Shakshouka with a Bong twist

Some of you have been asking me as to what dish did I prepare for K next, since my last post. Well, first let me tell you that last Saturday K outdid himself by requesting that I prepare 'Shakshouka' for breakfast the next morning while we were having lunch. (For those who haven't read my post "Break your Fast with Bread and Lentil Salad --- this request or query from K about breakfast generally comes during dinnertime).

Being a bong, while K loves his rice meals, he also loves trying out other dishes. And I love to surprise him with new dishes, every once in a while, just to see him salivating over the food. And that's how I came across the dish 'Shakshouka' while searching for breakfast recipes.

Shakshouka is a Maghrebi dish that can be had for any meal of the day. The word shakshouka is Maghrebi Arabic for "a mixture". It is actually a mixture of tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, garlic, and eggs in olive oil. This dish is presently quite popular in the Middle East and one can find different variations of it in Palestine, Israel, Egypt, and many other places.

Like most Bongs, mustard oil is my go-to oil for major dish preparations. So this was no different. i prepared the shakshouka in mustard oil as I do not store olive oil in my kitchen as I rarely make continental dishes. And also olive oil is not a healthy choice for high-smoke Indian cooking

**Shakshouka in mustard oil**

Quantity for two --

1 large-sized onion finely chopped

1 medium-sized bell pepper cut into small pieces

2 green chillies finely chopped

2 medium-sized tomatoes finely chopped

1 tablespoon of tomato sauce

2 Garlic cloves finely chopped

3/4 large eggs

Red chilli powder (optional) -- I haven't used any

Cumin seeds for tempering

Cumin powder

Black pepper powder

Mustard oil

Salt as per taste

Sliced Bread as per your requirement. I had taken 4 here.

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Heat 2 teaspoons of mustard oil in a skillet and add cumin seeds for tempering ('Jeere phoron' as we commonly say in Bengali). Add the chopped onions, bell pepper, and garlic. Add cumin powder, salt, and black pepper powder and stir occasionally until the mix is tender and a beautiful aroma is coming out of it.

Now add the chopped tomatoes and tomato sauce and mix thoroughly. You may add a little water and cover the skillet. Cook until the tomatoes are soft and they look slightly saucy.

Now crack the eggs over the saucy mix while the burner is in low heat and allow the eggs to cook briefly depending on how you want your eggs (a bit runny or hard). Sprinkle some more black pepper powder and salt over the eggs. Be careful with the salt and pepper if you are adding it twice as I've mentioned.

And the Shakshouka is ready to be served.

Separately prepare the crunchy bread toast by heating the bread.

And the Shakshouka with bread is ready to be served for breakfast.

Bon Apetit...

References:

1. Shakshouka background - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakshouka

2. Recipes:

   1. https://www.themediterraneandish.com/shakshuka-recipe/

   2. https://downshiftology.com/recipes/shakshuka/