My country/ Cuisine(Local Dishes)
Would you like to know Turkey,, Turkish Cuisine
Would you like to know Turkish Dishes??
We have rich Turkish cuisine. Would you like to know some of them?
Pan Seared Coconut Halibut (Tavada Hindistan Cevizli Halibut)
1 lb halibut fillets
1/2 tsp salt to taste
A pinch of paprika
1 tsp lemon juice
2-3 Tbsp coconut oil, for frying
To prepare the fish, rub with salt and lemon juice. Heat the coconut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add fish to pan and cook each side 3-4 minutes depending on the thickness of the fillets. Sprinkle the paprika over the sizzling oil in the pan after turning each side of the fillets. Cook until the fish flakes easily with the fork.
Serve
Quince Compote (Ayva Kompostosu)
2 medium size quince
½ cup sugar
4 cups water
2-3 cloves, optional
1 cinnamon stick, optional
Wash the quince and remove the seeds. Chop them up equally and transfer to a pot. Add the sugar, water and if desired cloves and cinnamon as well. Let the sugar dissolve over medium heat stirring occasionally. Then, once it boils, turn the heat down and cook until the quince gets soft.
You may adjust the water and sugar amount according to your like.
Serve either cold or lukewarm.
P.S. For additional health benefits (vitamins and minerals) add the seeds in and cook with them. You may remove them before consumption.
2 lb eggplant, washed (preferably thin ones)
2-3 banana peppers/1 green bell pepper, cut in bite sizes
3-4 medium tomatoes, sliced round
2/3 cup canola oil for frying
Tooth picks
For the Meatloaf:
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1 onion, chopped finely
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced/grated
1 tsp salt to taste
½ tsp black pepper
For the sauce:
1 cup crushed/grated tomatoes
1 tbsp oil
A pinch of salt and sugar to taste
1/3 cup hot water
Wash and peel the eggplants in strip shapes or totally. Slice them lengthwise 1/3 inch thick. Then soak them in water or salt and leave them with salt for about 15 minutes.
In a frying pan, fry both sides of eggplant slices lightly. Leave aside. In a bowl, combine all of the meatloaf ingredients and knead with your hands till the mixture gets thick. Then, grab plum size pieces and round them in your palms.
Preheat the oven to 400 F (200 C). Place the meatloaves in a Pyrex Dish and bake for 15-18 minutes till they are cooked. Take out and let them cool.
In a small bowl, place two eggplant slices perpendicular to each other like a cross. Then, place the meatloaf in the middle and wrap it with the eggplant slices. Grab it and place upside down over a tray or Pyrex. First put tomato and then pepper on top and insert a toothpick. Bake for 15-20 minutes in the 400 F (200 C) oven.
Meanwhile, place oil and crushed tomatoes in a small pan and sauté for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Stir in salt, sugar and water. Cook over low heat till the sauce thickens (about 5 minutes).
Spoon the sauce over a serving plate and place Islim Kebab over. Serve warm.
ENJOY
Okra with Olive Oil (Zeytinyagli Bamya)
1 lb okra
1 cup tomato, finely diced
2 carrots, julienne cut
1 big onion, sliced thin
½ lemon’s juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt to taste
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp sugar
½ cup hot water
Place the carrot on the bottom of a pot and cover with the cleaned okra. Then cover the okra with thinly sliced onions. Add the tomatoes, lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt, sugar, and black pepper. Pour the hot water and cook over low heat covered (for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked).
Serve either warm or cold.
ENJOY
The Imam Fainted-Turkish Ratatouille (Imam Bayildi)
This French dish called byaldi, a version of Ratatouille, has actually its origin in a Turkish dish: Imam Bayıldı, “the imam fainted”. It is a traditional Ottoman Dish with olive oil.
2 lb eggplant
1 big onion, sliced round/chopped
2-3 tomatoes, diced/grated or 1 ½ cup crushed tomato
2-3 green peppers/bell peppers
4-5 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/3 bunch of parsley, chopped
1-2 cup canola oil for frying
2 tbsp olive oil
1tsp+1 tsp salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
½ tsp black pepper
1/3 cup hot water
1 lemon’s juice
Wash eggplants and peel them striped. Take the green parts without damaging the tops. If eggplants are small and thin; fry them over high heat (Frying whole eggplants over high heat, prevents them to absorb much oil). Place them over a paper towel and then arrange over an oven tray. With a spoon cut them lengthwise and open. Sprinkle 1 tsp of salt all over.
If eggplants are large (like the ones in USA); cut them in 2 or 3 pieces lengthwise. Then fry both sides over high heat. And then place over a paper towel. Arrange them over an oven tray and sprinkle 1 tsp salt all over.
Chop half of the peppers. In a skillet, sauté onions with olive oil. Then stir in garlic and chopped pepper. Saute for 2-3 minutes and add tomatoes, sugar and salt. Cook over low-medium heat till the mixture gets thick. Stir in parsley and black pepper and turn the heat off.
Fill eggplants with the mixture evenly. Slice the remaining peppers in strips and arrange over the eggplants.
Preheat the oven 400 F (200 C) and pour 1/3 cup hot water in tray. Drizzle lemon juice over eggplants and cook for 10-15 minutes.
Serve Turkish Ratatouille warm or cold as you like.
ENJOY
Stuffed Artichokes with Olive Oil (Zeytinyagli Enginar Dolmasi)
4 fresh whole artichokes
1 cup rice, washed and drained
1 onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
3-4 pieces green onions, chopped
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp dried mint
¼ tsp black pepper
1 lemon’s juice
1/3 cup olive oil
Cut the stalks of the artichokes and remove the tips of the leaves with scissors. Remove the bottom layer of the leaves as well. Open the middle of the artichokes and remove the purple hairy part with a teaspoon. Drizzle some lemon juice in the middle part to prevent browning.
Mix all the stuffing ingredients and fill the artichokes starting from the middle and going towards the outer leaves. Open up the leaves and try to fill in each leaf even though it is not much. Place them in a pot and fill it with hot water until the half of the artichokes. Add some salt and lemon into the water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 1-1 ½ hours. Occasionally, spoon some water and pour over the artichokes to prevent them from drying.
Serve them either hot or warm. Start eating from the outer leaves and go toward the middle. Place each leaf in between your teeth, pull out and eat the bottom part.
ENJOY
Purslane Salad (Semizotu Salatasi)
½ lb fresh purslane, washed and drained
1 medium white/red onion, sliced round
1 cup cherry tomatoes/ small tomatoes sliced round
2-3 tbsp lemon juice/1 tbsp vinegar
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp salt to taste
Chop the purslane in 1 inch pieces or tear them off with your hands. Discard the thick parts of stalks. Place tomatoes, onions and chopped purslane over a serving plate.
Meanwhile, mix lemon juice/vinegar, olive oil and salt in a small bowl. Pour all over the salad and mix them all.
Serve Purslane Salad with any kinds of meat, chicken, fish or vegetable dish.
ENJOY