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Biberli Ekmek – Turkish Pepper Bread

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Biberli Ekmek, originating from Hatay in southern Turkey, is a soft, savory flatbread enhanced with walnuts, sesame, traditional spices and spicy red pepper paste. Hatay cuisine is well known for its use of rich, unique spices, a wide array of flavourful kebabs, and the distinctly Turkish dessert: künefe.
The recipe is good for two large flatbread or 8 smaller ones like the way I did here. Enjoy them as breakfast, an afternoon snack, or alongside with a fresh seasonal salad or soup for a satisfying meal.

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Güvec – Turkish Beef and Vegetable Stew

Saturday, September 13, 2025

A Güvec is a Turkish clay pot in which the Güvec stew of meat and/or vegetables the same name is prepared. This means that all the ingredients are simply layered on top of each other and cooked together in the pot. However, you can also prepare it in a slow cooker to achieve the same effect. A dutch oven works just great too. When cooking in a Güveç pot or slow cooker, use very little or no stock in the dish as it tastes better when everything cooks in their own juices. If you make this in a dutch oven, add 100-200 ml of beef stock, so it won’t dry up. There is no standard recipe for this dish as the ingredients vary according to region and taste. A typical Güveç might include tender chunks of meat such as lamb, beef, or chicken. Though there are also plenty of seafood versions or vegetarian options featuring an array of fresh vegetables, the most traditional version is made with lamb or beef. Common additions include onions, garlic, bell peppers, tomatoes, aubergines, green beans and potatoes. Some variations also include legumes such as chickpeas or beans. Serve it with rice, bulgur or flatbread to mop up the sauce.

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Öcce - Turkish Herby Fritters

Thursday, August 14, 2025

These simple herbs loaded fritters, served with an even simpler garlicky yoghurt sauce, are from South-Eastern Turkey. I used chickpea flour to make them gluten free, but you definitely can use plain flour if you have no issues with gluten. Serve them hot while still very crispy, but they are very tasty even warm or cold.

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Tahinli Çörek Turkish Sesame Roll

Sunday, November 10, 2024

Tahinli çörek or simply tahini roll/bun is an absolute must for every fan of yeast dough! You probably know Swedish cinnamon rolls, don't you? The wonderfully fragrant tahinli çörek shares the similar concept, but is filled with a mixture of sesame paste and xylitol or caster sugar. This combination gives the bun a delicate nutty flavour and paired with an enriched tender yeast dough is simply melt-in-the-mouth delicious. The best accompaniment is a Turkish coffee which balance out the sweetness fantastically with the bitterness. You can make 6-8 small tahini buns from the dough like orginal recipe or make two big ones that I made here to share and enjoy with tea or coffee.

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Turkish Adana Kebab

Monday, September 16, 2024

Adana kebab is a Turkish dish (from the city of Adana in the south of Turkey) consisting of well-seasoned minced lamb, which is prepared on a skewer and grilled over a charcoal fire. They are usually long and flat. I guess I will have to settle for an approximation of the original and work on flattening them even more next time. Fortunately, those are pretty tasty too even though I cooked them on a grill skillet and therefore lack of a hint of the smokiness from the coals! Traditionally, they are served with lavash (again I used regular flatbread), a type of Turkish flatbread, garlicky yoghurt sauce (I used tzatziki) and red onion salad with lots of parsley and sumac. For the salad, I just mixed red onion slices, roughly chopped tomatoes and chopped parsley with some lemon juice and sumac.

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Mercimek Köftesi Turkish Red Lentil Koftas

Sunday, July 07, 2024

Prepared mainly with red lentils, fine bulgur and some spices and herbs, mercimek köftesi, aka Turkish red lentil koftas, are easy to make, and as comforting as they are delicious. They are great as a snack, breakfast or even as a main. Onion and spring onions are essential ingredients for mercimek köftesi, so don't skip them. Shape them any form you like, I just squeeze the mixture between the fingers and palm..easy peasy!

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Turkish Charred Onion Salad with Sumac and Parsley

Friday, June 21, 2024

The salad is deliciously sharp, tangy and smokey and is also especially excellent with grilled fish, lahmacun or doner kebab and flat bread. You can make this completely raw with thinly sliced onions. Toss in some fresh tomatoes if desired.
Sumac, made from pulverized dried sumac berries, is a spice that is commonly used in many Middle Eastern countries. It tastes like fresh lemon juice and adds a bright red colour to a dish.

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Turkish Simit with A Twist

Saturday, May 15, 2021

Simit, Turkish sesame bread ring, is the most well-known and popular street food in Turkey. The dough is first twisted and shaped into a ring, then dipped in a grape molasses solution diluted with water, which helps the seeds stick to the simit and gives them a hint of sweetness. It's crusty, filling and very tasty. Great as a breakfast with butter, cheese and olives, or as an easy lunch with a bowl of soup or simply plain. However, I thought I would experiement it with some beet juice and poppy seeds instead of the more traditional sesame seeds. I guess not all the Turkish friends would approve, but it's FUN. So why not? Sunflower seeds and pepitas would be great as the coating too.

Dough	Topping
170 ml Luke-warm water 30 ml Beetroot juice 12 g Fresh yeast (or 5 g dried yeast) 350 g All purpose flour (I use German#550) 1 tsp Sea salt	4 tbsp Molasses (use grape molasses if you could find some) 3 tbsp Water Poppy seeds

Mix water, beetroot juice and yeast in a bowl. Leave for 5-10 minutes for the yeast to activate.
Mix the flour and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add in yeast mixture. Mix on slow speed for 3-4 minutes until the dough comes together. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough becomes smooth and elastic, about 5-6 minutes.
Turn out the dough and shape into a ball. Return to the bowl and cover with a plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel. Set aside to proof for 45-60 minutes.
Mix the molasses and water in a bowl until well combined. Divide the dough into 8 even portions. Roll each portion into a 45cm long rope. Take two dough ropes and place them alongside one another. Braid them together and squeeze the two ends together to form a ring. Repeat with the remaining ropes to make 4 simits.
Preheat the oven to 220C/430F. Dip each bread ring into the molasses mixture and coat with poppy seeds. Place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and set aside for 10 minutes.
Bake for about 18 minutes until nicely golden brown and cooked through. Enjoy it with butter while they are still warm.