Turkish Menemen with Eggs, Roasted Peppers, Tomatoes, Feta Cheese and Sumac

Heat the olive oil in a wide, shallow pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the diced peppers and cook 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they soften and their edges begin to char very slightly. The slight char is not a mistake — it adds depth.

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 3 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped (or 1 can crushed tomatoes, drained slightly)
• 2 long green peppers (or 1 green bell pepper + 1 poblano), diced
• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (pul biber preferred — Turkish chili flakes)
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• For serving:
• 80g (3 oz) crumbled white feta cheese
• 1 tsp ground sumac
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly torn
• Warm crusty bread or simit (Turkish sesame bread ring)
• A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a wide, shallow pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the diced peppers and cook 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they soften and their edges begin to char very slightly. The slight char is not a mistake — it adds depth.
2. Add the red onion and cook another 4 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic, cumin, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Stir for 1 minute until the spices bloom in the oil — the aroma will shift immediately from raw to fragrant.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes. Stir everything together and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have broken down into a thick, jammy sauce. Season well with salt and black pepper. The sauce should taste bold and bright — this is the foundation.
4. Make wells in the tomato mixture and crack one egg into each well. Do not stir. For classic menemen, the eggs are scrambled gently into the sauce — use a spoon to very slowly fold and stir the eggs into the tomato mixture over low heat, creating soft, custardy egg ribbons threaded through the sauce. For a more composed presentation, leave the eggs whole and let them set in the sauce.
5. Remove from heat while the eggs are still slightly underdone — carryover heat will finish them. The eggs should be just set, never rubbery.
6. Scatter the crumbled feta generously over the top — the salty, creamy cheese melts slightly against the hot tomato and egg. Dust with sumac, which adds a tart, berry-like brightness. Finish with fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.
7. Serve directly from the pan at the table with warm bread for scooping. Menemen is the definitive Turkish breakfast — a communal, generous dish eaten slowly with strong black tea. Every family has a variation, and every variation is the correct one.