Menemen - Turkish Scrambled Eggs

5 from 4 votes

Menemen or Turkish Scrambled Eggs is a very popular and loved breakfast dish in Turkey made with juicy tomatoes and green peppers.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Breakfast, Main Course

Cuisine: Turkish

Diet: Gluten Free, Halal, Low Lactose, Vegetarian

Servings: portions

Calories: 185kcal

2 tablespoon good quality olive oil (or butter)
4 medium Turkish green peppers (you can also use shishito, Padron, or Chinese long green peppers)
5 medium tomatoes (grated or finely chopped)
1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
¼ teaspoon flaked chilli (optional, you can use red fresh chili too)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4-6 medium eggs (lightly beaten)

Place your sahan pan (a large heavy skillet or pan would work too) on medium heat and add olive oil.
Add the sliced green peppers and sauté for a few minutes, until slightly softened.
Stir in the tomato paste (if using) and cook for a minute before adding the chili, chopped tomatoes, freshly ground black pepper, and salt, stir well.
Cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer on low to medium heat for ten minutes, until the tomatoes are cooked.
Lightly beat the eggs and add them to the tomato sauce.
Cook the eggs gently until they start to set.
When the eggs are just set, use a wooden spoon or a spatula to fold the tomato sauce into the eggs and mix gently.
Remove the pan from the heat while the eggs are cooked halfway as they will continue to cook in the sauce until you serve it.

Menemen is a very simple dish made with only a few ingredients. Use high-quality fresh ingredients if possible.
You can serve these Turkish Scrambled Eggs for breakfast as well as for a light lunch or dinner.
Don't overcook the eggs, remove the pan from the heat when the eggs are still a bit runny. The eggs should be soft, moist, and pillowy, not dry and crumbly!
There is only 185 kcal in one portion of Menemen!
You can prepare this dish a couple of days in advance without adding the eggs. Once the eggs are in the dish, you need to serve menemen right away.
The key to getting the best flavor is to cook the peppers very gently without burning them.
You don't need a huge amount of oil for this egg dish but using good-quality olive oil or butter is essential!