Egyptian Fried Eggs with Pastrami
The secret to eggs with pastrami is that the pastrami is sautéed in ghee for just one minute over medium heat before adding the eggs—any longer and it dries out like leather, and its coating (fenugreek, garlic, and red pepper) burns and turns bitter. Do not add salt before tasting, because the pastrami is salty on its own and the eggs usually only need black pepper.
- Prep
- 4 min
- Cook
- 8 min
- Total
- 12 min
- Calories
- 325
Photo: E4024 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pastirma_with_three_eggs.jpg
Egyptian eggs with pastrami is one of the most famous Egyptian breakfast dishes: a pan of ghee, slices of pastrami, and sunny-side-up eggs mopped up with warm Baladi bread. The whole dish takes 10 minutes, but it gets ruined in a minute if the pastrami stays on the heat too long.
Method
-
1
Preparing the Pastrami
Cut the large slices in half and remove any tough skin on the edge. If the coating (the red layer) is very heavy, wipe part of it off with the back of a knife—it is the first thing to burn and make the taste bitter.
⏱ 2 min -
2
Heating the Ghee
Put the spoon of ghee in a 20–22 cm pan over medium heat until it melts and shimmers without smoking. The small pan makes the eggs cover the pastrami and stay thick, while a wide pan spreads them thin so they dry out.
⏱ 2 min -
3
Pastrami for One Minute
Arrange the pastrami in the ghee and toss it for just one minute until the edges curl and its aroma comes out. This is the most important step in the dish: more than a minute and the pastrami dries out and becomes like leather.
⏱ 1 min -
4
Cracking the Eggs
Immediately lower the heat to low, and crack the eggs over the pastrami one by one. It is best to crack each egg into a small bowl first, so that if there is a shell or it is bad, it doesn't ruin the whole pan.
⏱ 2 min -
5
Cooking Under the Cover
Cover the pan for 3–4 minutes on low heat until the whites are completely set and the yolk remains runny. The steam under the lid cooks the top of the whites without flipping the eggs, and if you like the yolk firm, leave it for 6 minutes.
⏱ 4 min -
6
Seasoning and Serving
Taste a piece of pastrami first: if it is salty enough, sprinkle black pepper only, and if it is mild, a small pinch of salt on the whites. Serve it right in the pan with warm baladi bread, tomatoes, and cucumbers—if it sits, the eggs will continue to cook from the pan's heat.
⏱ 1 min
Cooked it? Rate it
Your rating tells the next cook whether this recipe is worth their time.
✓ Thanks — your rating is in.
Tips that actually matter
- Take the eggs out of the fridge 10 minutes beforehand—cold eggs slow down cooking, so the bottom browns before the whites on top can set.
- Baladi ghee gives that well-known Egyptian taste, and butter is nice too, but it burns faster, so keep the heat a bit lower.
- Want a spicy touch? Add a sliced hot green pepper with the pastrami in that same minute.
- Thinly sliced pastrami is best for the pan; thick pastrami needs more time and stays dry and chewy.
People also ask
Why does the pastrami dry out and taste bitter?
Because it stayed on the heat too long or the heat was too high. The coating on the pastrami contains fenugreek, garlic, and red pepper, and these burn quickly and release bitterness. One minute on medium heat, and then lower the heat as soon as the eggs go in.
Should I add salt to eggs with pastrami?
Usually no. Pastrami is salted and cured, and its salt melts into the ghee and reaches the eggs. Taste a slice first, and if needed, sprinkle a light pinch of salt on the whites only.
Can I make scrambled eggs with pastrami?
Yes: whisk the eggs with a fork and a pinch of pepper, and after a minute of sautéing the pastrami, pour them over it on low heat, stirring gently with a wooden spoon for two minutes until set while still soft and glossy. Take it off the heat before it dries out completely because it continues cooking in the pan.
How do I store pastrami after opening it?
Wrap it in parchment paper and then in a bag or closed container in the fridge, and it stays good for about a week. For longer storage, separate the slices with parchment paper and freeze for up to 3 months, and put it straight into the pan without thawing.
Cook mode
Egyptian Fried Eggs with Pastrami
-
1
Preparing the Pastrami
Cut the large slices in half and remove any tough skin on the edge. If the coating (the red layer) is very heavy, wipe part of it off with the back of a knife—it is the first thing to burn and make the taste bitter.
-
2
Heating the Ghee
Put the spoon of ghee in a 20–22 cm pan over medium heat until it melts and shimmers without smoking. The small pan makes the eggs cover the pastrami and stay thick, while a wide pan spreads them thin so they dry out.
-
3
Pastrami for One Minute
Arrange the pastrami in the ghee and toss it for just one minute until the edges curl and its aroma comes out. This is the most important step in the dish: more than a minute and the pastrami dries out and becomes like leather.
-
4
Cracking the Eggs
Immediately lower the heat to low, and crack the eggs over the pastrami one by one. It is best to crack each egg into a small bowl first, so that if there is a shell or it is bad, it doesn't ruin the whole pan.
-
5
Cooking Under the Cover
Cover the pan for 3–4 minutes on low heat until the whites are completely set and the yolk remains runny. The steam under the lid cooks the top of the whites without flipping the eggs, and if you like the yolk firm, leave it for 6 minutes.
-
6
Seasoning and Serving
Taste a piece of pastrami first: if it is salty enough, sprinkle black pepper only, and if it is mild, a small pinch of salt on the whites. Serve it right in the pan with warm baladi bread, tomatoes, and cucumbers—if it sits, the eggs will continue to cook from the pan's heat.
Comments
Cooked it? Tell us how it went, or ask a question — we read every comment.