Çilbir: Turkish Eggs in Garlicky Yoghurt with Spicy Paprika Butter Sauce

‍

A simple, satisfying, savoury breakfast with all the good stuff to get you started in the morning! 🍳

‍

Perfectly boiled (or poached) jammy eggs, served over garlicky yoghurt and finished with a delicious spicy and smokey butter sauce. Scoop up the dish with a slice of toasted sourdough and you’re up for success! 

‍

‍

‍

What is Çilbir? 

Turkish Çilbir (pronounced as chil - bir) are perfectly cooked eggs over a bed of thick and garlicky yoghurt, paired with spice-infused butter and often times finished with fresh herbs. All to be eaten with a slice of good toast as your eating vessel. 

‍

More often than not people’s perception of a good breakfast is something sweet like a yoghurt parfait with granola, a bowl of oatmeal, chia pudding or a simple bowl of fruit. Luckily there are also very good savoury options available for those without a sweet tooth! 

‍

This very filling and satisfying breakfast will definitely get you started for the day. 

‍

‍

‍

‍

What do you need for Turkish Eggs?

Greek Yoghurt - Don’t go all ‘low calorie’ here and choose the best full-fat, plain Greek yoghurt option available to you. It honestly makes all the difference! 

‍

Eggs - Pretty obvious from the title if you ask me

‍

Fresh herbs - Honestly you can top it with any herb, parsley, dill, mint, whatever floats your boat. I like to use parsley!

‍

Fresh and dried chilli - To give you a good kickstart (quite literally), spice up your breakfast! 

‍

BUTTER - Who doesn’t love butter? 

‍

Sourdough bread - You could choose whatever bread you prefer, yet a slice of toasted sourdough just hits the spot for me

‍

Lemon zest - Just for that little citrussy zing! 

‍

‍

‍

‍

How to cook soft-boiled jammy eggs

There are a million ways to cook your eggs on the internet, here’s how I do it:

‍

I like to start by adding the eggs (either room temp or straight from the fridge) to a small saucepan and covering them with boiling water. Make sure not to take a pan that’s too big or to add too much water as this will lower the temperature of the water too much. 

‍

Set your timer to 6,5 minutes and prepare a little ice bath. Once boiled, add them directly from the pan into the ice bath and leave them for a good 10 seconds or more. That’s it! Should be easy to peel, with whites all set and the yolk still jammy. 

‍

Do note, that if you have very small eggs you might want to adjust your cooking time. The same goes for very large eggs! 

‍

‍

‍

‍

Tips for making the best Çilbir

Use good quality bread - This will be your eating vessel, so make it tasty!

‍

Eat your dish immediately - Çilbir is not made for leftovers or storing, so make sure to make just enough for a good portion so you can eat it all at once. This recipe will serve for 1 good, very filling breakfast so cut it down if you’re not a heavy morning eater

‍

Add fresh herbs - You can add any herb you like! I prefer and used parsley, but dill and mint would also be very very good

‍

‍

‍

‍

Enjoy loves! xx