Çılbır: Turkish Poached Eggs To Add The Perfect Spice To Your Morning
Greek yogurt is good for parfaits, but it seems that in every possible case, we are trying to mask its tang with honey or jam. It's as if its tart flavor is unwelcome or merely an afterthought to our granola-riddled fruit cup. But what if Greek yogurt was designed to taste that way? Like other fermented foods, perhaps Greek yogurt's sour profile was a purposeful result, giving it more depth than something as neutral as heavy cream. Çilbir is a dish that utilizes Greek yogurt for what it really is. It does little to get rid of the yogurt's natural tang and, instead, accentuates its fermented qualities with spices. Like mayonnaise or sour cream, plain Greek yogurt is finally put in its rightful place as a savory condiment.
As protein-heavy as the dish already is, the çilbir's main feature is the poached egg and the runny yolk that oozes onto the garlic yogurt. The fats of the egg yolk and the fats of yogurt come together to create a harmonious blend of cream. This is arguably the best way to have a yogurt — savory, with herbs, spices, and garlic.
Çilbir: dairy heaven
If you like dairy on dairy, çilbir is the dish for you. Middle East Monitor says it's a Turkish poached egg dish that is served on savory Greek yogurt. First, yogurt is left out so that it reaches room temperature. Minced garlic or garlic powder, paprika, and chopped dill are then added to the Greek yogurt to make what tastes like the best chip dip ever. The paprika, which is sweeter than it is spicy, adds a mellow pepper flavor that complements the dill excellently.
Afterward, you have the option of starting on the chili butter or poaching the egg. The chili butter can best be described as enhanced chili oil since the milk proteins of the butter provide an extra layer of flavor that is missing from the neutral oil-based chili oil. It's usually made with Aleppo pepper, which shares the spice level of red chili pepper and gives off an earthy, tomato flavor (via Simply Recipes).
To the brunch enthusiast, the poached egg that sits atop the garlic yogurt is the star of the show. Perfecting the poached egg may be the most challenging part of this entire dish, and Julia Child's trick for poaching eggs will help you out. Plating is natural: you spread the garlic yogurt onto a plate, lay the poached egg in the center, and drizzle the Aleppo butter on top. If you want to try some savory yogurt, follow our çilbir recipe which adds eggplants into the mix.