North Africa (Tunisia, Libya) and Middle East; name from Arabic 'all mixed up'; popularised globally via Israeli breakfast culture c. 20th century.
Shakshuka without eggs is not an absence — it is a revelation about the sauce itself. The original dish, beloved across North Africa and the Middle East, centres eggs poached in a spiced tomato-pepper base. Remove the eggs and the sauce becomes the star: a deeply reduced, slow-cooked amalgam of capsicum, tomato, onion, cumin, paprika, and harissa that can stand alone as a rich, complex stew. The vegan version is often bolder, because without the eggs' creamy neutralising effect, the sauce's spice and acidity come forward fully. Serve with flatbread or challah-style bread to mop the sauce, or ladle over polenta or white beans. Chickpeas added to the sauce make a complete, protein-rich meal with no egg required. This preparation also demonstrates a universal truth: removing an element forces you to develop what remains, and often produces a deeper, more intentional result.
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- 400g Canned San Marzano DOP tomatoes — crushed
- 200g Firm tofu — block, cubed 2cm
- 100g Onion — diced
- 60g Bell pepper — red, diced
- 40g Garlic — minced
- 30ml Extra virgin olive oil — Frantoio
- 20g Tomato paste — concentrate
- 15g Cumin seeds
- 10g Aleppo pepper
- 8g Maldon sea salt
- 4g Tellicherry black pepper
- 2 bay leaves — Turkish
- 1 teaspoon Paprika — Pimentón de la Vera
- Toast cumin seeds in heavy-bottomed pan for 2 minutes until fragrant; grind coarsely.
- Heat Frantoio olive oil; sauté onion and bell pepper until softened (6 minutes), then add minced garlic.
- Stir in tomato paste and ground cumin; cook 2 minutes to caramelize edges.
- Add crushed San Marzano tomatoes, bay leaves, and Pimentón; simmer 10 minutes to marry flavours.
- Gently fold in cubed tofu; season with Maldon salt, Tellicherry pepper, and Aleppo pepper.
- Simmer covered for 8 minutes until tofu absorbs sauce; adjust seasoning and serve warm with crusty bread.
- Add a tablespoon of pomegranate molasses at the finish — it adds a sweet-sour depth that is distinctly Middle Eastern and lifts the entire sauce
- Smoked paprika plus a touch of chipotle gives a North African-leaning complexity without straying from the dish's spirit
- For a filling protein element without eggs: soft silken tofu pressed into the sauce in the final minutes, or torn strips of firm tofu pan-fried and nestled in