COPPEROjja recipe
Ojja is a Tunisian pan of tomato, peppers, harissa and caraway in which merguez simmer before eggs are poached on top.
Ingredients
- 8 merguez sausages
- 8 eggs
- 6 tomatoes
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 green chili
- 2 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp harissa
- 2 pinch ground caraway
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 0.5 tsp salt
How to make Ojja
- Heat 6 tbsp olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat and cook 2 crushed garlic cloves for 2 to 3 minutes without browning.
- Stir in 1 tbsp tomato paste and 1 tbsp harissa and cook 1 minute.
- Add 6 peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes, 1 red and 1 green bell pepper in strips, 1 finely chopped green chili, 2 pinches ground caraway, 1/0.5 tsp salt and 120 ml water. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.
- Nestle 8 merguez sausages into the sauce, cover and cook 25 minutes over low to medium heat.
- Break 8 eggs directly over the surface of the sauce, cover and cook 5 to 7 minutes until the whites are set.
- Serve straight from the pan with bread.
What is Ojja?
Ojja is a traditional dish from Tunisia, simmered in one pot, and takes about 55 minutes from start to finish. The recipe below uses 12 ingredients and is written out step by step.
How long does Ojja take?
At 55 minutes it is quicker than 80% of the 586 dishes in Copper's atlas. The method runs to 6 steps, the longest being 25 minutes.
Any tips for making Ojja?
Let the merguez simmer 25 minutes in the sauce before adding the eggs, so their spiced fat flavours the tomato.
How Ojja compares
Hard to find elsewhere: merguez sausages (1), ground caraway (1) and harissa (3).
Copper documents Tunisia alongside 197 other countries. Every recipe is free to read, with the full ingredient list and every step.