[433 kcal] Shakshuka (Poached Eggs in Spicy Tomato Sauce) with Toast

[2024 Jun 02: Updated prices and links.]

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Nutrition Facts

Calories	433 kcal
Total Fat	15.6g
Sodium	1273.1g
Total Carbohydrate	885.g
- Dietary Fiber	12.4g
Protein	33.4g

Ingredients and Price List

Shakshuka

Food	Amount Used	Unit Cost (SGD)	Cost Per Use (SGD)
Whole Peeled Tomato	200g	$1.97	$0.99
Red Capsicum	1/2 a capsicum	$1.60	$0.80
Chicken Egg	2 eggs	$3.20	​$0.64
Onion	About the same amount as red capsicum used	$1.30	Negligible
Olive Oil	Enough to cook onion and capsicum	$10.60	Negligible
Paprika	Enough to cook onion and capsicum when they have softened	$3.50	Negligible
Salt	To taste	$0.81	Negligible
Pepper	To taste	$3.50	Negligible
Italian Herbs	To garnish	$3.50	Negligible
	SUBTOTAL:	$29.98	~$2.43

Toast

Food	Amount Used	Unit Cost (SGD)	Cost Per Use (SGD)
Wholemeal Bread	3 slices	$2.65	$0.57

A few months ago, I went on a trip to Langkawi Island, Malaysia, with a good friend of mine. One of the cafes we visited was Smiling Buffalo Cafe (the in-house cafe of Panji-Panji chalet), and I vividly remembered that the food we had there was delicious. One of the dishes we ordered was "eggs poached in fresh tomato sauce" on the menu. It was the first time I had something like that and, I was pleasantly surprised.

The food we ordered at Smiling Buffalo Cafe Langkawi, including "Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce"

Fast forward to a few months later, I found myself craving that particular dish. After some Google research, I learned that this dish is called "Shakshuka", which is apparently popular in many parts of North Africa and the Middle East. Looking at the bag of Meadows Enriched Wholemeal Bread I bought recently, I thought, why not give it a try?

And it turned out to be really easy! In fact, I know I said I will not post step-by-step instructions here as this is not meant to be a recipe blog, but since it is so simple to make Shakshuka, I shall include some cooking notes here.

How To Make Shakshuka

1. Dice onion and red capsicum.

2. Crack an egg into a bowl each and set aside.

3. Prepare half a can of whole peeled tomato. Separate the tomato pieces from its juice - pour the tomato juice into a bowl and set aside.

4. Heat up the pan on low heat. Drizzle some olive oil after the pan is warm enough.

5. Toss in the diced onion and red capsicum. Stir for a few minutes - until the onion and red capsicum are soft.

6. Add some paprika to the onion and red capsicum and stir them for a few more minutes.

7. Slowly and carefully, add the tomato pieces. Use the spatula to flatten the tomatoes in the pan. Cut the tomatoes into smaller pieces.

8. Add half of the tomato juice to the pan. Stir for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the taste according to your liking and add more tomato juice or water as you deem fit.

9. Use the spatula to make two wells in the tomato sauce in the pan and carefully add an egg into each well. Make sure they do not touch the bottom of the pan and are still immersed in the tomato juice.

10. Turn down the heat (to avoid making hard-boiled eggs), add a splash of hot water to the sauce, and cover the pan with a lid (the water is to help create steam after the pan is covered with a lid).

11. Wait for a few minutes or until the eggs are cooked (and yet they still look runny - always keep an eye on the eggs, avoid making hard-boiled eggs), and remove pan from heat. Garnish with some herbs and serve with toast.

Also, my apologies for the lack of accuracy regarding the cost per use for this dish. It's hard to gauge how much onion, olive oil, paprika, salt, pepper, and herbs I have used, thus it's simply too difficult to estimate the cost of this dish accurately. I admit I am more on the conservative side and only used a very little amount of these ingredients, however, I wouldn't be surprised if this dish only amounts to $5.00. Do give it a try!

Plus, it's tomato and eggs - literally the healthiest combination ever. What's not to like? :)