Name: Ojja with Merguez
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Tunisia, North Africa
Ingredients: 4 whole merguez sausages, sliced; 4 whole eggs; 400 g chopped tomatoes; 1 medium green or red pepper, diced; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tbsp harissa paste; 1 tsp ground caraway; ½ tsp ground coriander; 2 tbsp olive oil; salt and black pepper, to taste

Ojja with Merguez

Tunisian ojja with merguez, eggs poached in a fiery tomato, pepper, harissa, garlic, caraway, and coriander sauce.

Country

Tunisia

Region

North Africa

Time

40 min

Serves

Level

easy

What to know before you cook

Ojja is bolder than a gentle egg breakfast. Let the harissa bloom in oil before the eggs go in.

What the dish tastes like

Tunisian ojja with merguez, eggs poached in a fiery tomato, pepper, harissa, garlic, caraway, and coriander sauce.

When to cook it

Best for Brunch, quick lunch, with a easy cooking level and about 40 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Crusty bread, olives, salad, or extra harissa

Regional lane

Tunisia national table. A verified Tunisia dish in the AfroKitchen archive.

Chef watch-outs

Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
Adding all seasoning early and forgetting to adjust at the end.
Cooking on heat that is too high once the dish should be steaming or simmering.

How you know it is ready

The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.
The final texture should match the dish style before you plate it.

Cook the merguez

Heat olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the merguez slices and cook until browned and slightly crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Brown merguez 05:00

Build the sauce

In the same skillet, cook the green pepper and garlic for 2 minutes. Add the harissa, caraway, and a pinch of salt. Stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Cook peppers 02:30

Simmer tomatoes

Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens and reduces. Return the merguez to the skillet.

The sauce should be thick, not watery.

Simmer sauce 10:00

Add the eggs

Make 4 wells in the sauce and crack an egg into each. Cover the skillet and cook for 5-6 minutes until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny.

For set yolks, cook a minute or two longer with the lid on.

Cook eggs 06:00

Serve in the skillet

Remove from heat and serve straight from the skillet with plenty of crusty bread for dipping.

Bring the skillet to the table for a rustic, communal meal.

Ojja with Merguez

What to know before you cook

See the dish before you cook

Build the table around Ojja with Merguez

Step-by-step method

Ojja with Merguez

What to know before you cook

See the dish before you cook

Build the table around Ojja with Merguez

Step-by-step method

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