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two bowls of cilbir on a light blue table with two slices of sourdough bread, a spoon and a glass of pinot gris
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5 from 2 votes

Çilbir: Turkish Eggs with Yogurt and Chili Brown Butter

Spice up brunch with Turkish Eggs (Çilbir): poached eggs, garlic-dill yogurt, chili brown butter sauce, a hint of lemon. Sprinkle with za'atar, toast sourdough bread, and enjoy!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: Turkish
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 2
Calories: 280kcal
Author: Ninon Michels

Equipment

  • Microplane Zester
  • Slotted Spoon
  • Saucepan

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt (or any plain thick yogurt- sheep's milk yogurt works very well too)
  • 1 medium clove of garlic grated with a zester or crushed
  • 2 tablespoons fresh dill thinly chopped
  • the zest of half a lemon about 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 free-range eggs
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ¾ teaspoon Aleppo pepper (see substitution tips in this post)
  • za’atar optional, to sprinkle on top before serving
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Start by making the yogurt sauce:

  • In a mixing bowl, add room-temperature Greek yogurt, grated garlic, lemon zest, thinly chopped dill, and salt. Stir until well combined.
  • Set aside at room temperature.

Poach the eggs:

  • Bring a large saucepan of unsalted water to a simmer.
  • Meanwhile, crack the egg into a small cup.
  • When the water is simmering, using the handle of a wooden spoon, stir the water to create a vortex.  Quickly pour the egg in the middle of the vortex.
  • Let the egg cook for 3 minutes without touching it. After 3 minutes, using a skimming ladle, remove the egg from the saucepan and transfer to a plate.
  • Cook the second egg following the same method and set the poached eggs aside.

Make the chili brown butter:

  • In a small saucepan or pan, melt the butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula.
  • As soon as the specks on the bottom of the saucepan have browned, remove from the stoves and transfer to a heatproof bowl.
  • Immediately add the Aleppo pepper to the brown butter, and dynamically stir until well combined.

Plate the çilbir:

  • Divide the yogurt sauce between two shallow bowls and top each with a poached egg.
  • Pour the warm chili butter sauce around and over top of the egg and yogurt. Sprinkle with optional za’atar and fresh dill and serve immediately with a generous slice of toasted sourdough bread.
  • Enjoy with a chilled glass of Pinot Gris!

Notes

  1. The yogurt must be at room temperature. I recommend taking the Greek yogurt out of the fridge 30 minutes before starting to cook.
  2. Grate the garlic. I like using a Microplane zester to grate the garlic. It helps incorporate the garlic nicely with the other ingredients.
  3. The eggs must be at fridge temperature and as fresh as possible.
  4. Do not add salt to the poached eggs cooking water, as there is a risk to prevent the coagulation.
  5. Brown butter burns easily. To make sure that the butter stays deliciously hazelnutty, make sure to transfer it to a heatproof bowl as soon as the specks on the bottom of the saucepan have browned.
  6. 🔥This recipe is already quite spicy, but if you like your Turkish eggs extra-spicy, feel free to add more Aleppo pepper to the brown butter sauce! 
  7. Çilbir is best served immediately while the poached eggs and chili brown butter sauce are still warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 214mg | Sodium: 404mg | Potassium: 235mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1021IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 1mg