Quick answer: Madagascar turmeric, pepper and pili-pili chilli are each used differently with egg: a pinch of turmeric colours and flavours scrambled eggs, a turn of the pepper mill lifts a soft boiled egg, and a touch of pili-pili mixes into beaten eggs. It is best to start with very little.
An egg has a mild, neutral taste, which makes it an easy base to flavour. Across the world, cuisines spice it in very different ways: a pinch of turmeric in scrambled eggs, a poached egg in a spiced tomato sauce, a hard boiled egg simmered in a curry sauce, or simply a turn of the pepper mill over a soft boiled egg. This page presents several ways to pair Madagascar turmeric, pepper and pili-pili chilli with egg, without straying from everyday cooking.
Turmeric, for colour and for flavour
Turmeric has long been used as a natural food colouring, on top of its role as a spice: its yellow pigment tints a dish without needing much of it. In scrambled eggs or an omelette, a small pinch added at the same time as the beaten eggs gives a more golden hue and a slightly earthy flavour, without overpowering the taste of the egg. It is best to start with very little: turmeric colours quickly, and too generous a dose takes over the rest of the dish.
In some versions of shakshuka, this dish of eggs poached in a tomato sauce born in the Maghreb and now widespread across North Africa, the Middle East and Israel, turmeric joins cumin and paprika in the sauce, along with pepper, onion and garlic. A tomato sauce simply spiced with turmeric and a touch of pili-pili chilli follows the same principle: the eggs cook directly in the hot sauce, covered, until the white is set and the yolk still runny.
Egg simmered in a curry sauce
On the Indian subcontinent, hard boiled eggs are also prepared as a curry: the eggs, already cooked, then simmer in a sauce of onion, tomato and spices, long enough to take on the taste of the sauce without firming up much further. With our Madagascar curry, the idea stays simple: sauté the onion and the curry in a little oil, add the tomato, let it simmer for a few minutes, then place the hard boiled eggs, cut in half, into the hot sauce just before serving, so they warm through without overcooking.
Pepper on egg, in all simplicity
A soft boiled egg, a fried egg or a poached egg is often all the better for a turn of the pepper mill at serving time. Black pepper brings a bold, biting edge; white pepper, rounder, shows up less to the eye on an egg white and suits a pale dish such as a soft boiled egg coated in a pale sauce. Wild pepper, more fragrant, pairs with a simply buttered egg, with no other seasoning to mask its aroma. In all three cases, it is best to grind just before serving rather than using pepper already ground ahead of time.
Pili-pili chilli, in the smallest touch
Pili-pili chilli pairs well with egg, as long as very little is used: a touch mixed into beaten eggs before scrambling them, or a pinch sprinkled over a fried egg just before serving, is enough to lift the dish without making it too strong. As with pepper, it is best to taste as you go and adjust, rather than adding the chilli all at once.
Where our spices come from
Our family grows turmeric, black pepper, white pepper and pili-pili chilli in Vangaindrano, in south east Madagascar; wild pepper is gathered there in the forest, it is not cultivated.
To find out more about each spice, our dedicated pages cover turmeric, peppers and berries and pili-pili chilli from Madagascar.
Frequently asked questions
How to use turmeric with scrambled eggs?
A small pinch added at the same time as the beaten eggs gives a more golden hue and a slightly earthy flavour, without overpowering the taste of the egg; it is best to start with very little.
Which pepper to choose for egg?
Black pepper brings a bold, biting edge, rounder white pepper suits a pale dish such as a soft boiled egg, and wild pepper pairs with a simply buttered egg.
How to prepare a hard boiled egg curry?
Hard boiled eggs, already cooked, are placed cut in half into an onion and tomato curry sauce just before serving, long enough to warm through without overcooking.
How much pili-pili chilli to use with egg?
In a very small quantity: a touch mixed into beaten eggs before scrambling them, or a pinch sprinkled over a fried egg just before serving, tasting and adjusting as you go.
Our products to go further: Madagascar turmeric · Madagascar black pepper · Madagascar white pepper · Madagascar wild pepper · Madagascar pili-pili chilli
The Vanille Désiré team
