Turkish egg or Çılbır, pronounced as ‘chill-burr’, is a beloved traditional Turkish food. Often made during breakfast, this high-protein meal is also enjoyed during lunch, dinner, or supper alongside fresh salads and Turkish sesame bread.
Make Çılbır / Turkish egg with me!
This meal is an ideal representation of me and my husband. My husband is from the Middle East, his mother is Turkish-Iranian, and he eats yogurt as his staple food. And me? I just could not live without spicy food, especially the combination of chili and oil. It reminds me of dumpling sauce.
Since we grow up with different types of foods, our choice of comfort food is very different. I only started to love Greek yogurt since we know each other. The kind of yogurt I grew up with comes in small tubes with sweet and fruity flavors. With me being a sweet tooth, I used to see yogurt as a dessert.
On the other hand, my husband was not into spicy food until we married.
Through our mixed marriage, we now enjoy spicy and sour foods. And this is, so far, our favorite light egg recipe.
Why you will love this Turkish egg – Çılbır?
- This creamy Turkish egg has got the perfect amount of sour, salty, garlicky and slightly spicy to wake anyone’s taste buds.
- It takes 10 minutes to make it with minimal ingredients.
- It is healthy, satisfying, and keeps you full for a long time.
- It makes a perfect savory dip with any choice of bread. (Mine is Multiseeds sourdough)
Ingredients to make Turkish egg
This Çılbır recipe is less fatty compared to the classic Turkish recipe. I substitute the butter with a healthy choice of fat – extra virgin olive oil. The one with butter is great too, but this one is lighter to digest with good quality olive oil . Also it helps maintain a good balance between animal and plant-based products in your diet.
The second ingredient I substitute from the classic recipe is chili flakes. The classic Turkish recipe calls for Aleppo pepper, also known as Halaby pepper.
What is Aleppo peppers?
Commonly used to enhance flavor in some of Middle Eastern countries, Aleppo pepper’s name is taken after a city in Syria, ‘Aleppo’. These dark burgundy pepper flakes came from Halaby pepper, which resembles a marriage of chili and capsicum. Spicy as it looks, this pepper gives a fruity flavor similar to sun-dried tomato with a hint of cumin. It is less spicy than the typical chili flakes.
The downside of Aleppo pepper is being not easily accessible. You can check in the Middle Eastern market in your area, but that still does not guarantee they have it.
In this recipe, chili flakes / chili coarse / crushed chili flakes works wonder and you can easily find it in any supermarket. However, it may be spicier than with Aleppo pepper.
Other alternatives to Aleppo peppers & chili flakes
- Cayenne pepper
- Korean peper flakes / Gochugaru
- Spanish dried poblano pepper / Ancho chile
Although my husband enjoys a bit of kick in his food, he has a low tolerance for spicy foods. But he has approved this level of spiciness.
How to make this Turkish egg – Çılbır ?
i. Whisk together, Greek yogurt, chopped herbs, salt and garlic in a bowl.
ii. Make the poached egg.
How to make a perfect poached eggs?
- Crack the egg into a small bowl. Make sure your egg is fresh. To know if it’s fresh do a floating test. (Check my video)
- Strain the egg through a sieve or a strainer to remove the water part of white egg.
- When the watery egg white stop dripping, transfer it back to the bow.
- Bring water to simmer in a pot or pan under medium heat. Once the water makes small bubbles, swirl the water with spatula.
- Slowly drop the egg into the center of the pan while the water swirling.
- Leave it for 2 and half minutes under low heat. Feel free to adjust the timing according to how you like your egg to be.
- Fish the egg with a ladle, try to drain the egg.
- Transfer to a plate.
iii. Prepare the sauce buy heating the oil in a pan under low heat, add the chili flakes and stir for 5 seconds. Turn off the heat and set it aside.
iv. Assemble them together in a serving dish, starting with the yogurt, followed by poached eggs and drizzle the chilli oil on top. Garnish with dills.
Turkish Egg – Çılbır
Course: Breakfast2
pax5
minutes5
minutes10
minutes5
starsIngredients
3-4 eggs
1 & 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1/5 tbsp of dried chili flakes coarse
7g of fresh dills – roughly chopped
5g of mint leaves – roughly chopped
Directions
- Whisk together Greek yogurt, grated garlic, salt, chopped fresh dills, and mint leaves. Scoop them into a serving dish and set them aside. (Leave a 1/4 of salt for later)
- Crack one egg into a small bowl, and strain the watery part of the white egg with a strainer. Once it stops dripping, transfer it back to the bowl.
- Heat the water in a pot until simmer. Stir the water in the pot in a circular motion, making a vortex in the middle of the pan with a spoon. Slowly pour the egg into the center of the pan. Simmer for two and a half minutes under medium heat.
- Turn off the heat, fish the egg using a ladle with holes, and transfer it to a plate.
- Repeat the steps for the rest of the eggs. (See picture below for reference)
- In a small pan, heat olive oil under medium-low heat and add the chili coarse to the oil. Stir them for 5 sec, turn off the heat and move the pan from the stove. The chili will bubble and should not be dark brown and lumpy.
- In a serving plate, scoop the yogurt, top it with the poached eggs and drizzle the chili oil on top. Garnish with dills and serve immediately.
Recipe Video
🥣 Did you try this recipe? Let me know your thoughts in the comment below.
