Turkish Menemen is an amazingly tasty breakfast, lunch or dinner that you can prepare in a matter of minutes. This is a simple dish of scrambled eggs with tomatoes and peppers (and sometimes onions). Simple, quick and oh so yummy one-pan dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
We LOVE egg dishes for breakfast in Turkey! If you want more Turkish food like this menemen, check out our Turkish eggs recipe and spinach eggs recipe too! Nobody can resist dipping crunchy Turkish simit into these dishes!
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What Is Turkish Menemen?
Menemen is a traditional Turkish breakfast dish that is mostly served in a pan. It is a simple one-pan dish with eggs, tomatoes and green peppers.
There is always a discussion in Turkey about whether menemen should contain onions or not. It is a matter of taste. We love them both. You can try and decide for yourself.
This simple egg dish gets its name from a Turkish town called Menemen, which is located in Izmir. It is said that this egg dish was made first by the Cretan Turks who moved to this town.
Although menemen is the star of a well prepared traditional Turkish breakfast, this Turkish scrambled eggs with tomatoes can be served for all meals.
It is a quick lunch or dinner for Turkish people especially during summer months when tomatoes and peppers are in season.
Is Menemen The Same As Shakshuka?
These two dishes are almost the same. They are both breakfast dishes basically made with eggs, tomatoes and peppers.
Shakshuka is from North African cuisine but has become popular in Middle Eastern countries too.
The main difference between menemen and shakshuka is their look. In a traditional menemen recipe, everything is mixed and combined well while the eggs are not mixed with the tomato base in a shakshuka recipe.
That being said, Turkish menemen has a similar version too. You can leave the eggs whole after adding them in the tomatoes and peppers cooking in the pan. It is not as popular as the scrambled egg style though.
Another difference is the additional flavors used. You can add smoked paprika, olives, chorizo and cilantro in shakshuka while these are never seen in its Turkish counterpart.
If you want to enrich your menemen, you can add pul biber (red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper), Turkish style sausages called sujuk or top it with herbs (parsley, mint or green onions but never cilantro) and crumbled white cheese. But these are just personal preference, not included in the original recipe.
Finally, shakshuka might be finished in the oven but menemen is never baked.
About The Ingredients
What makes Turkish scrambled eggs with tomatoes so special is the simplicity behind it. You always have the ingredients below, don’t you? Especially during summer. You can easily make this recipe with these ingredients. BEST breakfast ever!
- Oil: We use olive oil because we love its flavor in all dishes. Butter is also used when making menemen in Turkey. So you can choose whichever you like.
- Green peppers: In Turkey, we use fresh green peppers like Turkish sivri biber or çarliston biber in this recipe. But green bell peppers work fine too. You can even use a combination of sweet red, orange and green peppers. We normally use sweet peppers, but you can use hot peppers if you like.
- Tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes are the best option, especially in summer. Try to use the tastiest tomatoes you can find. It affects the final taste a lot. Peeling the tomatoes or not is up to you. If you can't find fresh tomatoes or are in a hurry, use store-bought tomato sauce.
- Eggs: Organic eggs are the best. There is no strict rule about the number of eggs in this recipe. You can reduce or increase it depending on the number of people who will eat it.
- Spices: We use spices like sweet paprika / chili powder (toz biber), generous amount of black pepper and red pepper flakes (pul biber or aleppo pepper). You can use cumin and oregano too if you like them in your dishes.
- Herbs: We use them for garnish. Although it really doesn’t need one, we always like our menemen with some fresh herbs like parsley, dill, mint, thyme or green onions.
How To Make This Recipe
The recipe is quite straightforward and ready in about 15-20 minutes.
- Heat olive oil in a pan. Sauté chopped peppers in it over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add in chopped tomatoes with all the juices. Season with salt and paprika and cook over medium low heat until tomatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Now bring it to medium-low heat.
- In a bowl, beat the eggs gently. And pour it all over the tomato mixture in the pan. Cook it uncovered stirring gently so that the eggs can spread everywhere.
- It takes no longer than 5 minutes. Don’t overcook. This Turkish scrambled eggs recipe is even better for dipping bread. It even turns into a perfect egg dip with this method.
- Remove from the heat, garnish with red pepper flakes, black pepper and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
- Optionally, drizzle a little olive oil over it right before serving.
Want To Leave The Eggs Whole? Follow the steps below:
- After the tomatoes and peppers are cooked in the pan, use a spoon and make wells for each egg.
- Break eggs into those hollows. Let it simmer uncovered until the egg whites are set and the yolks are still runny for 8-10 minutes.
- Help egg whites cook well by pushing and poking into them gently with a spatula. Alternatively, cover the pan with a lid and let it cook until the whites are set. But remember the yolks will be covered with a thin egg white then.
Our Tips
- If you want to make your menemen recipe with onions, use a small onion in the recipe. Cook chopped onions and green peppers together and then add in tomatoes and follow the remaining steps as they are.
- Use the best tomatoes you can find. If your tomatoes are not red, juicy and tasty enough, you won’t get the desired result. To make it tastier, you can add some tomato paste when cooking peppers.
- After adding eggs, don’t let them cook on their own. Using a spatula or a wooden spoon, make tiny holes to make sure eggs cook evenly. If you prefer the second option of adding eggs, which is leaving them whole, just gently poke the whites and stir gently a few times to make them mix with tomatoes and leave the yolks as they are.
- Don’t overcook. Otherwise, it will dry out and won’t taste as good.
Serving
This Turkish style scrambled eggs with tomatoes and peppers, is often served in the pan. No need for plates! We LOVE dipping bread right into the same pan. Get ready to eat more bread for sure! Breads like bazlama, simit or Ramazan pidesi go really well with it.
When serving it for breakfast, in Turkish food culture, it is a must to serve Turkish tea on the side.
Alternatively, we sometimes serve it with Turkish orzo rice pilaf especially when we are having it for lunch or dinner. Obviously, the best companion for this meal is either a glass of cold ayran, yogurt drink or a bowl of refreshing cacik dip. The BEST meal for hot summer days.
As A Part Of Turkish Breakfast
You might have heard about the world-famous Turkish breakfast, which consists of several appetizer-like foods. Yes we do eat cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, spicy acika spread, jams, butter, honey, pancakes, boreks, all at the same time in the morning. We ALWAYS drink tea at breakfast and a large tea pot is always on the side.
Breakfast is a way of socializing in Turkish culture. We love to organize breakfast occasions on the weekend. Besides lots of tasty savory and sweet appetizers, we always have a version of egg. And this Turkish scrambled eggs, aka menemen is always on top of the list.
FAQs
It is from Turkey but has variations in Greece and Middle Eastern countries.
Although this dish is called melemen some parts of the country, it is probably a pronunciation mistake. The correct name is menemen.
In Turkey, it is a breakfast food that can also be served for lunch or dinner.
Traditional Turkish menemen doesn't have cheese, but some restaurants might be adding it for a richer flavor.
More Turkish Breakfast Recipes
- Pogaca
- Green Olives
- Potato Borek
- Mulberry Jam
- Yumurtali Ekmek (Turkish style Eggy Bread)
More Turkish Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Menemen Recipe (Turkish Tomato Scrambled Eggs)
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 medium green peppers chopped (Turkish peppers or any sweet green pepper)
- 4 large tomatoes about 1 cup, peeled and diced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 4 medium eggs
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon parsley for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat olive oil in a pan.
- Cook chopped peppers in it for 2-3 minutes or until tender.
- Add in tomatoes.
- Season with salt and paprika and cook over medium low heat until tomatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Now reduce the heat a bit.
- In a bowl, beat the eggs gently. And pour it all over the tomato mixture in the pan. Cook it uncovered, stirring with a spatula gently so that the eggs can spread everywhere.
- It takes no longer than 5 minutes. Don’t overcook.
- Remove from the heat, garnish with red pepper flakes, black pepper and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
- Optionally, drizzle a little olive oil over it right before serving.
To Leave The Eggs Whole:
- After the tomatoes and peppers are cooked in the pan, use a spoon and make wells for each egg.
- Break eggs into those hollows. Let it simmer uncovered until the egg whites are set and the yolks are still runny for 8-10 minutes.
- Help egg whites cook well by pushing and poking into them gently with a spatula. Alternatively, cover the pan with a lid and let it cook until the whites are set. But remember the yolks will be covered with a thin egg white then.
Video
NOTES
- There is always a discussion in Turkey about whether menemen should contain onions or not. It is a matter of taste. We love them both. You can try and decide for yourself. So if you want, you can use a small onion in the recipe. Cook chopped onions and green peppers together and then add in tomatoes.
- Use the best tomatoes you can find. If your tomatoes are not red, juicy and tasty enough, you won’t get the desired result. To make it tastier, you can add some tomato paste when cooking peppers.
- After adding eggs, don’t let them cook on their own. Using a spatula or a wooden spoon, stir everything well to make sure eggs cook evenly. If you prefer the second option of adding eggs, which is leaving them whole, just gently poke the whites and stir gently a few times to make them mix with tomatoes and leave the yolks as they are.
- Don’t overcook menemen. Otherwise, it will dry out and won’t taste as good.
NUTRITION
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tim says
This is my first time to look at this kind of cuisine...will look for recipes on your blog as you send them to my e-mail.
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Hi Tim,
Thank you for subscribing to our blog newsletter.
Hope you have a chance to try our recipes. Please let us know what you think!
Ariane Pamay-Ochoa says
These are the best eggs I have ever had!! I used tomatoes, bell peppers and parsley from the garden. The tomatoes peeled themselves! If only my Turkish father were still alive. He would have loved them! Thank you so much. I look forward to making your other recipes.
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Hi Ariane,
So happy to hear this! You are most welcome! Thank you for such a nice comment!
This is an easy recipe with simple ingredients but quite pleasing. We are sure your father would have been proud of you!
Enjoy the recipes and feel free to ask if you have any questions. We are more than happy to help 🙂
Dan says
Anyone else using a sahan for this? I am having trouble with the eggs sticking to the pan...
Still tastes amazing though!
Zerrin & Yusuf says
Hi Dan,
If you are using a copper sahan (pan), it is normal. Although it looks nice and authentic, cleaning sahan is not as quick as a non-stick pan. If you don't want to spend time on washing the pan, just use a non-stick pan. The taste won't be different.
Diana Spatz says
This looks delicious. The pan that it's in is so cute.
Yusuf says
Thank you Diana!
Anna Rayne Levi says
This looks a lot like shakshuka.
My best Anna Levi.
PS I make my shakshuka with potatoes and/or garbanzo, too.
The mint garni looks fabulous.