Chakchouka tunisienne

Tunisia's spiced tomato and pepper stew with eggs: the North African original, more pungent and complex than its Israeli descendant shakshuka, fortified with merguez, harissa and preserved lemon: the Tunisian breakfast dish that has been eaten every morning for three centuries

Origin: Tunisia

From the journey of Tomato.

Chakchouka, sometimes spelled shakshouka, chachouka or djaja, is the North African original from which the Israeli shakshuka derives. In Tunisia, where the dish is considered a national institution, it is made differently and more pungently than the versions known in Israel or the West. The Tunisian version incorporates merguez sausages (spiced lamb and beef sausages flavoured with harissa, garlic and cumin), preserved lemon, and a substantially higher quantity of harissa than most recipes specify. The sauce, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, garlic, is cooked until genuinely thick and dark before the eggs are added, and the harissa paste is used generously rather than as a background note. The name is from the Tunisian Arabic/Berber dialect and the debate about etymology (some say it means 'all mixed up', others say it derives from the sound of the vegetables sizzling) is unresolved. What is not disputed is that chakchouka predates the Israeli shakshuka: Tunisian Jews who emigrated to Israel in the mid-20th century brought it with them, and it evolved into the milder, more accessible shakshuka in its Israeli setting. The authentic Tunisian version is significantly more assertive.

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 medium onions, diced
  • 2 medium green peppers, deseeded and diced
  • 1 medium red pepper, deseeded and diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, crushed
  • tbsp harissa paste (generous, this is the Tunisian version)
  • 1 tsp ground caraway
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 0.5 tsp ground coriander
  • 600 g canned chopped tomatoes (or 800g ripe fresh tomatoes, chopped)
  • 0.5 preserved lemon skin only, rinsed and finely diced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar

Protein

  • 4 merguez sausages, sliced into 2cm rounds (optional, omit for vegetarian)

Eggs

  • 6 eggs

Garnish

  • 1 handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped

To serve

  • khobz (Tunisian bread) or baguette to serve

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil in a wide, heavy pan over medium heat. If using merguez, fry the sliced sausages first until browned on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside. In the same oil, add the onions and cook for 8 minutes until softened.
  2. Add the diced peppers and cook a further 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the harissa, caraway, paprika and coriander. Stir and fry the spice paste for 2 minutes until deeply fragrant and darkened.
  3. Add the chopped tomatoes, preserved lemon, salt and sugar. Stir well. Add the browned merguez back to the pan. Bring to a simmer, then cook uncovered over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is very thick and has darkened significantly.
  4. Make wells in the thick sauce and crack the eggs in. Season the eggs with a little salt. Cover the pan tightly and cook over low heat for 6–9 minutes until the whites are set but the yolks are runny.
  5. Scatter with chopped parsley. Bring the pan to the table and serve directly from it with bread for mopping.

Notes

The preserved lemon is the element that marks this as distinctly Tunisian: its salty, fermented, citrusy depth adds a complexity that fresh lemon cannot replicate. If you cannot find preserved lemons, add a strip of fresh lemon zest and an extra pinch of salt, but the flavour will be different.

The Gastrographer

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