Turkish-style breakfast recipe

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This fresh, crunchy Turkish style breakfast is the perfect way to kickstart your day thanks to a generous portion of veg.

turkish breakfast
  • Vegetarian
  • healthy
Serves4–6
SkillEasy
Preparation Time15 mins plus chilling
Cooking Time10 mins
Total Time25 mins
Five A DayOne
Cost RangeCheap
Nutrition Per PortionRDA
Calories359 Kcal18%
Sugar6.6 g7%
Fat27.7 g40%
Saturated Fat8.3 g42%
Salt0.58 gRow 4 - Cell 2
Protein17.4 g35%
Carbohydrates7.2 g3%
Salt0.58 gRow 7 - Cell 2

Fresh juicy vegetables in a piquant sauce, with chunks of salty, rubbery halloumi cheese.

Breakfast is a big deal in Turkey. It usually consists of a selection of many different foods which vary depending on what region you are in. At the core though, you can usually expect fresh crunchy vegetables like cucumber and tomato, eggs, cheeses, sometimes cured meats, bread and condiments. This is quite a pared back version which provides plenty for 4-6 people. Feeding lots of people is part of the point though - it's not just about the meal, it's about sharing and talking as well. It makes a great, social weekend brunch.

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 250g halloumi, sliced thickly into 8 pieces
  • 250g yogurt
  • 400g tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 400g cucumber, sliced

For the zhoug:

  • 1 bunch parsley
  • ½ bunch coriander
  • 2 green chillies
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 200ml olive oil
  • Pinch of sugar
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp cardamom

WEIGHT CONVERTER

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Method

  1. To make the zhoug blitz all the ingredients in a food processor until finely chopped, adding water to get the consistency of a loose pesto. Season to taste.
  2. Bring a pan of water to a rolling boil. Add the eggs and cook for 6 mins for soft boiled. Immediately plunge in cool water and peel.
  3. Bring a griddle pan to a high heat. Add the halloumi and fry on each side for 2 mins, until golden and slightly charred.
  4. Swirl the zhoug into the yogurt and spoon onto plates. Top with the tomatoes, cucumber and halloumi.

Top tips for this Turkish-style breakfast

Look for strained, thick yogurt for the most authentic texture and flavour. If you're serving up to a crowd, bulk this up with a selection of breads, spreads and jam and honey, plus some fresh fruit.

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Octavia Lillywhite
Food and Lifestyle Writer

Octavia Lillywhite is an award-winning food and lifestyle journalist with over 15 years of experience. With a passion for creating beautiful, tasty family meals that don’t use hundreds of ingredients or anything you have to source from obscure websites, she’s a champion of local and seasonal foods, using up leftovers and composting, which, she maintains, is probably the most important thing we all can do to protect the environment.