the simmering water and gently place on your food or on a paper towel while you cook the rest of your meal.
- While the eggs are cooking, make your sauce to cover the eggs. In a medium saucepan, melt your butter or heat the extra virgin olive oil on a medium heat and place the pepper flakes or aleppo pepper into the pot. Make sure it does not get too hot, you do not want to burn the spice.
- Once the eggs are poached, place the poached eggs on the yogurt and cover with spiced sauce. Top with the chopped dill and mint. Serve immediately. Voila! Your Turkish poached eggs recipe is complete.
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