Turkish mushrooms with scrambled eggs
Button mushrooms cooked until dry, tossed with butter and spring onion and folded through softly scrambled eggs: a fifteen-minute Turkish breakfast.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Serves
- 2
- Difficulty
- Easy
How do you make Turkish mushrooms with eggs (yumurtalı mantar)? In short: cook the mushrooms on their own over a high heat until their water has gone, lower the heat, add butter, then pour in the eggs and stir gently until just set.
Yumurtalı mantar is one of the quickest hot dishes on a Turkish breakfast table. Unlike menemen it has no tomato or pepper, and unlike an omelette the eggs aren't folded but cooked in soft curds with the mushrooms. If mushroom water stays in the pan, the eggs poach instead of scrambling, so everything depends on the first step.
Ingredients
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For the pan
Method
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Wipe the mushrooms with damp kitchen paper, trim the stem ends and slice thinly. Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl with a fork; don't salt them yet.
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Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over a high heat and add the mushrooms. Leave them for two minutes, then stir now and then for 7–8 minutes until they release their water and it has completely evaporated.
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Lower the heat, add the butter and spring onions and stir for a minute. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper.
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Pour in the eggs. Over a low heat, gently push them from the edge to the centre with a spatula; take the pan off the heat while the eggs are still slightly glossy, after about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with chilli flakes and serve at once.
Enjoy!
The mushroom in this recipe
Mushroom swaps
Oyster mushroom Pleurotus ostreatusTear it into strips; it releases less water and browns faster.
Tips
- Don't pile the mushrooms into a small pan; cook in two batches if needed.
- Take the eggs off the heat a little early; the hot pan finishes them.
- Add the butter at the end so it doesn't burn over the high heat.
Storage
Best eaten hot. Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 day; reheat briefly in a pan over a low heat.
Why mushrooms and eggs go watery
Button mushrooms are mostly water. If the eggs go in before that water has cooked off, it seeps between the curds, the plate turns watery and the eggs go rubbery. Cooking the mushrooms in a wide pan, in a single layer over a high heat, and waiting until no liquid is left, prevents this.
Salt is about timing too: salt on raw mushrooms makes them release water faster, and salt in the beaten eggs firms them up. We season the mushrooms only once they are browned.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make scrambled eggs with mushrooms?
Slice the mushrooms and cook them over a high heat until their water has evaporated, lower the heat, add butter, pour in the beaten eggs and stir gently for about two minutes.
Why are my mushrooms and eggs watery?
The eggs went in before the mushroom water had cooked off. Keep cooking until there is no liquid in the pan; a single layer over a high heat speeds this up.
When should I salt the mushrooms?
After they have browned. Early salt makes mushrooms release water, and salting the beaten eggs firms them up.
What is the difference from menemen?
Menemen has tomato and pepper and the eggs cook in a loose sauce. Yumurtalı mantar is just mushrooms, fat and eggs, so it is drier and tastes more of mushroom.
Which mushrooms work best?
White or chestnut button mushrooms are easiest. Oyster mushrooms and saffron milk caps also work; cut milk caps larger and cook them a few minutes longer.
Can I add cheese?
Yes. Scatter a handful of grated kaşar or mild cheddar over the eggs right after you pour them in and stir; take the pan off the heat once it melts.
How long does it take?
About fifteen minutes in total: 8–10 minutes for the mushrooms and about 2 minutes for the eggs over a low heat.
Comparable recipe: Yemek.com — Yumurtalı Mantar Tarifi
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Kitchen guides
Before you cook: clean, store, dry
How to clean mushroomsPractical ways to clean everything from button mushrooms to morels without waterlogging them or ruining their texture.
How to store mushroomsHow to keep fresh, cooked, frozen and dried mushrooms at their best — and how to tell when they’ve gone bad.
How to dry mushroomsA step-by-step guide to drying mushrooms at home in the oven, in a dehydrator or on a string — and how to store and rehydrate them.