Kurdish poached eggs with swiss chard
- Published: 16 Jan 23
- Updated: 25 Mar 24
Chef Pary Baban shares her recipe for buttery, stir-fried chard with poached eggs. Try this traditional Kurdish dish for a veggie brunch.
Pary’s story: The head chef and owner of Nandine, a Kurdish restaurant in Camberwell, Pary arrived in the UK in 1995 after being displaced under Saddam Hussein’s rule in Kurdistan. Her menus feature the recipes close to her heart that she compiled in a diary during her displacement.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 30g unsalted butter
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 600g swiss chard, roughly chopped
- 1 small red chilli, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 8 medium free-range eggs
- 20g toasted mixed seeds
- Garlic granules and/or garlic oil to serve
- Dried rose petals to serve (optional)
- Flatbreads to serve
Method
- Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan over a low-medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring regularly, until soft and caramelised.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the chard and cook for 4 minutes until the stalks are soft. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to halt the cooking process. Squeeze the water out as best you can, then leave in the colander to drain.
- Once the onions have caramelised, add the drained chard, chilli, turmeric and cumin. Season with a pinch of salt and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
- While the chard cooks, bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, crack the eggs one by one into a ramekin, then slide each one gently into the pan (in batches if need be). Poach for 3 minutes until the whites have set. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.
- Divide the chard among 4 serving dishes, nestling 2 poached eggs on top of each. Scatter over the seeds, some garlic granules and/or a drizzle of garlic oil and rose petals (if using). Serve with warm flatbreads
- Recipe from February 2023 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 332kcals
- Fat
- 24.4g (8g saturated)
- Protein
- 19.5g
- Carbohydrates
- 8g (3.3g sugars)
- Fibre
- 1.2g
- Salt
- 1.3g
delicious. tips
This recipe is easily halved for two
“Swiss chard is a common vegetable in Kurdistan but I don’t see it as much in the UK, even though it’s grown here. I like to stir-fry it with spices to make a warming brunch. Topping the chard with poached eggs makes a nutritious breakfast, paired with the warm flatbreads.” Pary Baban
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