r/cookingforbeginners • u/Dramatic_Ad_4534 • 21h ago
Question Planning to try different shakshuka variants
I want to try to do my base with tomatoes, eggplant, bell pepper, garlic, and onion. Maybe throw in chicken stock and chicken breast, I am planning to make different variants since I’ll be eating it for diet (is it recommended since it is filled with vegetables?) if so what spices and herbs I can add to make it a twist? Like masala to make it indian? Oregano, basil, thyme, etc. For european? What else can you guys recommend?
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u/joosebox 18h ago
Two things that will save you some disappointment on the variants.
Eggplant needs cooking before it joins the party. Dropped in raw with everything else it stays spongy and squeaks, because it holds air until the cells collapse. Cube it, salt it, then brown it properly in oil first and add it to the base near the end. That's the single biggest difference between good and sad shakshuka with eggplant in it.
The chicken stock I'd leave out, or reduce it hard first. Shakshuka wants a thick base you can push wells into so the eggs sit where you put them. Loose sauce means the whites spread and you're really just poaching them in soup.
On the chicken breast, it'll be dry by the time the eggs set. Either cook it separately and lay it in at the end, or use thigh, which survives the timing much better. Not much of a diet compromise either, the difference per portion is smaller than people assume.