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1
Score a shallow cross in the base of each tomato and lower into boiling water for 20–30 seconds. Transfer immediately to cold water. Peel, then dice finely. The skin should slip free without resistance — if it clings, return the tomato to the hot water for a further 10 seconds.
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2
Warm the olive oil in a sahan or wide, heavy-based pan over medium heat. Add the onion (İzmir style) and the sliced sivri biber. Cook, stirring occasionally, until both are fully softened and the pepper skins have relaxed — this takes patience; the vegetables must be completely yielding before the tomatoes are added.
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3
Add the diced tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring from time to time, until the tomato has broken down entirely, released and then reabsorbed its liquid, and the mixture is sweet, thick, and no longer watery. Raw or wet tomato at this stage will seep water directly into the egg curds and dilute them irreparably. The mixture should hold its shape briefly when pushed to the side of the pan.
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4
Reduce the heat to its lowest setting. The vegetables must be hot when the eggs are added — cold vegetables will not produce the immediate gentle set that menemen requires. Pour the lightly beaten eggs over the hot tomato-pepper base. This is where the dish lives or dies: the heat must be minimal, the hand patient. Stir no more than three or four times in slow, wide movements, allowing soft, loose curds to form and rest between each movement. The pan should never hiss or spit.
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5
When the eggs appear 80% set — glossy, still trembling in places, with no pools of raw egg remaining — remove the pan from the heat immediately. Residual heat will complete the final 20%. The finished menemen should be cloud-soft and just cohesive, never rubbery. Serve directly in the pan, at once.