Egg sambal ‘shakshuka’

Name: Egg sambal ‘shakshuka’
Cuisine: Asian, Indian
Ingredients: 1½ tsp fennel seeds; 2 whole cloves; 2 cardamom pods' seeds; ½ tsp ground cinnamon; 1½ tbsp medium curry powder; 60ml olive oil; ½ tsp black mustard seeds; 20 curry leaves; 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced (160g); 10g ginger, peeled and finely grated; 5 garlic cloves, crushed; 10g coriander, stalks finely chopped and leaves to serve; 150g datterini (or cherry) tomatoes; 2 tsp sambal oelek; 1 x 400g tin of crushed tomatoes; 100ml Thai tamarind concentrate; 300ml water; 15g palm (or light soft brown) sugar; 5 eggs; salt and black pepper

Instructions

Growing up in Malaysia, nasi lemak was something Helen ate a lot of. Wrapped in banana leaves and day-old newspaper, the little packs of coconut rice, spicy sambal, egg and cucumber are sold on nearly every street corner. While this recipe is very much not nasi lemak, it is nevertheless inspired by it. The egg and tomato sauce mingling in the pan reminds us, at the same time, of the Middle Eastern shakshuka which Yotam grew up eating. Serve with rice, flatbread or any bread you like. Getting ahead: This can be made in advance, up to the point just before the eggs are cracked into the sambal. The sambal lasts well in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Updated at: Wed, 19 Mar 2025 07:28:22 GMT