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Eggs with khlii
Bid bel khlii: Fez's breakfast of eggs fried in the spiced fat of preserved beef
Old Fassi households keep a jar of khlii in the cold for exactly this: a spoonful of its spiced fat warmed in a small pan, a few strands of the dried beef crisped in it, then eggs cracked straight on top. The whites set lacy and savoury from the cumin and coriander in the fat, the yolks stay soft, and the beef shards turn chewy-crisp like the best bacon bits. It is eaten on a weekend morning or on a cold day with warm khobz or msemen torn into the pan, alongside mint tea. Use khlii made by our safer oven-dried, fridge-stored method, and if you cook for anyone pregnant, very young or vulnerable, fry the eggs until the yolks are firm. Chef's tip: warm the khlii fat gently before the eggs go in; too hot and the meat burns bitter before the whites have set.
- Total time
- 13 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (2)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Put 2 tbsp khlii fat in a small frying pan or a clay tagine over a low heat and let it melt until clear and just shimmering.
2 minStep 2: Add 2 ⅞ oz khlii (Moroccan preserved beef) and stir over a medium-low heat until the strands sizzle, darken a shade and smell toasty. Keep stirring: khlii scorches quickly.
3 minStep 3: Spread the meat out and crack 4 eggs over it, keeping the yolks whole. Cover with a lid.
1 minStep 4: Cook over a low heat until the whites are fully set and opaque with crisp edges, 3–4 minutes for soft yolks or 6 minutes for firm. A common mistake is turning up the heat to hurry them: the bottoms burn while the tops stay raw, so keep it low and covered.
5 minStep 5: Sprinkle with ¼ tsp ground cumin, 1 pinch salt and 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley and bring the pan to the table to eat straight away with warm bread.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 1 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does eggs with khlii take?
- About 13 minutes in total: 3 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of ground cumin?
- Cumin seeds, toasted and ground.
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