No.25 The 100 Most Popular Recipes Ever · October 2026

Shakshuka

Made famous by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Photo: Calliopejen1, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

From Jerusalem, 2012.

North African eggs in spiced tomato and pepper sauce became the world's favorite brunch after Jerusalem; it's one of the most searched egg dishes there is.

Written in our own words and tested in a home kitchen. Get the original in Jerusalem.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp harissa (or 1 tsp chile flakes plus 1 tsp sweet paprika)
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 2 large red bell peppers, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 5 ripe tomatoes, chopped (or one 28-oz can crushed tomatoes)
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 4 large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup (120 g) labneh or thick yogurt, to serve
• Chopped cilantro or parsley, and bread, to serve

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the harissa, tomato paste, peppers, garlic, cumin and salt and cook, stirring, until the peppers are soft, 8 minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes, bring to a gentle simmer and cook 10 to 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick enough that a spoon dragged through leaves a trail. Taste; it should be bold.
3. Make 6 small wells in the sauce. Gently break an egg into four of them and a yolk into the other two.
4. Use a fork to swirl the egg whites a little into the sauce, taking care not to break the yolks.
5. Simmer very gently, covered, 8 to 10 minutes, until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny.
6. Take off the heat, rest a few minutes, then spoon the labneh over and scatter with herbs. Serve from the pan with lots of bread.

Chef's tips

• The sauce can be made 2 days ahead; reheat until bubbling before adding the eggs.
• Crumbled feta is good in place of labneh.

This is Chef Amazing's write-up of the dish, tested for a home kitchen. The original is in Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi: get the book, No. 8 on The 100 Greatest Cookbooks.

← No. 24Tiramisu→ No. 26Hummus with tehina