Chef Zohra
Khlea w Bayd (خليع بالبيض)
Eggs slipped into the saffron-gold fat of khlii, the old Fassi preserved meat, until the whites set and the yolks stay soft for bread.
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Tagine d'Œufs Amazigh
Created by
The morning tagine of tomato, sweet pepper, cumin, and eggs added late, so the sauce thickens first and the yolks stay soft enough for warm khobz.
Breakfast & Brunch
Moroccan
Budget Friendly
Quick Meal
Comfort Food
10 min
Active Time
25 min cook•35 min total
Yield4 servings
The eggs go in last. That is the whole lesson here. First you let the tomato and sweet pepper cook down until the sauce sits low and glossy in the tagine, because eggs are impatient. Add them too early and they'll harden while the vegetables are still watery. Add them late and they settle into the sauce like they were invited.
Egg tagines belong strongly to Amazigh home cooking across the Middle Atlas, Souss, and eastern Morocco, where eggs, tomatoes, peppers, cumin, and olive oil make a morning dish without meat. Tomatoes and peppers entered Moroccan kitchens after the Columbian exchange, becoming common from the 18th and 19th centuries through Mediterranean and Atlantic trade. The exact dating of this preparation is not fixed, but its clay-pot method and bread-at-the-center service are older than the vegetables now carrying it.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
eggs
Quantity
4 large
ripe tomatoes
Quantity
3
grated or finely chopped
red or green sweet pepper
Quantity
1
finely diced
onion
Quantity
1 small
finely chopped
garlic cloves
Quantity
2
minced
extra-virgin olive oil
Quantity
3 tbsp
ground cumin
Quantity
1 tsp
sweet paprika
Quantity
1 tsp
turmeric
Quantity
1/4 tsp
ground black pepper
Quantity
1/4 tsp
cayenne or harissa (optional)
Quantity
1 small pinch
sea salt
Quantity
to taste
fresh coriander
Quantity
2 tbsp
chopped
round khobz
Quantity
for serving
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| eggs | 4 large |
| ripe tomatoesgrated or finely chopped | 3 |
| red or green sweet pepperfinely diced | 1 |
| onionfinely chopped | 1 small |
| garlic clovesminced | 2 |
| extra-virgin olive oil | 3 tbsp |
| ground cumin | 1 tsp |
| sweet paprika | 1 tsp |
| turmeric | 1/4 tsp |
| ground black pepper | 1/4 tsp |
| cayenne or harissa (optional) | 1 small pinch |
| sea salt | to taste |
| fresh corianderchopped | 2 tbsp |
| round khobz | for serving |
Equipment Needed
- •26 to 28 cm clay tagine with diffuser, or a heavy lidded skillet
- •Box grater for the tomatoes
Instructions
- 1
Soften the base
Set a clay tagine or heavy skillet over low heat with the olive oil. Add the onion and sweet pepper with a pinch of salt and cook until the onion turns translucent and the pepper relaxes, about 8 minutes. Keep the heat gentle, because a tagine rewards patience before it rewards appetite.
- 2
Wake the spices
Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, turmeric, black pepper, and cayenne or harissa if using. Stir for 30 seconds, just until the cumin smells warm and alive. The scale is in the eyes, la balance est dans les yeux, but don't bury the eggs under spice.
- 3
Cook the tomato
Stir in the grated tomatoes and cook uncovered over low heat for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce thickens and the oil begins to shine at the edges. Drag a spoon through the middle. If the path fills at once, give it more time.
- 4
Add the eggs
Make four small hollows in the sauce and crack one egg into each. Salt the eggs lightly, cover, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, until the whites are just set and the yolks are still soft. This is why the sauce had to reduce first: the eggs should finish before they turn hard.
- 5
Finish and share
Scatter the coriander over the top and bring the tagine to the table while the surface is glossy and the yolks still tremble when the dish is moved. Eat from the vessel with torn khobz, each person reaching in from their side. Une table, c'est une porte qu'on laisse ouverte.
Chef Tips
- •Use tomatoes that smell like tomatoes. If the market gives you pale winter ones, use good canned whole tomatoes instead of pretending.
- •Keep the heat low under clay, and use a diffuser if your stove is strong. A clay tagine dislikes sudden heat.
- •Cumin matters here. Toast whole cumin and grind it if you can, because old powder tastes like dust and no hand can rescue it.
- •Don't crowd the eggs. Four eggs in a medium tagine set cleanly; six eggs need a wider vessel or the whites cook unevenly.
- •Serve it with khobz, not rice. This is sauce for bread and fingers, a breakfast table dish from des cuisines marocaines.
Advance Preparation
- •Chop the onion and pepper the night before and keep them covered in the refrigerator.
- •The tomato-pepper sauce can be cooked up to one day ahead. Rewarm it gently, then add the eggs just before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 240g)
Calories
360 calories
Total Fat
17 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
14 g
Cholesterol
185 mg
Sodium
660 mg
Total Carbohydrates
39 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
6 g
Protein
13 g
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