Fatih Sultan Mehmed's favorite lamb dish

I was searching about what to cook from the Ottoman Kitchen and I discovered Mutancana, which is a lamb dish cooked with dry fruits and almond. As I read more about it, I learnt that it was the favorite dish of Fatih Sultan Mehmed (the conqueror of Istanbul). It was cooked in the palace kitchen during the 15th century, a few days every week, and the sultan used to eat it with keşkek (http://thadailynews.blogspot.com/2012/06/keskek-recipe.html)

Although it seems a difficult dish to cook, the result is definitely worth your effort.



Ingredients

1 kg lamb, cut into cubes
20-25 pearl onions, peeled
1 cup fresh grapes
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup dry figs, cut in julienne
1/2 cup dry apricots, cut in julienne
2 tb sp butter
1 tb sp sumac
1 tb sp flour
1 tb sp honey
1 tb sp vinegar
2 cup hot water
Salt
Black Pepper

Method:

Cook the lamb cubes with butter until their color turns brownish, then add the pearl onions. Cook for 10 mins.

Add sumac, sprinkle flour on the lamb, add hot water and vinegar.

Cover and cook it around 40-50 mins until the meat gets softer. Then add the grapes, figs, apricots, almonds, honey, salt and pepper.

Cook for 5 mins more and turn off the heat. Serve warm.

Bon appetit..

yesimstylekitchen.blogspot.com

Hummus recipe

Hummus

Hummus is a famous appetizer in Middle Eastern cuisine. Hummus means chickpeas in Arabic, and the legume is the main ingredient in the dish. Serve it with pita bread.

Ingredients

500 gr boiled chickpeas
100 gr tahini
50 gr olive oil
2 lemons’ juice
3 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon red pepper
Salt

I used canned chickpeas. Mash the chickpeas very well until they are pureed. In a bowl mix lemon juice, red pepper, cumin and tahini. Add the chickpeas, mix well, add olive oil and mix again. Place it on a serving plate.

Bon appétit.

yesimstylekitchen.blogspot.com

Albanian Liver

Eatery
Yeşim Çağlar

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Hurriyet Daily News

I don’t know if Albanians are aware of this, but we call it Albanian Liver.

As far as I know, this dish was cooked by Albanians who were living in Istanbul during the 16th century, and that’s why we call it Albanian liver. I honestly doubt whether Albanians are aware of this dish, because we name a lot of foods after countries without them being aware of it. My ex was Iranian, and once I saw a pie called Iranian pie, so I thought it would be a nice surprise for him if I bought it, only to learn that they don’t have anything like this in Iran. :)

Anyhow, whether it is an Albanian dish or a Turkish one, it is delicious, and you can prepare it in 10 minutes.
Enjoy!!

Ingredients

500 grams of veal liver, membrane peeled, nerves removed, cut in cubes (you can use lamb too)
1 potato, cut into cubes
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
1/2 table spoon salt
1 table spoon red pepper
1 table spoon thyme
2 table thyme
For Onion Salad;
2 onions, sliced thin
1/2 table spoon salt
1/2 table spoon sumac
1/2 lemon juice
1/4 parsley, finely chopped

Sprinkle the salt, red pepper and thyme over the liver, mix them well and roll them with flour. I put them into a pocket and shook them, so that the liver will be covered equally by the flour. Then sieve it a bit. Heat the oil up, fry the liver for 3-4 minutes and turn over a few times. If you cook more than that, it’ll be hard. Put them on a napkin so that some of the oil drains. Meanwhile, fry the potatoes until they turn golden and then fry the peppers for 3-4 minutes before mixing the liver, potatoes and peppers altogether.

Meanwhile, rub the onions with salt, rinse and drain. Then add some salt, sumac, lemon juice and parsley before mixing well. You can serve this onion salad with all your meat dishes.


Serve warm.

Bon appétit.

yesimstylekitchen.blogspot.com

Simple is best

Eatery / Yeşim Çağlar
Hurriyet Daily News

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Most of the time, “Simple is best.” I think this simple potato dish is the best potato dish ever. It’s simple, yummy, and there are no restrictions on what you can put in. Kumpir is the dish's name, but when you go to some cities in Anatolia, they say kumpir in place of potato.

If you visit Istanbul, you should head for the best place for kumpir: Ortaköy.

If you cant, don’t worry: Here is a recipe for you to make at home.

Enjoy!!

Ingredients

1 big potato
1 tb sp butter
2 tb spoon grated cheese
salt
pepper
For Topping;
Sweet corn
sweet peas
olive oils
sausage
pickle
ketchup
mayonnaise

Pierce the potato with a fork in a few places and wrap it in aluminum foil. Bake it in a preheated oven for 1 hour at 250 degrees. After it is baked, cut it lengthwise in half. Add butter and grated cheese, mixing them well. After this, add your toppings – I used the ingredients above, but you can also add mushrooms, carrots or whatever you want.

Serve it as a light lunch.

Bon appétit!

yesimstylekitchen.blogspot.com

Shish kebab is not the only kebab in Turkey

Eatery/Yeşim Çağlar

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I am sure most Turkish people are faced with the same sentence I was after telling foreigners that I was from Turkey: “Ooo, Turkey, Shish Kebab!” Let me tell you something: Turkey does not consist merely of Shish Kebab, and the only kebab is not Shish Kebab! There are lots of kebab recipes in Turkey that I like far more.

Lamb Kebab in Paper is one of the most delicious kebab recipes.
Enjoy!

Ingredients

500 grams of lamb, cut into pieces
1 zucchini
1 potato
1 carrot
6-7 pearl onions
3 cloves of garlic
1 table spoon of red pepper paste
Butter
Salt
Black Pepper
1 bay leaf
Rosemary

Melt the butter, add the meat and cook it until it softens; then, add onions, chopped garlic, red pepper paste, salt, black pepper, a pinch of rosemary and one bay leaf. Cook another 25-30 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the potato and carrot and cut the potato, zucchini and carrot into finger-thick pieces. Marinate them with olive oil, black pepper and rosemary. Place into an oven tray and cook it in preheated oven at 250 degrees for 40 minutes.


Place some meat in the middle of a square, grease-proof paper. Add some vegetables to it. Fold the paper in a triangular shape. Place the paper kebab into a tray and cook it for 20-25 minutes in a preheated oven at 200 degrees.

Bon appétit!

yesimstylekitchen.blogspot.com

Keşkek recipe

Eatery/Yeşim Çağlar

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I recently read Keşkek has officially entered UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage List.

It is a very special traditional Turkish dish which we cook for weddings and other celebrations in Anatolia. Last year, when my granddad returned from the hajj, we went to his hometown of the Black Sea province of Sinop to celebrate his return. The main dish we served was Keşkek, which was cooked in large cauldrons over a wood fire. We then shared the food, which is very rich, with all the people of the village. Seven of eight people were easily able to get their fill with the 500 grams that I cooked.

Ingredients

500 g wheat
500 g meat with bones; wings are preferred (or chicken breast)
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons butter
Salt

Wash the wheat and then place the wheat, meat/chicken, in 1 liter of water, adding 1 tablespoon of salt. Cook it until it boils at high heat. Then turn the temperature down to a very low heat. Stir gently occasionally. Cook for about 2 hours. When it has absorbed the water, add more – during the whole cooking process, I used 2 liters of water. After it is cooked, turn the heat down. The consistency will be like risotto.
Melt the butter in a pan and add paprika. When it starts bubbling, pour it over the dish.
Serve warm

Bon Appétit.

Yeşim Çağlar
Hürriyet Daily News

Accidental Fish

Accidental Fish

Ingredients

2 (4 ounce) fillets mahi mahi
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup salted butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 drops Louisiana-style hot sauce, or to taste
1 roma tomato, seeded and chopped (optional)
1 green onion, chopped

Directions
1: Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2: Rub the mahi mahi fillets with the olive oil and lay into a baking dish.
3: Bake in the preheated oven until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 20 minutes.
4: While the mahi mahi bakes, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
5: Stir the garlic, lemon juice, and hot sauce into the melted butter; simmer together for 1 minute. Add the tomato and green onion to the butter mixture; cook and stir until hot. Spoon over the baked fish to serve. (allrecipes)

California Roll Sushi

California Roll Sushi

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked short-grain white rice
1 cup water
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon white sugar

1/2 cup imitation crabmeat, finely chopped
1/4 cup mayonnaise
8 sheets nori (dry seaweed)
2 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 cucumber, cut into thin spears
2 avocados - pitted, peeled, and sliced the long way

Directions
1: Wash the rice in several changes of water until the rinse water is no longer cloudy, drain well, and place in a covered pan or rice cooker with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cover the pan. Allow the rice to simmer until the top looks dry, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let stand for 10 minutes to absorb the rest of the water.

2: Mix the rice vinegar and sugar in a small bowl until the sugar has dissolved, and stir the mixture into the cooked rice until well combined. Allow the rice to cool, and set aside.

3: Mix the imitation crabmeat with mayonnaise in a bowl, and set aside. To roll the sushi, cover a bamboo rolling mat with plastic wrap. Lay a sheet of nori, shiny side down, on the plastic wrap. With wet fingers, firmly pat a thin, even layer of prepared rice over the nori, leaving 1/4 inch uncovered at the bottom edge of the sheet. Sprinkle the rice with about 1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds, and gently press them into the rice. Carefully flip the nori sheet over so the seaweed side is up.

4: Place 2 or 3 long cucumber spears, 2 or 3 slices of avocado, and about 1 tablespoon of imitation crab mixture in a line across the nori sheet, about 1/4 from the uncovered edge. Pick up the edge of the bamboo rolling sheet, fold the bottom edge of the sheet up, enclosing the filling, and tightly roll the sushi into a cylinder about 1 1/2 inch in diameter. Once the sushi is rolled, wrap it in the mat and gently squeeze to compact it tightly.

5: Cut each roll into 1 inch pieces with a very sharp knife dipped in water. (allrecipes)

Falafel recipe

Yeşim Çağlar

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Falafel recipe

Falafel is the taste I met in Lebanon. Delicious, cheap food. They serve it in the tortilla breads with tomato, radish, lettuce and tarator sauce.

One of the best things is also that I paid less than $2. :) It was so cheap and was a great taste. Falafel is a very famous food in the Middle East.

McDonald’s has a dish called the McFalafel, but if you ever visit Lebanon, you should taste it at BARBAR, which is famous place in Beirut, open 24 hours a day and never empty.


Enjoy!!
Ingredients For Falafel

1 gl of chick peas (250 gr boiled)
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic
2 table spoon finely chopped parsley
2 table spoon bulgur
1 table spoon flour
1 tea spoon cumin
1 tea spoon coriander
2 tea spoon salt
1 tea spoon red pepper

I used canned chickpeas that were already boiled, but if you are going to cook yourself, the beans have to be soaked 1 day before, while you have to boil it for around 1-1.5 hours the day after.

It was easy with canned beans. First I put onions in the blender, to which I added parsley, some chopped garlic and chickpeas. Put them together in a bowl and add the other ingredients. Just before you add the bulgur, soak it for a few minutes and then add on the mix. Knead for 5 minutes. Put the dough in the fridge for 15 minutes.

After you take the dough out and roll it all into small balls.

Heat the oil as much as possible and then fry the balls for a few minutes. They’ll be ready once they turn dark.

You can serve it warm with tarator sauce.

yesimstylekitchen.blogspot.com

Tomato Kebab recipe

Eatery
Yeşim Çağlar

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This is another Urfa recipe which is easy to make and delicious. The appearance is perfect, as well as taste.

Ingredients

750 g ground meat
2 kg of large tomatoes
1 onion, grated
3 green peppers
2 red peppers
1 table spoon tomato paste
Salt
Black pepper
Cumin
Butter

In a bowl, mix meat, onions, salt, black pepper and cumin. Knead well. Take balls as big as a walnut and roll them. Press a bit. Cut tomatoes into 3 pieces – but the pieces shouldn’t be separated from each other. Between the tomato slices, put the meat and place in an oven tray. If there is any meat left, you can fill peppers with it. Put green and red peppers on tomatoes. Place some butter on each tomato and sprinkle some salt over the tray. Melt tomato paste into 1 hot glass of water and pour it on the tomatoes. Cover the tray and cook it over low heat for 20-30 min until the tomatoes are softened up and change color. Check it well, as tomatoes can cook easily and you don’t want them to become overcooked.


After turning off the heat, put it in a pre-heated oven and cook it for 10-15 min at 250 degrees.

Serve warm.

Bon appétit!

yesimstylekitchen.blogspot.com

Tirit recipe

Yeşim Çağlar

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Urfa is one of the oldest city in the world which is history from 4th century BC. It has also great kitchen as well as great history.

They use special hot red pepper called ISOT in almost all dishes, and they say thats why too many people who have good voice. Urfa is singer factory of Turkey.

Tirit has too many types in a lot of cities of Turkey.

Mainly it is a dish which is made with left over bread and broth.

But Urfa make it in another way which is much more tasty


Ingredients

2 lamb shank
2 onions
100 gr bulghur, finely ground
100 gr ground meat
1 egg
Salt
Black pepper
1 table spoon paprika
1 table spoon Butter

Divide 1 onion to 4 pieces. Put lamb shanks and onion in a pot, put 1-1,5 lt water , and boil it over medium heat ,then turn down the heat and cook it 1-1,5 hour over low heat. Add salt and black pepper just before you turn off the heat.


Mix bulghur, egg,ground meat,1 grated onion, salt and black pepper, knead them well, get small amount of bulghur and roll them till all finish. Boil some water , add salt, put the bulghur balls and cook it 5 min. Drain water , and place them on a plate. After lamb is cooked, take to pieces. Place on bulghur balls.Pour some lamb broth.

Melt butter in a pan , add paprika. When it starts to bubbling , pour over the dish.

Serve warm

Bon appetit..

yesimstylekitchen.blogspot.com

İçli Köfte (Stuffed Bulgur with Meat)

İçli Köfte (Stuffed Bulgur with Meat)

This is another traditional Turkish food which is not so easy to make. You need really talented hands to make these balls.

This is another traditional Turkish food which is not so easy to make. You need really talented hands to make these balls. It is mostly served in the southern part of Turkey, but you can find some variations of these dishes in Arab countries called Kıbbah. But while it is not easy to make, it definetly worth it to try.

If it’s your first time trying, you can cook one potato and put it into bulgur so that the bulgur won’t get messed up and you will not need to do too much kneading.


Ingredients

200 gr fine bulgur
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon red pepper paste
1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon cumin
100 gr semolina
1/2 table spoon of salt
1/2 table spoon of red pepper

For inside:

250 gr ground beef
1 sp butter
2 onions, chopped
1/2 gl walnuts, chopped
black pepper
salt
cumin

Soak bulgur with one cup of boiled water and let it stand for half an hour. Then add semolina, egg, tomato and red pepper paste, salt, cumin, red peppers, kneading them all very well. You will have a sticky, soft dough.

Place butter in a pan, add onions, add ground beef and sautee for 7-8 minutes.
Add spices and finely chopped walnuts. Cook for a few minutes more and let cool.

The most difficult part starts now; get some bulgur that is the same size as a walnut, and with one finger, start pressing inside, make a large cavity. When it is big and thin, wet your hand and fill it with the meat already prepared.


After you have made the filling, close the bulgur into a ball or egg shape.



Heat oil in a frying pan and then lightly fry the balls until they become golden.

Serve warm.

Bon appétit!

Yeşim Çağlar
yesimstylekitchen.blogspot.com

Ottomans’ drink sherbet relegated to Ramadan

The restaurant prepares some 100 types of traditional Ottoman sherbet and offers 15-20 types a day to its customers. AA photos

The Ottomans’ popular drink, sherbet, known for its healing effects, has been increasingly forgotten over time and is now largely consumed ceremonially in Ramadan

Sherbet, once the most popular Ottoman drink, has been essentially relegated to symbolic consumption during the holy month of Ramadan even though it is a healthier alternative to today’s soft drinks, according to one restaurant proprietor.

“People of all ages are drinking soft drinks which are very harmful. We are trying to keep the sherbet tradition alive in our restaurant,” Abdullah Korun, general director of Istanbul’s 123-year-old restaurant Hacı Abdullah Lokantası, recently old Anatolia news agency. “We prepare nearly 100 types of sherbet but we serve 15 to 20 types a day to our customers. Restaurants should keep such natural drinks rather than soda drinks.”

During the time of the Ottomans, there were roughly 300 types of sherbets made from various fresh flowers and fruits such as rose, lily, jasmine, silverberry, lotus, violet and others. Today, this traditional drink is still kept alive in modern life but with fewer types. Korun said sherbet was one of the most important products both in the kitchen of the palace and the public in the past.

The director of the restaurant, which was opened during the era of Abdülhamit II, said sherbet, made from dried and cold stewed fruits, was a favorite and irreplaceable drink, particularly during the holy month of Ramadan. “In the past, there were no refrigeration systems like fridges and sherbet was prepared and consumed daily,” he added.

Forgotten through time

Korun said the Ottomans’ sherbet began to be forgotten through time. “Almost all housewives in Ottoman times used to prepare canned foods, pickles and sherbet in their house, but today, since women are involved in social and business life, this tradition is disappearing,” he said.

He said it was consumed both in winter and summer during Ottoman times since it had a significant place in social life. “People used to benefit from natural methods to avoid diseases in the past. But in Ottoman times, people used to drink sherbet to protect themselves from diseases. Of course, the medicine sector was not developed that much and there were not too many types of diseases. This is why sherbet was the most important medicine,” Korun said.

Cranberry, quince, black mulberry and wild strawberry sherbets are particularly good for tonsil problems and cold, he said. (ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency)

Anchovy Recipe (Hamsi)

For the who dont know about, Turkey is a country surrounded with 3 seas; Black Sea at north, Aegean Sea at the west, and Mediterrian Sea at the south. For this reason, it is very rich with the fishes and fishes products, but unfortunately we arent so fan of sea foods. We are mostly bread, wheat people as anatolian culture. It is like , although it is surrounded with 3 sea, most of turkish people dont know to swim!

This season is very generous with the fish, yesterday on the news they were anouncing that it is anchovy season and it is so cheap, and bla bla bla. A chef gave 12 recipes with anchovy which is so easy and tasty.

In Turkish we call it "Hamsi". In black sea region there are thousands recipes are avalible with it, whatever u think ; anchovy bread, pickle, rice, everything..


When i surprise to see Americans use pumpkin in a lot of ways, if you have known about how anchovy is used in Turkey, i am sure you would be really surprised!

It is very easy and tasty way to eat fish.


I got 1 kg anchovy , was planing to use some part for Hamsi Kusu and rest of them for the rice with anchovy, but the tast of it was soo amazing and my family asked me to cook just this and tomorrow we will buy some more and use it for rice. This is winter time and the weather is cold and rainy, i dont wanna go out, so my sister promised to go out and buy it for me tomorrow, so we were agreed and all of them cooked as hamsi kusu, Win Win game !everybody happy:))

It was a real challange for me , because when my mum brought the fish and it wasnt cleaned so i needed to clean inside. I have never done it, first try was disaster, i almost mashed the fish!

I learnt the way from my mum.
First i had to break off the head , one finger has to clean inside of it,and take the bone out with the tale. I felt so weird , it was hard for me to do it and was a challange to see my hands with some blood although it is fish. Anyway i was succesful , just it took much time as i had to wash my hands quite often:)

Ingredients
Fresh Anchovy
Corn meal
Salt
pepper


Mix the fishes with salt and pepper ,very well. Put a fish above to other one. The inside part has to face to face. After mix it with corn meal, cover the fish very well with the corn meal. Heat the pan and fry them with some oil. If you fry some onion rolls and serve them with lemon.

Bon appetit

Yeşim Çağlayan
http://yesimstylekitchen.blogspot.com

Erikli Kuzu Yahnisi (Lamb with Prune Sauce)

Eatery /

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YEŞİM ÇAĞLAR

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Yahni has an awesome flavor which is heritage from Ottoman times. It is a cooking method which means stewing meat, chicken or fish. You can cook it in various ways with different vegetables and sauces. Lamb with prune has sweet and sour taste. Enjoy!!


Ingredients

500 gr boneless lamb (preferably leg), cut into walnut size
2 medium size onions , grated
200 gr prunes
1 table spoon butter
3 tea spoon sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 table spoon salt
1 table spoon vinegar

Boil the water and put the meat inside, cook for 5 min, drain the meat, keep the broth for later. Put the butter into a non stick pan, add meat and cook for a few minutes. Remove the meat from pan, add onions inside and cook till they get golden.


After, add the prunes, and cook for a few minutes more. Then add the meat, sugar, cinnamon sticks, salt and vinegar and broth. The water should be above the meat. If there is not enough broth, add some water. Close the cover of the pan and cook it on the low heat for around 1 hour until the lamb gets soft.
Serve warm.

Bon Appétit..

Yeşim Çağlayan
yesimstylekitchen.blogspot.com

Fame of foamy ayran goes beyond borders

Susurluk’s famous ayran draws interest for its creamy foam and taste, different from other types of ayran thanks to some unique features.

A famous drink of Balıkesir’s Susurluk district, Susurluk ayran, receives interest from foreign tourists as well as Turks. Thousands of glasses are consumed on the İzmir–Istanbul highway during summer

Susurluk ayran (a drink made with yoghurt and water), which is unique to the northwestern province of Balıkesir’s Susurluk district and has become famous abroad as well as in Turkey since 1950s, draws particular interest for its creamy foam and taste. The ayran is so delicious because it is made of natural yoghurt.

Balıkesir and its surroundings, which hold an important place in agriculture and stockbreeding, are placed among Turkey’s top areas in terms of milk production. Susurluk has a significant potential in stockbreeding, with nearly 30,000 cattle, 10,000 goats and more than 30,000 sheep.

Susurluk ayran, which is different other types of ayran thanks to a number of unique features, is sold by dozens of facilities, shops and gas stations on the İzmir-Istanbul highway. It was first produced and sold by “ayran seller Şükrü” in the 1950s, and started to be widely consumed by passersby on the highway thanks to the advice of those who taste it.

Susurluk ayran, which has won great fame over time, is made and consumed in many parts of the country, but it is said that its real taste can only be reached where it originated, in Susurluk.

Ömer Balkan, who has been producing and selling Susurluk ayran for more than 30 years, said the ayran took its taste from the district’s stockbreeding, meadows and its natural yoghurt. “Most of all, it takes its taste from the quality of milk. The real secret in its taste is its natural skimmed yoghurt. We keep this secret in its foam,” he said.

Balkan said the ayran was prepared by transferring it from one bucket to another, thus creating foam, and continued: “This foam is whole skimmed and does not disappear immediately. We mix it at intervals and keep the foam alive. Almost all people who pass through the region do not leave without drinking ayran. Some people drink it with Susurluk toast. The price of toast is 2 Turkish Liras and ayran is 1.5 liras, so one can be full at a very cheap price. The cheese that we use in toast is natural cow’s fat cheese, which is unique to the region. It is also nutritious.” (Balıkesir-Anatolia News Agency)

Etli Yaprak Sarma (Stuffed Leaves with Meat)

Eatery /

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YEŞİM ÇAĞLAR

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Etli Yaprak Sarma (Stuffed Leaves with Meat)

Stuffed vegetables have an important place in Ottoman cuisine. This is the season of vine leaves, so I decided to cook Yaprak Sarma. You can use vegetables like tomato, zucchini, bell pepper, or cabbage inside, and yoghurt is a great accompaniment for these dishes.

If you are not fan of meat dishes, you can try the vegetarian olive oil version of stuffed vine leaves which i will give the recipe later on.


Enjoy!

Ingredients
30-35 vine leaves (fresh leaves. If they are kept in brine, leave them in water overnight)
125-150 gr ground beef (if you want you can use lamb)
1 medium size onion, grated
1 medium size tomato, grated
1/2 table spoon tomato paste
1/2 table spoon red pepper paste (I used hot, as you wish you can use mild)
1 tea spoon salt
1 tea spoon mint
1 tea spoon red pepper
2 slices lemon


Boil vine leaves in water for 2-3 minutes until they soften slightly, but still undercooked. Drain, and allow to cool.

Mix well all other ingredients in a bowl, except lemon.

Place the mixture inside the vine leave and roll, as shown in the pictures. You should close the vine leaf like an envelope and roll it.



Place stuffed leaves into a non stick pot. Lay them next to each other, avoid space but dont squeeze much. Put the lemon slices on top. Lemon will give a slightly sour taste, which is yummy.

In another bowl, put some tomato paste into hot water, mix and pour onto the stuffed rolls. It should cover all the rolls.



Cover the pot. Cook for a few minutes on high heat till it boils. Then cook on the low heat for around 30-35 min, until they soften and absorb the water. If they absorb all water and are still not cooked, you can add more water and cook a bit more.

Serve warm with yoghurt..

Bon Appétit..

Yeşim ÇAĞLAYAN
yesimstylekitchen.blogspot.com