Turmeric Fried Eggs With Tamarind and Pickled Shallots Recipe (2024)

Turmeric is a chromophore - it changes color with changing pH. When neutral (like with egg whites and oil) it's bright yellow. When the pH goes higher, it turns a beautiful purply rust red. The turmeric in the oil adjacent to the yolk turns this color because the yolk by itself is alkaline I find that this color change is both beautiful and a great opportunity to teach kids some chemistry :)

Variation. Eggs that are flash-fried in this manner risk being too dry at the edges and too raw at the yolk. A safer method is to lower the heat, add about a tablespoon of liquid (water or white wine) to the eggs and cover the pan. Check at five minutes; you have perfect control over how done you want the yolks to be. Slip the eggs over the spinach. You won’t miss hard-fried version.

Are the eggs cooked in red peppers in the photo?

@Angie: I thought that too at first but I think it’s the egg gone crispy and brown in the tamarind sauce

This is easy and fantastic. The turmeric oil is what turns the edges of the eggs red.

I'm vegetarian, so I frequently have to find workarounds for fish sauce. In this case, I'd either use a similar amount of thin soy sauce or just omit it entirely.

Funny, I was thinking there was a roasted tomato or something red under the eggs, and was perplexed that I couldn't find it in the ingredients. Looking closely, I think the numeric oil turned the edges of the eggs red. I do think that roasted tomatoes would be good in this though...

Pantry staple. Buy it.

Lots of people have this around, including me. In fact, this is one of Ottolenghi's more practical recipes.

Plenty of people have fish sauce as a pantry staple it keeps for a very long time.You could also try soy sauce instead. Not exactly the same, but works in a pinch.

In my head I understand what others have said about turmeric being responsible for that red color, but I've looked at that photo again and again and I still see halved red peppers! Am I going crazy?! Isn't that a stem sticking out to the side there?? Agh! Doesn't help that I just watched Jacques Pepin's video for eggs poblano...

Delicious. The turmeric oil turned the crispy edges of the eggs a gorgeous rust red, just like the photo. The tamarind herb dressing tasted peculiar on its own, but when combined with the egg yolk and the pickled shallots it balanced out wonderfully. There is a lot of dressing and pickled shallot leftover so I’ll probably eat some variation this for breakfast all week

It's definitely a red pepper. Or something else bright red that's not listed in the ingredients. Look at the ingredient list: there's only 1-1/2 TBSP of tamarind concentrate, and tamarind is definitely not bright red (nor do the edge of eggs turn bright red). Also that bright red "shell" for the cooked eggs is absolutely something more solid than a tablespoon of sauce. It's a shame that the photo doesn't match the ingredient list.

Top with the pickled shallots and a spoonful of the tamarind dressing, serving any remaining alongside.

These are terrific- the flavor combinations are divine. The dish is easy to put together, and has that Ottolenghi vibe.

Fantastic recipe. Comes together quickly. I bought Tamil and concentrate from the Indian food section and was initially uncertain if that was the type called for, but it worked perfectly. Wonderful breakfast.

Unique and delicious breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I served it over savory steel oats. Love all of Ottolenghi's recipes.

Yummy - with modifications due to what I had on hand. Didn't have any leafy greens (would have even used asparagus, but didn't have that either), so I just served the eggs atop toast. Used TJ's tamarind sauce instead of concentrate, soy instead of fish sauce, canned green chilies instead of sliced fresh, dried za'atar instead of cilantro. Seasoned eggs with garlic powder in lieu of missing garlicky spinach. Pretty and delicious!

Yum. I always attempt to prepare as recipe has written, but I usually end up changing bc of what I have on hand. I substituted olive for coconut oil, added one shallot to garlic when cooking spinach, and didn’t make the tamarind sauce bc I used an excellent store purchased hot sauce “Assam” with tamarind in it. I accidentally used too much oil in spinach which made it a bit rich. Have leftover pickled shallots for tomorrow when I make it again.

Both tasty and fun! The red edges are definitely from the turmeric oil:-) Looks exactly like picture-impress your kids (maybe without the Serrano).

This dish is the perfect blend of flavor! Astringent,sweet,salty and savory all dance around your taste buds. Thank you!

This was a flavor party in my mouth. We loved it!

this was an all-around beautiful dish, in ease of preparation, presentation and taste. i’ll be enjoying this often. thanks!

For how quick and easy this was, I thought it was marvelous (bonus for being nutritious!). I had everything on hand except the chiles, but have young childen, so I used crushed red pepper instead.

Replaced tamarind with honey and fish sauce with soy sauce, and it was really good! I would keep the hot peppers on the side and let ppl top them individually since the alucínese was uneven and strong. I made it for breakfast, but would work for dinner with rice, a little salad and 2-3 eggs per person per serving. Would make again!

I used only half the dressing and tossed it on the spinach. I also used pickled jalapeños on the egg whites and served the whole bit on a piece of toast.Yummmmmmmmy!

Variation. Eggs that are flash-fried in this manner risk being too dry at the edges and too raw at the yolk. A safer method is to lower the heat, add about a tablespoon of liquid (water or white wine) to the eggs and cover the pan. Check at five minutes; you have perfect control over how done you want the yolks to be.Slip the eggs over the spinach

My eggs came out looking exactly like lobster claws, both in color and texture. It was odd, and not something I would enjoy eating again.

This was outstanding! Perfect… magical even.