Turkish Cilbir: Quick Poached Eggs in Garlic Yogurt with Chili Butter for Fall Mornings

Stir the yogurt, grated garlic and salt together in a bowl and let it sit on the counter while you cook so it loses its fridge chill. Divide among four shallow bowls.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 8 large eggs, very fresh
• 1 1/2 cups whole-milk Greek yogurt, at room temperature
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar, for the poaching water
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper (pul biber) or 1 teaspoon sweet paprika plus a pinch of chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon dried mint
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or parsley
• Warm crusty bread or toasted sourdough, for serving

Instructions

1. Stir the yogurt, grated garlic and salt together in a bowl and let it sit on the counter while you cook so it loses its fridge chill. Divide among four shallow bowls.
2. Bring a wide saucepan of water to a bare simmer, with small bubbles just breaking the surface, and add the vinegar.
3. Crack each egg into a small cup. Stir the water gently, then slide in the eggs two or three at a time and poach for 3 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks still soft.
4. Lift the eggs out with a slotted spoon, blot briefly on a paper towel, and set two eggs on top of the yogurt in each bowl.
5. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat until it foams and just starts to smell nutty. Take it off the heat and stir in the Aleppo pepper and dried mint; it will turn a deep brick red.
6. Spoon the sizzling chili butter over the eggs and yogurt, scatter with fresh dill, and serve at once with plenty of warm bread for dragging through the yolks.
7. Make it faster on busy mornings: mix the garlic yogurt the night before and keep it covered in the fridge, then pull it out when you start the water. Poached eggs can also be made ahead, chilled in ice water, and rewarmed for 60 seconds in hot water.
8. Cilbir has been eaten in Turkey since at least the Ottoman palace kitchens of the 15th century, where it appeared in the court's recipe records. The contrast of cool, tangy garlic yogurt, runny yolk and hot, red pepper butter is the whole point, and it remains a favorite weekend and cafe breakfast across Istanbul and the Aegean coast.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 340 kcal
• Protein: 20g
• Fat: 25g
• Carbohydrates: 7g
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 5g
• Sodium: 420mg