Ojja (Spicy Tomato and Egg Dish)
The Quirky Foodster Team
Ingredients
- Olive oil — 3 tbsp (45 ml)
- Onion, finely chopped — 1
- Green pepper, chopped — 1
- Garlic cloves, minced — 3
- Harissa, to taste — 1–2 tbsp
- Ground caraway — 1 tsp
- Ripe tomatoes, grated or 400 g (14 oz) canned chopped tomatoes — 4
- Salt — 1 tsp
- Large eggs — 4
- Fresh parsley or coriander, chopped, to serve — 2 tbsp
- Bread, to serve
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat and fry the onion for 4–5 minutes until softened.
- Add the green pepper and cook for 4 minutes, then stir in the garlic, harissa and caraway, and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the grated tomatoes and salt, and simmer for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened and the raw tomato taste has cooked away.
- Make small wells in the sauce with a spoon and crack the eggs into them, spacing them evenly.
- Cover and cook over low heat for 4–6 minutes, until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still soft, or to your liking.
- Scatter with fresh herbs and serve immediately straight from the pan with bread.
Introduction: Ojja is a fiery Tunisian dish of eggs poached directly in a harissa-spiked tomato and pepper sauce, often
enriched with merguez sausage.
Cultural Background: Ojja is a fiery Tunisian dish of eggs poached directly in a harissa-spiked tomato and pepper sauce, often
enriched with merguez sausage. Served bubbling hot in its own pan with crusty bread for dipping, it's a
staple of both breakfast and casual weeknight meals.
Tips: Adjust the harissa to taste — ojja is meant to have a real kick, but you can start milder and add more. Cover the pan while the eggs cook so the whites set evenly on top without needing to flip anything.
Variations: Add sliced merguez sausage to the sauce before adding the eggs for the classic Ojja bel Merguez. Stir in a handful of chopped shrimp for a coastal version, Ojja bel Gambri. This recipe is already an authentic vegetarian dish; the merguez variation is optional.
Storage: Best eaten fresh; leftovers can be refrigerated for a day, though the eggs will overcook on reheating.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a covered pan over low heat for a few minutes; eggs will firm up further.
FAQs:
Q: How spicy is ojja?
A: It's traditionally quite spicy, though you can scale the harissa back for a milder version.
Q: What's the merguez version called?
A: Ojja bel Merguez, made by browning sliced merguez sausage in the pan before building the sauce.
Q: What bread goes with it?
A: Crusty Tunisian bread like tabouna, or a French-style baguette, for dipping.
- Olive oil — 3 tbsp (45 ml)
- Onion, finely chopped — 1
- Green pepper, chopped — 1
- Garlic cloves, minced — 3
- Harissa, to taste — 1–2 tbsp
- Ground caraway — 1 tsp
- Ripe tomatoes, grated or 400 g (14 oz) canned chopped tomatoes — 4
- Salt — 1 tsp
- Large eggs — 4
- Fresh parsley or coriander, chopped, to serve — 2 tbsp
- Bread, to serve
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