Ojja

Tunisian Ojja (Eggs Poached in Tomato and Pepper Sauce)

A one-pan Tunisian classic: a thick, garlicky tomato and pepper sauce spiked with harissa, with eggs cracked in and poached until just set. Merguez sausage is the most common addition and is served straight from the pan with crusty bread for mopping.

Prep

15 min

Cook

35 min

Total

50 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
• •4 pieces merguez sausage, about 200 g / 7 oz total; raw beef or lamb merguez preferred
• •2 whole red bell peppers, or 4–5 long sweet Tunisian peppers (flafel), seeded and thinly sliced
• •1 whole onion, finely sliced
• •4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• •800 g (1¾ lb) canned chopped tomatoes, one 400 g / 14 oz tin, or fresh ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• •15 ml (1 tbsp) tomato paste
• •10 ml (2 tsp) harissa paste, or to taste; Tunisian harissa if you can find it
• •1 tsp ground caraway, optional but traditional
• •1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• •6 whole eggs, medium to large
• •1 handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to finish
• •4 pieces crusty bread, Tunisian tabbouleh bread, baguette or similar, for serving

Steps

1. 1 Warm the olive oil in a wide frying pan or skillet (about 26–28 cm / 10–11 in) over medium heat. Add the merguez and fry, turning, for 5–6 minutes until browned on all sides and nearly cooked through. Lift out onto a plate and set aside; leave the rendered fat in the pan.
2. 2 Add the sliced onion and peppers to the pan. Cook, stirring now and then, for 8–10 minutes until the peppers are soft and the onion is translucent and just starting to colour.
3. 3 Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and harissa and stir for 30 seconds to cook out the raw paste flavour.
4. 4 Pour in the chopped tomatoes, add the caraway and salt, and stir well. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook uncovered for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened enough that a spoon dragged through it leaves a trail that doesn't immediately fill in. Taste and adjust salt and harissa - it should be robustly seasoned, as the eggs will mellow it.
5. 5 Cut the merguez into 2–3 cm (1 in) lengths and return them to the pan, nestling them into the sauce. Simmer for 3–4 minutes so the sausage finishes cooking through and flavours the sauce. (If using pre-cooked merguez or another addition such as prawns, add it now and cook only until just done - prawns need about 2 minutes.)
6. 6 Make 6 shallow wells in the sauce with the back of a spoon. Crack an egg into each well. Season the eggs lightly with a pinch of salt.
7. 7 Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 5–7 minutes, until the egg whites are completely opaque and set but the yolks are still slightly soft. For fully set yolks, cook 1–2 minutes longer. The whites should not look translucent or runny at all.
8. 8 Scatter with chopped parsley and take the pan straight to the table. Serve immediately with bread for mopping up the sauce.