This recipe is from the book OTK (Ottolenghi Test Kitchen) Extra Good Things, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Noor Murad, published in 2022. The book is all about “secret culinary weapons — condiments, sauces, dressings, and more — that can make a good meal spectacular. The abundant, vegetable-forward recipes in this collection give you a delicious dish plus that special takeaway — a sauce, a sprinkle, a pickle! — that you can repurpose time and time again in other recipes throughout the week, with limitless opportunity.”

From the authors: “These are fried eggs but with a very eccentric wardrobe, thanks to the turmeric and chilli, which make them as good to eat as they are to look at. You can serve this easy, vibrant breakfast as it is, or alongside the potato rösti, as part of a brunch spread.”

I happen to love eggs, and there are many egg dishes on my blog, but this one intrigued me mostly because I have had tamarind paste in my pantry for years, and have never used it, until now! Tamarind is a tropical fruit from which the paste is made, shown below left.

This would be a fabulous summer breakfast or brunch dish – maybe something to serve on a lazy Sunday morning. If you can find fresh chile peppers, this egg dish would be spectacular any time of year, and any time of day.

Seriously, Ottolenghi and Murad are culinary geniuses. This dish of eggs cooked in turmeric oil, topped with a tamarind dressing, sliced serrano chile peppers and pickled shallots is my new favorite recipe. It’s up there with çilbur, and that’s saying a lot.

Turmeric Fried Eggs with Tamarind Dressing

Eggs:
1 shallot, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
2 teaspoons lime juice
3 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
8 ounces baby spinach
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 large eggs
1 green chilli, finely sliced into rounds, seeds and all
Salt

Tamarind Dressing:
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp light soft brown sugar
Fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Put the shallot, lime juice and a pinch of salt into a small bowl and use your fingers to gently massage everything together. Set aside to pickle lightly while you continue with the rest.

Make the tamarind dressing by putting all the ingredients into a bowl and whisking to combine and dissolve the sugar. Add between 2–4 teaspoons of water, to loosen the mixture (this will vary according to different makes of tamarind paste).

Put 1 tablespoon of oil into a large frying pan over a medium- high heat. Once hot, add the garlic and cook for 90 seconds, stirring, until fragrant and lightly coloured, then stir in the spinach and 1/8 teaspoon of salt and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate and wipe out the pan.

Add the remaining 2 1/2 tablespoons of oil plus the turmeric to the same pan, stirring to combine, and return it to a medium-high heat. Once hot but not smoking, crack in the eggs and quickly sprinkle the whites with the chilli slices. Season the eggs all over with a good pinch of salt and use a spatula to separate the whites so that the eggs are not joined together.

Fry for 3–4 minutes, spooning some of the oil over the whites. You want the whites to be crispy around the edges and the yolk to be runny.

When ready, use a spatula to transfer the eggs to the plate of spinach, drizzling with any extra turmeric oil in the pan. Top with the pickled shallots and then drizzle with some of the tamarind dressing, serving any remaining alongside.

As I mentioned, I absolute adore this egg dish and I hope you try it. I served it with some flatbread.