Strapatsada, counted
Στραπατσάδα, μετρημένη
Some Greek dishes need to be rebuilt before they fit a normal day. This is not one of them. Strapatsada is already a good meal — the only thing that ruins it is the oil, and only because nobody measures it.
What is already right about it
Eggs and tomatoes. That is protein and a large volume of something that is 18 calories per 100 g. A quarter kilo of tomatoes costs you about 45 calories and fills most of the pan, which is the exact structure every volume-eating article is trying to describe.
The oil
Olive oil is 884 calories per 100 g — the most calorie-dense thing in a Greek kitchen. A level tablespoon is around 119 calories. A free pour into a hot pan is commonly 30 to 40 g, which is 265 to 350.
That is not an argument against olive oil. It is an argument for a spoon. The same dish with 8 g of oil instead of 35 g tastes very nearly identical and is a meaningfully different breakfast.
The technique that matters
Cook the tomatoes down properly before the eggs go anywhere near the pan. Eight minutes, until the water has gone and what is left is thick. Wet tomato makes wet eggs, and wet eggs are why people add cheese to fix it.
Then: low heat, move them slowly, and take the pan off while they still look slightly underdone. They carry on cooking in their own heat. Every ruined egg in history was cooked too hot.
Strapatsada
Στραπατσάδα
The version with the oil weighed. Figures computed from the ingredients below.
Per serving, computed from the ingredients below. Figures vary with brand, cut and cooking — close, not exact.
What goes in- Egg165 g
- Tomato250 g
- Feta40 g
- Onion40 g
- Olive oil8 g
Herbs, spices, salt and pepper as you like — too small to count.
How- Grate the tomatoes and cook them down hard with the onion until the water has gone. Eight minutes, and do not rush it — wet tomato makes wet eggs.
- Beaten eggs in, heat low, move them slowly.
- Off the heat while still glossy, feta crumbled over, oregano.
Why it is built this way. The dish half of Greece eats in August, and it needs no rebuilding at all — three eggs, a quarter kilo of tomatoes and measured oil is already a good meal. The only common mistake is a pour of oil instead of a spoon.
Out of season, tinned chopped tomatoes reduced harder do the job and are usually better than a pale fresh one.
If you want the volume without the fat, two whole eggs plus a handful of whites keeps the pan full and takes out most of it.
Fourteen egg dishes, from strapatsada to a protein box that needs no reheating. Six eggs is a dinner for four.
18+. General information about food, not medical advice. EVZO is not run by dietitians, nutritionists or doctors. Not suitable during pregnancy or breastfeeding, with a history of disordered eating, or alongside a medically prescribed diet.