A popular North-African breakfast dish in Algeria built on sautéed onions, tomatoes and peppers topped with eggs; the name derives from a Berber word for a vegetable ragout.
Sweet softened peppers and onions in a smoky, paprika-rich tomato sauce, punctuated by jammy egg yolks that ooze into the bread. Gentle warmth from cumin and harissa makes it the perfect savory breakfast.
Slow sweating of onions and peppers builds a sweet, jammy base, and poaching the eggs in the simmering sauce gently sets the whites while leaving the yolks runny to enrich the dish.
Variations
With or without merguez sausage; tomato-only or with extra peppers; spice level varied by harissa; some versions whisk the eggs into the sauce instead of poaching whole.
On the Palate
Where Chakchouka Algérienne sits in the Algerian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 3
How it's made
8 steps · 10 min
- 16 min
Heat olive oil and gently sauté sliced onion until soft and translucent.
Watch outSweat the onion low and slow until soft and glassy with no colour — browning here turns the base bitter instead of sweet.
- 25 min
Add sliced green peppers and cook until they soften.
- 32 min
Stir in minced garlic, paprika, cumin and a little harissa.
- 43 min
Add chopped fresh tomatoes (or grated tomato) and a pinch of salt.
- 56 min
Simmer until the sauce thickens and the oil starts to separate.
Watch outSimmer until the sauce mounds on the spoon and oil beads at the edges — that's the jammy base that holds the eggs.
- 61 min
Make wells in the sauce and crack an egg into each.
- 76 min
Cover and cook gently until the whites are set but the yolks stay soft.
Watch outCover and pull it the moment the whites turn opaque but the yolks still jiggle — carryover heat firms them fast.
- 82 min
Scatter with chopped parsley and serve straight from the pan with bread.
