Tunisian Ojja

Tunisian Ojja is a favorite national breakfast dish, but it can also be served for lunch or dinner. This recipe calls for both eggs and merguez (Tunisian spicy lamb sausage) so it is hearty and filling enough for a day’s main meal.

(Photo Attributed to Author: (WT-shared) Shoestring at wts wikivoyage)

Tunisian Ojja Recipe-

Ingredients:

(serves 5)

2 (14 oz.) cans of chopped tomatoes, or an equal amount of chopped, very ripe fresh tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
1 tsp. harissa paste
1/4 tsp. of ground coriander
1/4 tsp. of ground cumin
5 large cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
5 merguez spicy lamb sausages, chopped into small bite-sized chunks
10 large eggs
olive oil

Directions:

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and gently sauté the sliced garlic until it turns light golden brown – no longer.
Add and stir in the red and green peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 about minutes.
Now add and stir in the spices, harissa paste, tomato puree and chopped tomatoes, tomato puree and allow to simmer for another 10 minutes.
In a separate skillet, heat just a drizzling of olive oil over medium high heat, and sauté the merguez sausage chunks until nicely browned; then add them into the main skillet with the rest of the mixture.
Keep simmering the mixture, uncovered and stirring now and then, until it becomes a very thick sauce texture.
When nice and thick, take a large wooden or metal cooking spoon and create an indentation in the top of the mixture. Carefully crack an egg open and deposit the egg (without breaking the yoke) into the indentation. Repeat this process 9 more times, spaced evenly over the surface of the Ojja
Cover the skillet and simmer until the eggs are set up and cooked through.
To serve your Tunisian Ojja, ladle out portions of the meaty sauce with an egg included in each scoop, and place into serving bowls.