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Spiced Turkey Mince and Poached Eggs on Garlic Yogurt with Chilli Oil

Cool garlic yogurt topped with cumin-spiced turkey mince, soft poached eggs and a drizzle of paprika chilli oil, with warm wholemeal pitta to scoop it up. A high-protein dinner with 57g of protein, ready in 20 minutes.

Dinner

20

Serves 2

A white plate of garlic yogurt topped with spiced mince and poached eggs, drizzled with red chilli oil and scattered with fresh dill, with triangles of warm flatbread around the edge

Ingredients

  • 200g/7oz 0% fat Greek yogurt (take it out of the fridge when you start)
  • 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
  • 1 tbsp (15ml) olive oil, divided
  • 250g/9oz lean turkey mince (5% fat)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tbsp (15g) tomato purée (paste) mixed with 3 tbsp (45ml) water
  • 4 medium eggs, as fresh as possible
  • About 1 litre/4 cups boiling water from the kettle, plus 1 tsp white wine vinegar (optional), for poaching
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes (or pul biber) and ½ tsp smoked paprika, for the chilli oil
  • A few sprigs of dill (about 5g), chopped
  • 2 wholemeal pittas (about 60g/2oz each)
  • ¼ tsp salt, divided, and a pinch of black pepper

Method

  1. Boil the kettle and pour about 1 litre of the water into a wide, deep frying pan or sauté pan, at least 5cm/2in deep. Add the vinegar if using and keep at a gentle simmer over a low to medium heat. Mix the yogurt with the garlic and a pinch of the salt.
  2. Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a frying pan (skillet) over a medium to high heat. Add the turkey mince and cook for 5 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned. Stir in the cumin, sweet paprika, the tomato purée mixture, the rest of the salt and the pepper and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, until thick and the mince is cooked through with no pink meat (75°C on a probe thermometer, if you have one). Keep warm over a low heat.
  3. Crack each egg into a cup and gently slide them into the simmering water, spaced apart. Poach for 3 to 4 minutes, until the whites are set and the yolks still soft, then lift out with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper.
  4. Meanwhile, warm the pittas in a toaster and cut into triangles. Put the remaining 2 tsp oil, the chilli flakes and smoked paprika in a small heatproof bowl and microwave for 20 to 30 seconds, until the oil turns red and smells fragrant.
  5. Spread the garlic yogurt over two plates, spoon the mince on top and add 2 poached eggs to each. Drizzle with the chilli oil, scatter with dill and serve with the warm pitta.

Why it works

A plate gives you about 57g of protein for 621 calories, from the turkey, eggs and yogurt.

Garlic yogurt as a base. Mixing yogurt with garlic and salt makes a simple sauce that works as the base of a meal. This plate is inspired by Turkish çılbır, poached eggs on garlic yogurt with spiced butter; we add spiced mince to make it a filling dinner and use olive oil instead of butter. Use the yogurt at room temperature so it does not cool the hot mince and eggs.

Why it is tagged for testosterone. Turkey and eggs are complete proteins, and eggs provide some vitamin D. With this much protein, it suits a training day.

Why it is tagged for blood sugar. The pitta brings most of the 36g of carbohydrate, balanced by the large amount of protein from the mince, eggs and yogurt.

Contains milk, eggs and wheat (gluten). If you are pregnant, the NHS says eggs with a red lion stamp, or eggs produced under the British Lion scheme, are safe to eat with runny yolks; otherwise cook the eggs until the yolks are set. For a vegetarian breakfast version, try the Turkish eggs with garlic yogurt.