The Dance of Tomatoes: How We Filmed Our Shakshuka

Some dishes fight you. Shakshuka is one of them. It’s not just tomatoes, garlic, and eggs simmering in a pan—it’s a storm of steam, bubbling sauces, and fragile yolks that refuse to hold still. My wife and I knew from the start this shoot would test our patience. And it did. By the end of the first day, we had cooked more tomatoes than most kitchens go through in a week. But when we finally captured the perfect moment of an egg sliding into its little nest of sauce, it felt like pure magic.

The making of Shakshuka was a choreography between us, the pan, and the camera. Steam fogged the lens faster than we could wipe it, and the tomato sauce threatened to splatter in every direction. Timing was everything. If I moved the camera too soon, the yolk broke. Too late, and the steam swallowed the scene. We must have repeated that sequence ten, maybe twelve times, laughing and swearing in equal measure. But the truth is, those imperfect takes are what make the process fun.

A Kitchen Full of Steam and Laughter

Our small studio turned into a sauna. Every time we covered the pan to let the tomatoes soften, a cloud of steam poured out, wrapping the entire set in a foggy haze. At one point, my wife stood on a stool waving a piece of cardboard to redirect the steam away from the lens, while I adjusted focus on the control monitor. We looked ridiculous, but it worked. And when the egg whites finally set while the yolks stayed gloriously golden, we cheered like kids.

Cinematic food is a strange world—you can’t eat the shot, but you still want it to taste real. That’s why we redo things over and over: to capture texture, heat, and flavor on film. When garlic hits hot oil, the sizzle is music. When tomatoes break down into sauce, it’s poetry. And when the eggs slide into the pan just right, it’s cinema.

Reinventing Familiar Dishes

Shakshuka is humble, everyday food. But that’s exactly why we wanted to shoot it like a movie. There’s beauty in the simple: the deep red of simmering tomatoes, the glossy whites turning opaque, the contrast of spices swirling in the sauce. To highlight those details, we experimented with angles and movements until each ingredient had its close-up moment. One of my favorites was using the snorkel lens to skim right across the bubbling surface—like diving into the sauce itself.

For us, each episode is a chance to push our creativity further. We don’t just cook—we tell stories about food, using the camera like a pen. Shakshuka reminded us that even the simplest dishes can look epic if you’re willing to put in the work (and cook six pans of tomatoes in a single afternoon).

Why We Keep Doing This

Every shoot has its challenges, but the joy is always the same. My wife and I laugh through the chaos, celebrate small victories, and share late-night meals made from whatever’s left on set. When we finally plated the finished Shakshuka, yolks glistening against the spicy tomato base, we knew we had something special. It wasn’t just another dish—it was a story told in steam, light, and patience.

Watch it here (again) - https://youtu.be/Bja2EtEQXbc