Ingredients
Serves 4
For the zhoug (makes about 150ml)
coriander 35g (leaves and stems), roughly chopped
flat-leaf parsley 10g (leaves and stems), roughly chopped
hot green chillies 2, roughly chopped
ground cumin ½ tsp
ground cardamom ¼ tsp
ground cloves ¼ tsp
caster sugar ¼ tsp
salt ¼ tsp
garlic 1 clove, crushed
olive oil 2 tbsp
water 2 tbsp
For the braised eggs
olive oil 1 tbsp
onion 1 large, finely chopped (200g in total)
garlic 6 cloves, sliced thinly
minced lamb 300g
sumac 2 tsp, plus extra to finish
ground cumin 1 tsp
salt and black pepper
unsalted pistachios 50g, toasted and crushed
pine nuts 50g, toasted
harissa paste 2 tsp
preserved lemon 1 tbsp finely chopped
cherry tomatoes 200g
chicken stock 120ml
eggs 4 medium
coriander leaves 5g picked, or 1 tbsp zhoug (see above)
For the yogurt sauce
Greek yogurt 100g
tahini paste 25g
lemon juice 2 tbsp
water 1 tbsp
Instructions
To make the zhoug, place all of the ingredients in a small food processor bowl. Blitz in a few pulses to get a coarse paste; make sure not to overmix. Store in a sterilised sealed jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
For the braised eggs, heat up the olive oil in a medium, heavy-based frying pan for which you have a tight-fitting lid. Add the onion and garlic and sauté on a medium-high heat for 6 minutes to soften and colour a bit. Add the minced lamb and brown well, 5-6 minutes, on a high heat. Season with the sumac, cumin, ¾ teaspoon of salt and some black pepper and cook for another minute. Off the heat, stir in the nuts, harissa and preserved lemon and set aside.
While the onion is cooking, heat up a separate small cast-iron or other heavy pan. Once piping hot, add the cherry tomatoes and char on a high heat for 4-6 minutes, tossing the pan occasionally, until slightly blackened on the outside. Set aside.
Prepare the yogurt sauce by simply whisking together all the ingredients with a pinch of salt. It needs to be thick and rich, but you may need to add a splash of water if it is stiff.
You can leave the meat, tomatoes and sauce at this stage for up to an hour. When you are ready to serve, reheat the meat, add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Make 4 small wells in the mix and break an egg into each. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the eggs on a low heat for 3 minutes. Place the tomatoes on top, avoiding the yolks, cover again and cook for 5 minutes, until the egg whites are cooked but the yolks are still runny.
Remove from the heat and dot with dollops of yogurt sauce, sprinkle with sumac and finish with picked coriander or zhoug. Serve at once.