Bayd w Banadoura
بيض وبندورة·(bayd w ba-na-dou-ra)
Subhiyya: Slow Saturday Mornings
If you ask a Lebanese kid about Bayd w Banadoura, their eyes glaze over with a very specific kind of nostalgia. Let's get one thing straight: this is not Shakshuka. It’s an exercise in village minimalism. No bell peppers, no cumin, no filler. Just the patience to scorch tomatoes in hot fat until they surrender their water and turn into a rich, sweet jam, marbled beautifully with soft-scrambled eggs. You don't plate it, and you certainly don't use a fork—you scoop it straight from the hot skillet with warm pita.
Before you start
Grate the tomatoes to leave the skins behind.
Place a box grater inside a large bowl. Rub the cut side of each fresh tomato half against the large holes. The flesh will instantly pulp into the bowl, leaving the tough skin flat in your palm to be discarded.
Ingredients
- fresh plum or beefsteak tomatoes4 med
- unsalted butter1 tbsp
- extra-virgin olive oil1 tbsp
- garlic1 large clove
- Kosher salt1/2 tsp
- black pepper1/4 tsp
- Lebanese 7-Spice or ground cinnamon1/8 tsp
- eggs4 large
- fresh parsley1 small handful
- thin Lebanese pita bread3 med
Method
- 01
Scorch the aromatics.
Place a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter. Once the butter is melted and foaming, add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant—do not let it brown.
- 02
Fry the tomatoes into a jam.
Carefully pour the grated tomatoes into the hot fat. Add the salt, black pepper, and 7-spice. Keep the heat at medium-high and fry the tomatoes for 5 to 8 minutes, squishing them with a wooden spoon until the watery liquid bubbles away and reduces into a dark, thick paste.
- 03
Fold in the eggs.
Lower the heat to medium-low. Pour the beaten eggs directly over the bubbling tomato jam and let it sit untouched for 15 seconds. Using a wooden spoon, gently fold and swirl the eggs through the tomatoes to create distinct, soft curds marbled with the dark red jam.
- 04
Pull from the heat while still wet.
Remove the skillet from the heat after about 2 to 3 minutes, while the eggs are still slightly wet and glistening. The residual heat of the pan will carry-over cook them to perfection.
- 05
Serve immediately from the skillet.
Place the pan directly in the center of the table on a trivet, garnish with chopped parsley, and dig in using torn pieces of warm pita bread.
Notes
The tomato hack.
If fresh, deeply ripe tomatoes are out of season, substitute 1 1/2 cup of high-quality canned whole peeled tomatoes. Crush them thoroughly by hand. Do not use pre-diced canned tomatoes, as they are treated with calcium chloride to hold their shape and will never melt into the required jammy consistency.
Mind the egg temperature.
Using eggs straight from the fridge will drastically drop the temperature of the tomato sauce, leading to uneven cooking and a watery separation in the pan.
From Cook Lebanese in America.