Aarti Sequeira’s Shakshuka Is a ‘Comforting, Nourishing Breakfast’
When you’re needing a heartier breakfast or anytime dish, Food Network star Aarti Sequeira’s Shakshuka recipe will hit the spot.
Her aromatic twist on the Middle Eastern classic delivers a savory and satisfying dish that will become a favorite go-to for a lazy Sunday morning or brunch.
Sequeira’s Shakshuka is a ‘comforting’ breakfast
The chef’s breakfast dish, as she writes in her cookbook, Aarti Paarti: An American Kitchen with an Indian Soul, is based on the “Middle Eastern classic.”
It’s “a comforting, nourishing breakfast, and the kind of thing that is perfect for a casual brunch with friends.”
Sequeira recommends serving the dish “with thick slices of toasted country bread (which I like to rub with a clove of garlic).”
Turmeric plays a small but mighty role in the chef’s dish
The dish calls for extra-virgin olive oil, cumin seeds, a small cinnamon stick (or, if you prefer, a “big pinch of ground cinnamon”), sliced yellow onion, sliced fennel bulb with the tough outer leaves removed, sliced red bell pepper that’s been seeded and deveined, red chile flakes (add as much as you like, depending on how spicy you like it), ground turmeric, granulated sugar, diced ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped fresh parsley, large eggs, one block of feta cheese, and crusty bread that’s been sliced thickly and lightly toasted.
Although her recipe just calls for a fraction of a teaspoon of turmeric, it packs a punch in flavor and in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
“Derived from a rhizome that looks much like ginger, turmeric is bright orange when fresh, ochre when dried,” Sequeira explained in her book, adding that it’s important not to judge it by its smell.
“At first sniff, turmeric may crinkle your nose,” she said. “But introduce it to some warm oil, and watch it sing. Turmeric breathes warmth into your dish, along with a gentle snap of mustard and a bit of loaminess reminiscent of the soil through which that little root once spread her limbs.”
Get Aarti Sequeira’s Shakshuka recipe in her cookbook Aarti Paarti: An American Kitchen with an Indian Soul.
The chef’s Shakshuka comes together easily
To make the Aarti Party star’s dish, start with a large, heavy-bottomed skillet on medium heat.
Oil is added, “and when it’s shimmering,” the cumin seeds and cinnamon stick are stirred into the oil. (Sequeira notes that if you’ve opted for the ground cinnamon, it should not be added to the oil.)
Once the mixture is fragrant, the sliced onion and fennel can go in and sauté for “a couple of minutes.” The heat is lowered to medium-low and the mixture is allowed to cook “for 10 minutes more,” to allow the onions to turn “the color of a light summer beer.”
After that, add the bell pepper, red chile flakes, turmeric, sugar, and the ground cinnamon if you’re using it. The tomatoes follow into the skillet, as well as a “handful” of torn fennel fronds. Make sure to salt and pepper to taste then simmer for about 15 minutes “until it is a stew-like consistency.”
Once the mixture is the thickness you like, make four or five “indentations” in the sauce and drop a raw egg into each one. The feta cheese is broken into “coarse chunks” over the mixture (just not on the eggs themselves), and the skillet is then covered for about eight minutes to allow the eggs to set. Enjoy!
