Çılbır

Method

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1. Stir the yoghurt, garlic and salt together and divide between two shallow bowls, spreading it out.

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2. Bring a wide pan of water to a bare simmer and add the vinegar. Crack the eggs into cups and slide them into the water. Poach for 3 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks are runny. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain briefly.

   Mark done Start 3 min timer

3. Set two eggs on each bowl of yoghurt.

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4. Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat until foaming. Take it off the heat and stir in the Aleppo pepper and mint for 30 seconds.

   Mark done Start 30 sec timer

5. Spoon the sizzling butter over the eggs and yoghurt and serve at once with bread.

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Chef’s Tips

• Use very fresh eggs. Older eggs spread into wispy ribbons in the water.
• Use room-temperature yoghurt. Cold yoghurt chills the eggs.
• Heat the butter just to foaming. If it browns and burns, the spices turn bitter.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
• Fresh herbs work in place of the dried mint at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.

Pairing Suggestions

• Crusty bread
• Turkish tea
• Olives and cucumber

Storage & Reheating

Best eaten at once. Do not keep.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.