Levantine Eggs with Garlic Yogurt (Bayd bi Laban)
Bayd bi laban is one of the venerable home dishes of the Levant.
Sunny-side-up eggs reclining on garlic yogurt and bathed in mint ghee. Its speed and lightness made it a constant guest at Levantine Suhoor tables.
In the deep serving dish itself, whisk the yogurt with the crushed garlic and a pinch of salt until smooth. Leave it at room temperature. Cold yogurt from the fridge will shock the hot eggs.
In a pan, melt the ghee over medium-low heat and crack the eggs. Cook them until the white sets fully and the yolk stays soft, trembling slightly. About three minutes, with the edges an enticing golden.
With a wide spatula, gently move the hot eggs over the lake of garlic yogurt. The meeting of the hot and the lukewarm is the heart of this Levantine dish.
In the same pan, heat what is left of the ghee for a few seconds and add the dried mint; it sizzles and its aroma rises at once, then drizzle it over the eggs and yogurt in lines that open the appetite.
Eat it hot, dipping the bread into the yolk and the yogurt together. A bite that gathers warmth, tang, and aroma all at once.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Levantine Eggs with Yogurt and Garlic, and how to fix them:
We heated it on the stove or poured the eggs while the ghee oil was boiling violently. The yogurt never sees the fire in this dish.
Use less of it, or crush it with the salt into a fine paste so it spreads more gently.
The heat was high. Medium-low and three minutes keep it liquid and golden for dipping.
The ghee was smoking. Take the pan off the heat, then add the mint. The residual heat of the ghee is enough for it.
A dish of the moment. It is not prepped ahead nor stored.
Garlic yogurt keeps for a day in the fridge (take it out half an hour ahead), and the eggs are fried fresh at the time.
With all its ingredients.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunny-side-up eggs | Eggs boiled 6 minutes, cut into halves | 1:1 | For those who fear a runny yolk |
| Dried mint | Sweet smoked paprika in the ghee | 2 g | An Aleppo-style red version |
| Plain yogurt | Greek yogurt thinned with a spoon of water | 1:1 | Thicker and richer |
| Ghee | Olive oil | 1:1 | Lighter. It loses a little of the Levantine warmth |
| Ingredient | 2 servings | 1 serving | 4 servings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eggs | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| Yogurt | 300 g | 150 g | 600 g |
| Garlic | 8 g | 4 g | 16 g |
The yogurt's temperature is pivotal: cold from the fridge it breaks the pleasure of the dish, and heated on the stove it separates and curdles. Room temperature is the golden middle.
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