Çılbır Recipe (Turkish Poached Eggs in Yogurt Sauce)

Soft poached eggs are nestled in creamy, garlicky yogurt, topped with a buttery spiced sauce, and paired with crisp toast for a perfectly balanced breakfast!

What is Çılbır?

Çılbır is a traditional Turkish dish made from poached eggs and chili butter sauce served on a garlicky yogurt base. It’s a wonderfully light and balanced breakfast, full of healthy fats and proteins to keep you full. I prefer to serve it with a warm slice of toast for a complete breakfast!

What You’ll Need

There are three parts to this dish: the poached eggs, the yogurt base, and the spiced butter sauce. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Plain Greek yogurt. Make sure it’s *plain*—vanilla yogurt and raw garlic won’t make a nice pairing.
• Fresh garlic. The amount you add is completely up to you—I know some people are very sensitive to raw garlic, so add as much as you prefer!
• Fresh dill (optional). I like adding fresh dill to my yogurt for a tzatziki-ish taste, but it’s optional.
• Eggs.
• White vinegar (optional). Vinegar is used when poaching the eggs to make the whites set quicker, making a neater poached egg. If you don’t have any, don’t worry! You can omit it.
• Butter or olive oil. Whichever you prefer. Obviously, using butter will yield a more flavorful sauce, but you can opt for olive oil instead.
• Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes.
• Smoked paprika.
• Ground cumin.
• Salt.
• Toast. Çılbır isn’t complete without a plate of warm, toasted bread!

How to Poach Eggs

Ah, poaching—the dreaded method of cooking eggs. I always think of that one scene in Julie & Julia, where Julie and her husband are hovered over the stove after countless failed attempts, holding their successful poached egg over the pot in victory.

When you poach something, you’re really just submerging it in water to cook it. It’s different than boiling or simmering—poaching liquid is the temperature below a simmer, where the water is steaming.

In my opinion, I don’t think poached eggs are that hard—just be sure to keep an eye on them so they’re cooked to your liking. Here’s some of my top tips:

1. Use fresh eggs (or as fresh as you can find). This allows for a better formed egg yolk and egg white.
2. Use a fine mesh sieve to separate egg whites. There are two parts to an egg white: the whites right around the yolk, and the looser, outer whites. By straining the egg, you get rid of the looser whites. This step doesn’t change anything about the poached eggs themselves, but it makes them look prettier; if you don’t strain the egg, you’ll end up with thin wisps of egg whites attached to the main egg, as opposed to a neat circle. I often skip this step, since it’s not necessary.
3. Create a vortex with your spoon. By swirling the poaching water, you create a vortex. Once you drop your egg into the water, this vortex will hold the egg together and allows for a neater poached egg that holds its shape.
4. Test for doneness. To test the eggs, carefully lift one out of the water and poke it in the center. A runny egg will be very soft and squishy to the touch, whereas a jammy egg will be a little firmer (though still soft)—keep in mind that the yolks set up more once they cool.

And that’s it—leave a comment if you decide to give this recipe a try!

Çılbır Recipe (Turkish Poached Eggs in Yogurt Sauce)

Soft poached eggs are nestled in creamy, garlicky yogurt, topped with a buttery spiced sauce, and paired with crisp toast for a perfectly balanced breakfast!

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Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Turkish

Keyword: cilbir, eggs

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 serving

Author: Mae Martin

Ingredients

For the yogurt

• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt full or nonfat is fine
• ½ to 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill optional

For the eggs

• 1-2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar

For the butter sauce

• 1½ tablespoons butter or olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• A pinch of ground cumin
• A pinch of salt
• Toast for serving

Instructions

• Make the yogurt sauce. In a bowl, mix together the Greek yogurt, garlic, and fresh dill (if using), and spoon into a serving dish. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Make the eggs. Fill a small pot with water (enough for an egg to be fully submerged), add the white vinegar, and bring to a boil. In the meantime, crack the eggs over a fine mesh sieve, one at a time, to discard the loose egg whites (this step is optional). Place the eggs into a ramekin or small bowl until ready to cook.
• Once ready, reduce the heat of the water to medium-low; it should be steaming, not boiling during the cooking process. Stir the water with a spoon to create a vortex. Immediately drop one egg in the center of the pot. Repeat this step with the remaining egg and cook to the desired doneness, about 3 minutes for a runny yolk and 5 minutes for a jammy yolk. To check for doneness, gently lift the egg from the water and poke it in the center—you will be able to feel the firmness of the yolk and can cook to your liking.
• Once done, remove the eggs from the pot with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a paper towel to cool. Carefully set the eggs on top of the prepared yogurt.
• Make the butter sauce. Place the butter or olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, until melted. Add in the spices and mix for 1-2 minutes, until warmed and lightly toasted—do not let the spices burn, or they will taste bitter. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately spoon the sauce over the eggs and yogurt.
• Top the cilbir with fresh dill, salt, and pepper, then serve immediately with warm toast.