Yeralma Yumurta – Potatoes and Eggs
Aug 07, 2017, Updated Apr 11, 2024
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Yeralma Yumurta – Potatoes and Eggs is a basic Persian dish from Tabriz in the northwest of Iran where my father was born. It’s one of the most famous street foods of the region.
Hello Hello my friends! How have you been?
If you are a regular reader of Unicorns in the Kitchen and follow us on Instagram, you may have noticed that changes have been happening in the last few weeks. We are trying to publish at least one Persian recipe every week with a video as it has always been our goal to show you how easy and simple it is to make Persian food at home without hassle or hunting for a special ingredient.
For sure, there are some Persian recipes that require saffron, barberries or dried Persian lime but there is a whole world of Persian recipes out there (which you can find in my cookbook) that can be made with whatever you have in your pantry and fridge right now and yeralma yumurta – potatoes and eggs is one of those recipes!
Yeralma Yumurta is a common street food from Tabriz in Northwest Iran, where my baba was born. It’s usually served as breakfast to give you all the energy you need to go through the day until lunch. The main ingredients are potatoes and eggs (duh!), salt and pepper, and the best part – butter! In Tabriz they usually put a good chunk of butter for every portion but I’m stingy with butter so I only used 2 tablespoons of butter for 3 servings.
For each person, we usually do one big potato and two eggs. Here I had big eggs and small potatoes and that’s how I ended up using four of each.
The simplest way to have potatoes and eggs is to mash them with butter and serve with dried mint and bread. I sometimes add a little bit of feta too but this is just a personal preference. If I add feta, I won’t add salt as feta itself has enough salt.
Notes and tips about making yeralma yumurta:
- You can bake the potatoes in the oven instead of boiling them.
- This dish is usually made with hot potatoes and eggs therefore the butter ends up melting while being mashed. If for any reason your potatoes and eggs are not hot enough, just add melted butter.
- You can store potatoes and eggs in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- This is a great school lunch for kids as well.
- You can always use fresh mint instead of dried mint. Chives will make this dish delicious, too.
I remember when I used to visit Tabriz, there were carts at almost every street with their seller yelling “Yeralma Yumurta!” and people gathering in front of the carts, enjoying their simple yet amazingly delicious street food. Persian food is not all about stews and kebab. Sometimes all you need is a good yeralma yumurta to just remember where you’ve come from.
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Looking for more Persian recipes?
- Maman’s Chicken Frittata -Kookooye Morgh
- Persian Appetizer Platter
- Persian Meat Patties- Kotlet
- Persian Sausage and Potato Skillet – Sosis Bandari
Yeralma Yumurta - Potatoes and Eggs
Ingredients
- 4 medium Potatoes
- 4 Eggs
- 2 tbsp Butter, softened
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- 1 tbsp Dried mint
- 1/2 tsp Crushed red pepper
To serve:
- Lavash bread
- Tomatoes
- Herbs
Instructions
- Place the potatoes in a pot, cover with water and boil until fully cooked.
- Place the eggs in a pot, cover with water. place on medium heat. Once the water starts boiling, turn the heat off. Cover the pot and let it sit for 12 minutes. You will have hard boiled eggs.
- Peel the potatoes and eggs, place them in a bowl and mash using a potato masher or a fork.
- Add in softened butter, salt and pepper and mash again.
- Serve in a bowl and top with dried mint and crushed red pepper. Serve with herbs, tomatoes and lavash bread.
Video
Notes
- You can bake the potatoes in the oven. Poke them with a fork, rub with olive oil and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes until fork tender.
- If your potatoes and eggs are not warm enough to melt the butter, you can melt the butter beforehand and add it to the mixture.
- You can use chopped fresh mint instead of dried mint.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I absolutely loved this! Such a comforting bowl and it felt so nourishing.