Narjissiya With Asparagus, Halloumi and Sumac

By Reem Kassis

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 4(662)
Notes: Read community notes

Narjissiya refers to any of several dishes found in medieval Arab cookery books made with sunny-side-up eggs. The word itself means “like narcissus,” a name likely chosen for the dish’s vibrant white and yellow colors, just like the narcissus (daffodil) flower. The ancient variations and ingredients were endless, from meat and broad beans to chickpeas and yogurt, but the choice of ingredients here — and bright flavors — are inspired by spring, and asparagus, which grows wild in the fields of the Levant. The citrusy sumac and olive oil complement asparagus and eggs, but their flavors do stand out, so use the best you can find.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings

For the Pita Croutons

75grams pita bread (about 1 medium pita), cut into bite-size pieces (or simply use a handful of pita chips)

For the Sumac Oil

1tablespoon good-quality sumac
2tablespoons good-quality extra-virgin olive oil

For the Yogurt

Scant ½ cup plain yogurt
¼teaspoon kosher salt

For the Eggs

2teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
5 to 6ounces halloumi, cut into bite-size cubes (about 1 cup) and dried well on paper towels
1(14-ounce) bunch asparagus (see Note), woody ends trimmed, chopped into 1-inch pieces (about 2 heaping cups)
½teaspoon kosher salt
1large or 2 small garlic cloves, crushed in a garlic press or minced
4eggs

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Prepare the pita croutons: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the pita pieces on a baking sheet in an even layer. Bake until the squares are completely dry and crisp, and starting to darken in color, about 10 to 15 minutes. (This step can be done a couple of days in advance, and the bread stored in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag. Or you can do it while you prep the rest of the dish. Skip this step if using the pita chips.)
Step 2
Meanwhile, prepare the sumac oil: Combine the sumac and olive oil in a small bowl and mix well.
Step 3
Prepare the yogurt: Mix together the yogurt and salt with 1 to 2 tablespoons water, just enough to get a thick drizzling consistency. Set aside.
Step 4
In a medium cast-iron (or non-stick) frying pan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium. Add the halloumi pieces in a single layer. Do not move them around or flip them over until any released water evaporates and pieces start to brown, about 2 minutes. Flip them over and cook for another minute until the other side is browned. Transfer to a small plate and set aside.
Step 5
To the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat over medium. Add the asparagus and salt and cook, tossing around, just until bright green and glossy, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute or so, just until fragrant.
Step 6
Crack the eggs over the asparagus. Return the halloumi cheese to the pan, dispersing it evenly over the whites and the asparagus, then cover the pan and cook until your desired level of doneness, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Step 7
To serve, scatter the pita croutons over the dish, then drizzle with the yogurt and sumac oil.

Tip

If you do not like asparagus, you can substitute it with an equal quantity (weight) of another spring vegetable, like fava beans, green beans, English peas or even spinach.

Ratings

4 out of 5

662 user ratings

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Kimberly3 years ago

Amazing, simple recipe that packs a flavor punch. The sumac oil was a revelation. Definitely guest worthy. A few notes, the fairly thick stalks of asparagus I had on hand steamed through by these timings. Next time I'll remember that halloumi tends to be pretty salty and have a lighter hand with the added salt. To make it stretch to leftovers, I roasted some potatoes with zataar and paprika as a side. Would also add sumac next time. We ended up mixing it all together.

christie3 years ago

Loved this! Adding it to our weeknight rotation. Squeeze of lemon went a long way. I also skipped the pita chips on mine and didn’t feel like I was missing anything. Felt like the portion was perfect for 2 people.

Dee3 years ago

Don’t make this unless you/family/friends will eat at one sitting, immediately. Even with freshly made eggs, the other ingredients don’t reheat well. Not a show stopper, but something to keep in mind before you go through the effort.

shoshana3 years ago

I made this with green beans and zucchini, and garnished with parsley. No notes, this was extremely delicious!!

Tamara3 years ago

This was delicious. I had an 8-oz. piece of halloumi so I increased the quantity of vegetables by adding about a cup of snow peas along with the asparagus. Also topped with eggs fried separately since I planned to save half the veggies for another meal. Garnished with a little chopped fresh mint.

Yvette3 years ago

This was a lovely light dinner for two. Might add some potatoes or extra veggies to make it a bit more robust.

Brian3 years ago

This was wonderful and easy. We made about 1.5x the recipe, with 6 eggs, and a lot of asparagus as it's in season now. I used sea salt pita chips instead of making my own. I was able to get Halloumi at Wegman's; it seems like Oaxaca cheese might be a workable substitute if you can't, though it's not flavorful. Thanks for posting this!

Lindsay H3 years ago

I really enjoyed this - a light spring meal, but with the egg and the halloumi it doesn’t feel like diet food. The salted yogurt sauce really makes it shine. Very satisfying.

A.L.2 months ago

Too salty for me as written, next time I will not add salt to the yogurt or the asparagus - the halloumi is salty enough for everything else in the dish! Otherwise it’s a simple stunner, I’m very excited to make it again and play around with the veggies/flavors (I’m imagining broccoli and smoked paprika will be great)

TJ2 months ago

Delicious! Would be good over some fluffy long-grain rice to soak up the lovely sauce.

Tricia2 months ago

I was eager to try this vivid spice that is new to me, but it turns out I don’t like the flavor/aroma of sumac AT ALL. Anyone have an idea for a different spice or spice combo that could make this dish pop?

AK2 months ago

I really wanted to love this dish. I made it as suggested, and added a bit of baby spinach. My husband and I found the flavours didn't meld well. I wouldn't recommend this recipe, and won't be making it again.

KJ2 months ago

I was dubious that this would have enough flavor, but it was stellar. Made exactly as directed except for a squeeze of lemon and adding a cup of cooked quinoa to make it more substantial.

KT2 months ago

tossed cubed pita with olive oil, sumac, urfa biber, granulated garlic & popped in convection oven [would be great in air fryer], tossing a few times. did relatively thick slabs of about 10 cloves of garlic [roughly 1/4], and added them to the pan first before the asparagus. tossed a bit more sumac and urfa biber on before adding the eggs, and before serving ground some smoked peppercorns on top of the eggs. ended up with left over sumac oil and thinned out yogurt(w garlic instead of salt). mmm!

CAA Mn3 months ago

Five of us enjoyed this greatly for an Easter brunch. I had 8 ounces of halloumi and extra asparagus, so upped the quantities of most everything to ensure we had enough I also added mint to the yogurt sauce (dried). There were no leftovers!

Susan4 months ago

Didn't have any halloumi at the time so subbed in feta. Yum. I intended to buy the halloumi at Trader Joe's that day but was surprised to find they didn't have any because did you know it is one of those SEASONAL INGREDIENTS!? They don't sell frozen puff pastry in the Spring either because it is a SEASONAL INGREDIENT. Who are these people? I love an asparagus tart with a salad of snap peas, radishes and halloumi, but no they won't help me do it.

sabina4 months ago

OMG this is good

Jen H.4 months ago

Wonderful supper! Don't be shy with the sumac oil - I gave everything a light drizzle and ended up going back for more - it adds such a lovely, smoky, lemony pop to everything. I also added peas to bulk it up a bit, which went beautifully with the asparagus and made it slightly heartier. Will go into the rotation!

Lee D.4 months ago

Delicious! I found that it's best to cook the asparagus in two batches because otherwise it crowds the pan.

Michelle Landry4 months ago

Quick, healthy, and delicious! My thoughts: if you don't like a crispy bottom egg like me is to place the egg as much as possible on the asparagus. And the yolk goes from runny to hard in less than a minute so stay close. I will definitely make this and try different veggies and will double the sumac oil which was amazing!

Amy K4 months ago

Is whole yogurt used or could a Greek nonfat yogurt work? Thanks!

Elisha1 year ago

I had to take this to a pot luck an hour from home. I ended up making it like a cold salad. the only differences were using hard boiled eggs cut into quarters, and using a smoky cheese instead of the fried halloumi. so to prepare, I made all of the components (oil, yogurt, pita chips, asparagus), chopped the cheese and eggs. I put the asparagus, cheese, eggs and pita in a 9 x 13 dish, and then topped with yogurt and oil. People raved! I have been asked for the recipe several times.

b1 year ago

Simple and tasty. I served it over some garlicky hummus and arugula, with tons of the yogurt sauce. Some soft pita to mop it up might be better than the pita chips.

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