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    Cooking Gorgeous » All Recipes » Breakfast and Brunch

    Cilbir - Turkish Poached Eggs

    Published: Apr 30, 2022 · Modified: May 11, 2022 by Ayla Clulee · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Cilbir is a delicious Turkish breakfast egg dish made with poached eggs served on a bed of silky garlic-yoghurt and finished with a drizzle of chilli-infused butter. Despite being made with only a few simple ingredients, this egg dish looks and tastes amazing!

    Cilbir eggs
    Jump to:
    • Why This Recipe Works?
    • Ingredients and Substitutes
    • How to Make Cilbir?
    • Related Recipes
    • Top Tip From the Chef
    • Cilbir - Turkish Poached Eggs

    The combination of garlicky yoghurt, poached eggs, and chilli infused butter is so good that you can easily get addicted. Our favourite way to enjoy these delicious Cilbir eggs is with a piece of pillowy Turkish Pide Bread - Ramazan Pidesi or a crusty Simit (Turkish Sesame Bagel) to wipe every last bit of the deliciously silky yoghurt.

    Why This Recipe Works?

    • It is very easy to make this scrumptious egg dish with a few simple and healthy ingredients like egg and yoghurt.
    • Cilbir is a great dish to serve for breakfast/brunch on special occasions to impress your guests!
    • The combination of the ingredients is simple and affordable yet is incredibly delicious and contains plenty of protein and nutritional value.

    Ingredients and Substitutes

    Ingredients for Cilbir
    • Yoghurt - Çılbır is as much a yoghurt recipe as it is a poached eggs recipe. Use good quality, thick and creamy Greek or Natural Yoghurt as it is the base of the dish. Bring the yoghurt to room temperature before serving.
    • Eggs - The most important rule for having perfectly poached eggs is to use the freshest eggs you can find. Bring them to room temperature before poaching them if stored in the fridge.
    • Garlic  - Fresh garlic is a great flavouring that adds sweetness and nuttiness to dishes. 1 small garlic clove is enough for up to 500 grams of yoghurt. Turn it into a paste with a Mortar and Pestle or grate it using a Microplane Zester Grater.
    • Butter - Good quality butter or olive oil is the best way to finish this amazing egg dish!
    • Herbs - I use fresh mint or dill, depending on what I have in hand. It is optional and can be substituted with any other herbs you like.
    • Vinegar - It helps the egg whites set firmly while poaching them when added to water. Use light-coloured vinegar so that it doesn't change the colour of the eggs.

    How to Make Cilbir?

    Making this poached eggs and yoghurt breakfast is surprisingly easy. However, you need to follow a few simple steps to achieve the best results:

    Prepare the Yoghurt Base

    Bring the yoghurt to room temperature and add the garlic, sea salt and chopped mint or dill (optional).

    mix yoghurt with garlic and herbs

    Transfer the yoghurt sauce into a serving bowl and set it aside.

    transfer the yoghurt into serving plate

    Poach the Eggs

    It's okay if you've never poached an egg before. It's very simple but there are a few things to keep in mind. I have learned how to make perfectly poached eggs when I was working as a professional chef and I'll be sharing my tips in this recipe:

    • Fill a saucepan with water, add the vinegar and bring it to a boil. Crack the eggs into two separate small dishes to ensure their freshness. Let the water gently boil before adding the eggs.
    • Once the water is boiling gently, use a wooden spoon to stir the water to create a vortex. This helps to keep the eggs in a nice round shape while poaching.
    • Leave the first egg in the middle of the vortex and then add the second egg straight afterwards.
    • Swirl your boiling water again gently without touching the eggs and let them poach for 2 to 3 minutes, depending on how soft you want your yolk to be. Depending on the size of the pan, you can poach multiple eggs at the same time without overcrowding the pan.

    Prepare the Chilli Butter and Serve

    Prepare the chilli butter while the eggs are poaching. Melt the butter in a small pan, and add the chilli when the butter starts to bubble. Stir and the sauce will be ready to serve.

    When the eggs are done to your liking, remove them using a slotted spoon and place them on the yoghurt. Drizzle on a generous amount of chilli-infused butter and serve with your favourite crusty bread on the side.

    Cilbir turkish poached eggs served with crusty bread

    Related Recipes

    For more delicious breakfast/brunch recipes why not try:

    • Menemen (Turkish Scrambled Eggs)
    • Su Boregi - Water Borek
    • Borek With Meat and Spinach
    • Cheese Pide With Mushrooms
    • Gozleme (Turkish Pancakes)
    • Homemade Toast Bread
    • Traditional Shakshuka Recipe
    • Pitka (Bulgarian Christmas Bread)
    • Pogaca (Turkish Cheese Buns)
    • Lemon Blueberry Cake
    • Spinach With Eggs
    How to store Cilbir?

    Unfortunately, I don't recommend storing the leftovers for this egg dish. They should be eaten straight after being prepared. If you are just preparing breakfast for one, half the recipe and only prepare one dish of the yoghurt base.

    Can you poach eggs in advance?

    Yes, just follow the above method, but when you remove the eggs from the hot water, submerge them into iced water. You can keep them refrigerated for up to 3 days. To warm them up, simply remove the eggs from the cold water and place them in a pan with simmering water for 30-40 seconds, just enough to warm them through. Be careful not to overcook the egg yolk unless you want them well done.

    Top Tip From the Chef

    Allow the yoghurt to come to room temperature before stirring in the garlic and other ingredients. Do not refrigerate the yoghurt mixture while you are cooking the eggs. Serve it at room temperature to avoid the chilli butter setting on cold yoghurt!

    I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious Turkish eggs recipe as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂

    Bon appétit! / Afiyet Olsun!

    Did you make this recipe?

    Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

    Turkish poached egg - Cilbir

    Cilbir - Turkish Poached Eggs

    Ayla Clulee
    Cilbir - Turkish Poached Eggs is a delicious Turkish breakfast egg dish dating back to the Ottomans in the 15th century.
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 5 mins
    Total Time 15 mins
    Course Breakfast
    Cuisine Turkish
    Servings 2 people
    Calories 164 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 kitchen scale
    • 1 Saucepan
    • 1 Citrus zester
    • 1 measuring spoons

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 300 g Greek yoghurt or natural yoghurt
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 2 eggs
    • 15 g butter
    • ½ teaspoon flaked chilli (pul biber)
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • ½ tablespoon cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
    • 1 l water
    • fresh mint or dill to garnish (chopped)

    Instructions
     

    Preparing the Yoghurt Base

    • Bring the yoghurt to room temperature and add the garlic, sea salt and chopped mint or dill (optional).
    • Transfer the yoghurt sauce into a serving bowl and set it aside.

    Poaching the Eggs

    • Fill a saucepan with water, add the vinegar and bring it to a boil.
    • Crack the eggs into two separate small dishes to ensure their freshness. Let the water gently boil before adding the eggs.
    • Once the water is boiling, use a wooden spoon to stir the water to create a vortex. This helps to keep the eggs in a nice round shape while poaching.
    • Leave the first egg in the middle of the vortex and then add the second egg straight afterwards.
    • Swirl your boiling water again gently without touching the eggs and let them poach for 2 to 3 minutes, depending on how soft you want your yolk to be.

    Prepare the Chilli Butter and Build the Cilbir

    • You can prepare the chilli butter while the eggs are poaching. Melt the butter in a small pan, and add the chilli when the butter starts to bubble. Stir and the sauce will be ready to serve.
    • When the eggs are done to your liking, remove them using a slotted spoon and place them on the yoghurt.
    • Drizzle on a generous amount of chilli-infused butter and serve with your favourite crusty bread on the side.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 164kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 11gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 184mgSodium: 464mgPotassium: 322mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 547IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 235mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cookingorgeous or tag #cookingorgeous!

    FOOD SAFETY

    • Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
    • Don’t leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
    • Never leave cooking food unattended
    • Use oils with high smoking points to avoid harmful compounds
    • Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

    See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

    This post use affiliate links. This means that if you click on them and then buy something, we get a small amount of commission to keep the site running, but it doesn’t cost you anything more.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Nadine

      May 19, 2022 at 6:04 pm

      5 stars
      This is such a simple and tasty egg dish! We absolutely loved it and I’ll definitely make this again!

      Reply
      • Ayla Clulee

        May 20, 2022 at 5:01 am

        So happy you loved it, Nadine!

        Reply
    2. Garry

      June 04, 2022 at 7:30 am

      5 stars
      Was easy to make and came out great.

      Reply
    3. Carrie

      June 18, 2022 at 3:02 pm

      5 stars
      This is so flavourful! Feels very luxurious for such a simple recipe. I’ll definitely make this again!

      Reply
    4. Dana

      June 28, 2022 at 4:28 am

      5 stars
      Awesome recipe. I just made this egg dish and it’s absolutely delicious! Thank you

      Reply

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    Hi! Thank you for visiting Cooking Gorgeous. My name is Ayla, and I’m a professional chef based in the UK. The kitchen is my happy place and cooking is my therapy. To me, food is more than ingredients and nutrition; it is a language of love, a way of expressing compassion.

    More about me →

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