Çilbir

The Turks love eating a rich and hearty breakfast to start their day.  And like most cultures around the world, a classic Turkish breakfast is incomplete without some form of egg dish.  They have so many of them with the most popular being Menmen.  But today I want to share one Turkish egg recipe that I’m sure you will love, çilbir.

What is Çilbir?

Çilbir, pronounced “chil-bir”, is one of Turkey’s most popular egg dishes.  And there are three good reasons for this.  

1. The dish requires only a few readily available ingredients to make. (Eggs, Yogurt, Garlic, Butter, Paprika)
2. It all comes together in minutes.
3. And most importantly It tastes absolutely delicious. 

So what exactly is it?

Well, the star of çilbir is without a doubt the delicately poached eggs.  But unlike other poached eggs that are served over a piece of toast or smothered with hollandaise sauce.  These eggs are served over a bed of garlicky yogurt sauce and smothered with spicy melted butter. 

I know that sounds like an odd combination of ingredients.

But trust me, when they are combined together it tastes so good.  

How to Poach an Egg

When it comes to poaching eggs there are a lot of different techniques.  And most of them involve simmering each egg individually in a pot of water.  Which, don’t get me wrong, works fine.  But in my opinion isn’t the best.  That’s why for today’s recipe I will be showing you two techniques that are uncommon but have resulted in perfectly poached every time.  

The first is getting rid of a pot for a walled pan.  You can still fill up and boil water in a walled pan, but it has one major advantage over a pot.  Its radius is much larger.  This means you can easily fit and cook 4 eggs in a large pan compared to just 1 or 2 in a regular old pot.  So if you want to save yourself some time just ditch the pot for a walled pan 

The second technique is the method for poaching the eggs, which I like to call “set it and forget it”.  

It starts out just like any other method for poaching eggs.  You first bring your walled pan of water to a boil.  Then you reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in some vinegar.  But here is where the method differs.  Instead of keeping the water at a simmer after you place the eggs in the water, you simply turn off the heat.  And in 5 minutes the residual heat will cook the egg whites while only slightly cooking the yolk leaving it perfectly runny.  I know that sounds too good to be true, but trust me it works every time.

Now of course if you have your own way of poaching eggs that you prefer then feel free to use that instead.  Because as long as you can make poached eggs how you like them, it doesn’t matter how you get the job done.

Tips, Tricks & Suggestions

• You have a couple of options when it comes to the pepper flakes used to infuse the butter.  The most traditional pepper flakes used would be Aleppo a.k.a. Pul biber, And if you can find them great.  However, if you can’t get your hands on Aleppo then regular chili flakes or even gochugaru Korena chili flakes would work.    
• Çilbir is often served with a side of toasted crusty bread to help sop up all of that delicious yogurt, runny egg yolk, and butter.
• If you enjoyed this recipe then check out some of our other egg dishes like Spanish Tortilla, Breakfast Enchiladas, Huevos Pericos, and Quiche Loraine.

Çilbir (Turkish Poached Eggs) Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients

4 eggs

1 Tablespoon of white distilled vinegar

For yogurt sauce:

1 Cup of plain yogurt, room temperature

1 Clove of garlic, grated

½ Teaspoon of salt

¼  Teaspoon of dried mint or dill (optional)

For butter sauce:

4 Tablespoons of butter

½ Teaspoon of red pepper flakes, preferably Aleppo

1 Teaspoon of paprika

Instructions

1. Make the yogurt sauce: Mix together the yogurt, garlic, salt, and min/dill in a medium-sized bowl.  Set this aside so that it stays at room temperature.

2. Make the butter sauce: Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat.  Once the butter starts to bubble add in red pepper flakes along with the paprika and stir them into the melted butter.  Turn off the heat and let the peppers infuse into the butter while you poach eggs.

3. Poach the eggs: Crack each egg into small individual bowls and set aside.  Then fill a wide walled pan ⅔ with water and place over high heat.  Let the water come to a boil, then add the vinegar.  Reduce the heat so that the water is barely at a simmer.  Then gently slip each egg out of their bowls and into the water one at a time.  Take the pot off of the heat and let each egg cook for roughly 4 to 5 minutes in the hot water or until the whites are firm yet the yolk is still runny.  Remove the poached eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate lined with paper towels.

4. Assemble the çilbir by spreading the yogurt sauce on a plate.  Top the yogurt sauce with the poached eggs and drizzle on the butter sauce.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

Print Recipe

Çilbir (Turkish Poached Eggs) Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon of white distilled vinegar

For yogurt sauce:

• 1 Cup of plain yogurt room temperature
• 1 Clove of garlic grated
• ½ Teaspoon of salt
• ¼ Teaspoon of dried mint or dill optional

For butter sauce:

• 4 Tablespoons of butter
• ½ Teaspoon of red pepper flakes preferably Aleppo
• 1 Teaspoon of paprika

Instructions

• Make the yogurt sauce: Mix together the yogurt, garlic, salt, and min/dill in a medium-sized bowl. Set this aside so that it stays at room temperature.
• Make the butter sauce: Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat. Once the butter starts to bubble add in red pepper flakes along with the paprika and stir them into the melted butter. Turn off the heat and let the peppers infuse into the butter while you poach eggs.
• Poach the eggs: Crack each egg into small individual bowls and set aside. Then fill a wide walled pan ⅔ with water and place over high heat. Let the water come to a boil, then add the vinegar. Reduce the heat so that the water is barely at a simmer. Then gently slip each egg out of their bowls and into the water one at a time. Take the pot off of the heat and let each egg cook for roughly 4 to 5 minutes in the hot water or until the whites are firm yet the yolk is still runny. Remove the poached eggs from the water with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate lined with paper towels.
• Assemble the çilbir by spreading the yogurt sauce on a plate. Top the yogurt sauce with the poached eggs and drizzle on the butter sauce. Serve immediately and enjoy!