Cracking the perfect ‘Israeli’ breakfast
I F T E E N Y E A R S ago people could barely pronounce shakshuka,” laughs Eytan Grunberg, owner of Hendon’s S u n n y h i l l P a r k Café.
Now you c a n find the dish — eggs poached in a rich and often spicy stew of tomatoes, peppers and onions — on café and restaurant menus across London. With Middle Eastern food newly fashionable, shakshuka fits right in.
It might be Israel’s favourite breakfast but, like hummus, shakshuka did not originate there.
“It is Turkish in origin,” says Grunberg, explaining that it is eaten in Syrian, Lebanon. Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt too. Other countries prefer to scramble the egg into the sauce, apparently.
Israelis who, it is said, were introduced to this champion of breakfasts by Tunisian diaspora, tend to serve their shakshuka with the eggs poached gently in the stew.
Try the dish for yourself at one of these cafés in north west London and Hertfordshire:
SUNNY HILL CAFÉ/ RESTAURANT, SUNNY HILL PARK, HENDON
The menu offers classic shakshuka as well as versions with olive, chicken sausages (kosher) or tuna, served piping hot in your own frying pan, accompanied by a fresh, crunchy Israeli salad and two pillowy pitas. The eggs were firm-cook but you can specify soft if preferred. The sauce was deeply savoury and packed a punch. King of shakshukas.
FASTA, MUSWELL HILL
Oded Naftali and Ziv Yakobovitch, the Israeli owners of this smartly, designed pasta bar, also know their shakshuka, which looked gorgeous and arrived in a mini frying pan atop a wooden board, with a hunk of challah, large salad and tiny dish of tahina. Fasta offers several variations — including classic, mushroom, goats cheese and spicy red hot chilli pepper. The eggs were soft and oozed gooey yolk and the sauce was filled with peppers and tomatoes. Go for spice.
KANTEEN, BUSHEY
Another Israeli-owned venue, and part of a small chain. The eggs were disappointingly scrambled into the sauce, which was a little chunky with hunks of pepper and tomato but some nicely cooked aubergines. The generous portion was served in a bowl with pita on the side. Not my favourite, but filling enough to beat my healthy appetite.
NU NOSH, TEMPLE FORTUNE
Shakshuka made it to the menu here just 18 months ago. Although served in the authentic pan, on a board and with toasted pita, the eggs had been poached separately and perched on top. “Our customers prefer that the eggs are properly cooked,” says manager Charisse Kluk. The pleasingly thick sauce was packed with baby mushrooms and peppers and packed a lovely, spicy Middle Eastern punch.