TUNISIAN OJJA
Tunisian Ojja is a spicy, garlicky, tomato and pepper sauce and eggs breakfast dish. It's often called shakshuka. Ojja Merguez adds spicy harissa-spiked merguez sausages to the mix.
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Tunisian
Servings 4
Calories 376 kcal
- ½ Teaspoon Coriander Seeds
- ½ Teaspoon Caraway Seeds
- ½ Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
- 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion, diced
- 1 Red Bell Pepper, stem and seeds removed and diced
- 5 Cloves Garlic, peeled and minced
- 3 Medium Whole Tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
- 2 Tablespoons Harissa
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cayenne Pepper (more or less to taste)
- 5 Merguez Sausages, precooked, cut into bite size pieces
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 4 EggsChopped Parsley for garnish
Toast the coriander, caraway, and cumin in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Grind the spices in a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
Saute the onion and pepper in olive oil and a pinch of salt in a large skillet over medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent.
Add the garlic and cook a few minutes more until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, harissa, cayenne, and sausages. Bring to a simmer and simmer for a few minutes.
You can either mix the eggs into the sauce or cook them whole on the surface for an attractive presentation. Both methods are used in Tunisia. I prefer leaving them whole with soft yolks. To do so, create four small indentations in the surface of the ojja with a large ladle. Crack an egg into each. Reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. Allow to eggs to cook until whites are set but yolks are still soft. Garnish with parsley.
Calories: 376kcal