Ojja
Ojja is a distinctive dish of Tunisian cuisine, standing apart from Egyptian or Algerian shakshouka through its use of harissa and spicy merguez sausage, giving a much hotter and fattier sauce. Variations of the dish exist throughout Tunisian cooking — shrimp versions along the coast, lamb liver in more traditional regions, or fully vegetarian with just vegetables and eggs. Unlike many similar dishes in the region, ojja is considered a standalone evening meal, not just a breakfast, often served to the whole family straight from the shared pan. Tunisian bread, with its thick crust and fluffy interior, is essential for scooping up the sauce and yolk, a kind of unwritten edible cutlery.
Tomato sauce with harissa
Tomatoes slowly reduce with harissa, peppers and garlic, forming a thick, intensely spicy base for the dish.
Sliced merguez, not whole
Spicy merguez sausages are cut into thick slices and browned directly in the sauce, releasing their flavorful fat.
Eggs cracked straight into the pan
Eggs are cracked directly into the bubbling sauce, left to cook partway, with the yolk staying soft.
Eaten with bread, not cutlery
The dish is served hot straight from the cooking pan, eaten by dipping pieces of bread into the sauce and yolk.
Ingredients 4 servings
- 4 merguez sausages
- 4 large tomatoes, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 tbsp harissa
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 4 eggs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Fresh parsley
How to make it
- 1Heat the olive oil in a wide pan and sauté the chopped onion and pepper for five minutes, until softened.
- 2Add the garlic and harissa, cooking for a minute until fragrant.
- 3Add the chopped tomatoes and simmer over medium heat for fifteen minutes, until a thick sauce forms.
- 4Cut the merguez sausages into thick slices and add them to the sauce, cooking for five minutes until lightly browned.
- 5Make four small wells in the sauce with a spoon and crack an egg into each one.
- 6Cover the pan and cook over low heat for five minutes, until the whites set but the yolks stay soft.
- 7Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley on top and serve immediately, straight from the pan, alongside fresh bread.
Nutritional info
per serving (~350 g)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
