My Home Diary in Turkey

Asem Asem Ayam (Spicy Sour Chicken gravy)

2012-02-20T11:26:00.001+02:00

The sour and spicy in this food really can increase my appetite, nourishing yet comforting food for me lately. Simple and quick to prepare also.

Serve: 4 servings

Ingredients:
 ½ kg chicken, cut into pieces according to taste
 Lemon juice of 1 lemon
 5 ~ 7 shallots, finely sliced
 3 ~ 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
 ½ tsp turmeric powder
 Some bird aye chili (amount depends on your taste), cut roughly or let it whole
 ± 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
 Some stalk spring onion, cut roughly
 1 medium tomato, cut roughly
 Salt and sugar to taste
 bay leaves and 1 cm galangal, crushed

How to cook:
1) Boil chicken with enough water (not too much), add lemon juice and cook until chicken is tender. Drain chicken and discard the water. Put chicken back into pan and cook again with ± 2 lt water, bay leaves and galangal.
2) Once it boils, cook in all spices (except tomatoes spring onion). Taste the flavor. Then put in spring onion and tomato slices, cover the pan and immediately turn off the heat.

Serve hot with warm rice.

Kastamonu Etli Ekmeğı

2012-02-13T10:41:00.000+02:00

Kastamonu is one city in Turkey where this meal originally came from. It's half round shape bread bake in traditional stone oven filled with meat. At home people also can make them by roasted the bread over wide griddle and basting the bread once it remove from oven/ griddle.

If you are food adventurer, try this traditional Turkish meal in your kitchen and experience Turkish taste with your family...

Make about 8 breads

Ingredients I (bread):
• 4 cup all-purpose flour (plus if needed)
• 3 tsp instant yeast
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1¾ ~ 2 cup warm water (use only 1¾ first)

Stir and dissolve sugar and instant yeast in 1¾ warm water. In a large bowl, mix flour and salt, pour in sugar-yeast solution. Knead until smooth and not sticky at your fingers. If necessary, add warm water or flour to perform smooth dough, but do it carefully. Cover with plastic film or a napkin and rest about 45minutes.

Ingredients II (filling):

• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• ± 200 g of ground beef
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon white pepper powder
• 1 ¼ tsp salt or to taste
• ⅓ cup water
• Butter to spread

Mix all stuffing ingredients (except butter). Set aside.

Take the dough, divide into 8 parts. Roll thin with a rolling pin ± 25 cm in diameter. Spread the stuffing ingredients in half of the circle dough, fold into half circle and sea the side. Do same procedure to the remaining dough.

Bake in preheat oven at 180 ⁰C to until both surface turns golden brown. Or roasted over a wide griddle. Immediately basting with butter while it's hot.

Serve warm with salad and Ezme also ayran. Enjoy.

Sekoteng Karamel (glutinous rice balls in herb caramel sauce)

2012-02-11T10:30:00.002+02:00

This February the weather showed no signs of warming, still snowing almost every day. Temperature is still around zero sometimes even minus zero. Even worse in eastern Turkey temperature average minus 15 degrees. I saw on news, some cities in Europe even got worse condition, temperatures can reach minus 30 deg. I don't understand why the weather can deteriorate like this. I remember the first snow fell last November 2011 - that was very early according to my husband.
Anyway, I just try to enjoy any weather or conditions, because I believe God has set everything up. And this glutinous rice ball in herb caramel sauce is also one of my way to enjoy this freezing weather while waiting for the sun really warms my heart and soul... @(^_^)@

Serve 4 ~ 6
Glutinous rice ball ingredients:

 2 cup (± 200 g) glutinous rice flour
 2 tablespoons rice flour
 1 tbsp caster sugar
 ¾ cup warm water
 green and red food color

Herb Caramel Sauce ingredients:
 2 tbsp caster sugar
 7 ~ 9 tablespoons sugar
 ± 50 g fresh ginger, wrap with aluminum foil and roasted over fire few minutes then lightly crushed
 1 stalk lemongrass, white part only. Lightly crushed
 4 ½~5 cup water
 Sesame seeds for sprinkling

How to make:

1) Glutinous ball: Dissolve sugar in ¾ cup warm water. In medium bowl, mix rice flour and glutinous rice flour, pour sugar solution gradually (do not add all at once) while lightly knead to perform nice dough not sticky in fingers.
2) Divide the dough into three parts, two parts add green and red color, leave one part without color. Shape the dough as marble size. Boil enough water in a pan, cook the balls in boiling water until floating for few minutes. Strain and set aside.
3) For the sauce: In medium heavy bottom pan, heat 2 tablespoons sugar to make caramel (do not burn it). Carefully add water, then sugar, ginger and lemongrass. Cook until boiling for a while. Strain to serve.

How to serve:

Place the balls in a cup /serving glass, pour in ginger caramel sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve hot.

This great herb drink really warm you inside out during cold weather.

Let's play a "serious" game @(^,^)@

2012-02-08T18:17:00.001+02:00

I found this picture shared many times in Facebook and I found it very much fun and interesting.

So I'd like to share here too with my Blogger and foodie friends here.

Here is the rule:

SEE THIS PICTURE BELOW and WRITE DOWN on comment box FIRST 5 (FIVE) WORDS you can find in that picture.

I didn't know where it's source but the 1st 4 words you see actually describe you

Let me start with my self :)

1. Spoken

2. Charismatic

3. Passionate

4. happy

5. Elegant

Well... what about you?

Hugs ^,^

Liebster Blog Award

2012-02-07T23:27:00.000+02:00

“Liebster” is a German word that means “Dearest”, it also means ”Favorite”. So, in a way the award not only recognizes these bloggers as amazingly gifted in their own right but also as your very own personal favorites.

I received this "Liebster Blog" award from my new blog friend "Red Shallot" few days ago, but forgive my late to post it in my page and pass it right away. So thanks to "Red Shallot" for gave me such lovely award.

Please do Visit Red Shallot Kitchen It's content with nice recipes and great pictures, guaranteed to inspire you to get busy in the kitchen.

Here are the rules:
1)Thank your Liebster Blog Award presenter on your blog.
2)Link back to the blogger who presented the award to you.
3)Copy and paste the blog award on your blog.
4)Present the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs of 200 followers or less who you feel deserve to be noticed. (Some say just 3 or more blogs of less than 200 followers each)
5)Let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment at their blog.

And now I must pass this lovely award to my other 5 favorite up and coming blogs ( I wish I could pass more than 5 ...).
They have so far filled my days with support, inspiration, enjoyment and and the love for food. Congratulations to my blogger friends :

1) Kiri at Healthy Foodie Travels

2) Ridwan at Ridwan's Kitchen/ Asian Spices Mix

3) Ping at Ping's Pickings

4) Lena at Frozen Wings

5) Junia at Mis Pensamientos

Happy blogging. Hugs..! @(^,^)@

Three tone Yogurt "Cheese" Chocolate mousse

2012-02-05T09:58:00.002+02:00

anyone does not like chocolate? well .. it seems no one who does not like chocolate ya .. especially my husband .. Whatever dessert he requests there must be Chocolate things in it .. so you'll see a lot of chocolate recipes on my page... do search more.. ^,^
While I do not really like to eat plain yogurt .. I always mix my yogurt with something, such as fruit jam, syrup or chocolate... ^,^

And for the dessert menu this weekend, I made something simple but "very chocolate"...

And let me tell you ... this is super Yummy!

Serve: 4

Ingredients:
 Dark chocolate, semisweet chocolate and white chocolate each 100 gr. And more for garnish
Note: you can mix white chocolate and dark chocolate for semisweet chocolate with ratio 70:30 gr (white:dark)
 1 ½ cup strained yogurt (you need to drain yogurt to separate the water in cheesecloth-lined strainer for at least 24 hours before)
Note: From 4 cup yogurt you will get about 1 ½ ~ 2 cup strained one (depend on how thick your yogurt)

Strained yogurt after 24 hrs

 5 tablespoons caster sugar
 ± 300 ml double cream (or 75 gr whipped cream powder, mix with ¾ cup cold milk)

method:
1) In a separate bowl, melt each chocolate over double boil or microwave.
2) Mix yogurt "cheese" with caster sugar until smooth and sugar dissolves. Divide into3 equal parts and mix each one into melted chocolate.
3) In another place, beat double cream until soft peak, divided into 3 equal parts and fold into chocolate mixture.
4) Let stand in refrigerator 2 to 3 minutes, then pour into glass/serving bowl alternately to make layer.
Store in refrigerator before serving.

This post also goes to:

Gulai Ikan Asam Pedas (Indonesian Spicy Sour Fish Curry)

2012-02-04T09:57:00.002+02:00

During my pregnancy, until this week 16th, my appetite has not returned to normal yet. My weight dropped to 2 pounds at last check. Nausea is also occasionally appear suddenly, especially when I'm cold.

I can not eat any Turkish food (or other food) as usual--even just only I remember it, I could be wamble! something which very strange and unreasonable by my husband .. But what can I say .. my body and feelings can not lie.

I just can eat my own (Indonesian) foods even though not all Indonesian meal I want to eat. Especially sour and fresh things are all I want ... plus February is still frozen (winter this year is colder winter than previous years).
So I made this spicy sour fish curry to appetite my self in this cold February. If you want to try it also, you could check my recipe below.

Ingredients:
• 2 medium-size mackerel (or cod or salmon or pompano), cleaned and cut according to taste. Give a squeeze of lemon juice to prevent fishy smell
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 ~ 3 cm galangal, lightly crushed
• 1 medium green or red tomato, sliced crescent shape
• 1 tablespoon tamarind paste (or you can soak dried tamarind with little hot water)
• A little cooking oil for sauteing

Mash/ blend the ingredients:
• 5 ~ 6 shallots
• 5 ~ 6 garlic
• Few bird eye chilli to taste (if you do not want to be too spicy, you can just slice them)
• 2 ~ 3 long red cayenne pepper / red paprika pepper
• 2 cm fresh ginger
• 1 cm turmeric (1 tsp turmeric powder)

How to cook:

Heat enough oil in pan, saute mashed spices, galangal and bay leaf. Saute until fragrant, pour hot water (± 1 ½ liters), add tamarind paste, salt and sugar, taste it. Put in fish, cover the pan, cook over medium heat several minutes until fish cooked (± 15 minutes). Last put in tomato slices a few minutes before being removed from heat.

Serve warm with white rice.

Kumpir in Portion

2012-01-28T08:46:00.001+02:00

This is another version from my previous Kumpir recipe. Basically the recipe same, only I put them in small portion in occasional having some friends or family visit. And believe me, it's repeatable menu for your family too....

Prepare 4 large potatoes, wash clean. Prick in some parts with a knife, wrap with aluminum foil and bake in oven until cooked and soft. The time required can vary according to the size of potatoes (it took me about 60 minutes)
Filling:
You can vary amount and type of stuffing ingredients according to your taste, here I just estimate for 4 large potatoes.
• 2 medium-size beef sausage, cut into small cubes
• 1 medium carrot, cut into small cubes or grated coarsely
• 3 tablespoons sweet corn
• 3 tablespoons green peas
• Some green and black olives, cut into small
• Pickled (cucumber and cabbage), cut into small
• white cheese, small pieces or grated coarse
• Cheddar cheese or edame, small pieces or grated coarse
• ± 100 g butter, cut into small cubes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Topping ingredients:
• Celery or dill, finely chopped
• Ketchup and mayonese

How to make:

1) Once potatoes cooked, remove from oven. peel and mash the potatoes in a bowl and set aside.

2) Mix with all other stuffing ingredients, season with salt and pepper, check the taste. Preheat oven to 180 ⁰ C.

3) Prepare some small ramekin and put mixture into it and bake about 30 minutes.

Serve warm with a sprinkling of celery or dill and tomato sauce + mayonnaise.

Hot Chocolate (Our fave beverage during winter)

2012-01-26T12:29:00.004+02:00

This January I think the peak of winter, the snow seemed never stopped since beginning of new year's eve. Just few days to stopped, then continue snowing again for another nights. I am almost reluctant to leave my house because it was so freezing outside. I was born and raised in tropical country where the coldest weather ever there is only about 16degC, and that's even if we go to higher place.

almost never stop snowing

I almost did not leave my house during this January without any emergency purposes or very important thing to do, plus my current condition, I would immediately nausea and vomiting when I were in cold.

One alley corner near my home

Anyway, in freezing weather like this we always make something that can warm our self. Beside Turkish tea which has already become a habit in our house, this hot chocolate is also always my huby's request and other family member if they visited our home.

serve 2
Ingredients and how to prepare:
 2 cups of liquid milk
 2 ½ dessert spoons Dutch process cocoa powder
 4 ~ 5 (or to taste) dessert spoons granulated sugar
 ± 80 g dark (or semisweet) cooking chocolate
 Whipped cream (optional) and chocolate saved for garnish

In a small saucepan, stir together milk, sugar and cocoa powder, heated over very low heat and stirring gently bring to simmer and foamy. Mix in the cooking chocolate and continue stirring gently until the chocolate is melted and dissolved.

Serve hot with whipped cream and a sprinkle with chocolate as a garnish.

Ikan Bakar sambal Dabu-Dabu (Grilled fish with "Dabu-Dabu" sambal)

2012-01-25T09:34:00.002+02:00

Sambal is a chili based sauce which is normally used as a condiment. Sambals are popular in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the southern Philippines and Sri Lanka, as well as in the Netherlands and in Suriname through Javanese influence. It is typically made from a variety of chili peppers and is sometimes a substitute for fresh chilis. It can be extremely spicy for the uninitiated. In Indonesia it self, we have many kind verieties of Sambal. One of it is "sambal Dabu-Dabu".

Sambal dabu-dabu It comes close to the Mexican salsa sauce, origin from Manado (east Indonesia). It consists of coarsely chopped tomatoes, calamansi or known as lemon cui or jeruk kesturi, shallots, chopped bird's eye chili, basil, vegetable oil, salt.

Today I made grilled fish served with sambal dabu-dabu, famous dish not only in Manado but also become favorite everybody across Indonesia. If you are fish lover, you should try this also and experience Indonesian flavor in you family dinner table once in a while.

Ingredients and how to prepare:

For grilled fish:
 2 mackerel fish (or snapper or tuna) medium size.
Clean them and give lemon juice to avoid fishy smell.
 4 ~ 5 cloves garlic
 2 ~ 3 shallots/ use half big red onions
 1 tbsp coriander seeds
 ± 1 cm fresh ginger
 ± 2 cm turmeric (or 1 tsp turmeric powder)
 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
 ½ tablespoon tamarind paste (or tamarind water or 1 tablespoon lime juice)
 1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
 1 ~ 2 tsp salt or to taste

Blend / mash these spices: garlic, onion, coriander, ginger, turmeric, sugar and salt. Mix that mashed spices with the tamarind paste(tamarind water) and vegetable oil. Brush on the fish and let stand (1 hour minimum) in the refrigerator.

Grill fish over coals or in an oven temperature of 160 ⁰C util done.

Mackerel or in Turk: Palamut

For sambal dabu dabu:
 1 red or green tomato big size (2 pcs smaller), coarsely chopped
 Some of shallots, thinly sliced
 Some bird eye chili (to taste), finely sliced
 Some Thai basil leaves, chopped (I didn't use)
 Lemon/ lime juice and salad oil (olive oil)
Mix all ingredients for sambal dabu dabu.

Serve grilled fish while it's hot with sambal dabu dabu and dark sweet soy sauce.
Serve with warm steamed rice.

Drink Milk !! Good for you.

2012-01-21T08:31:00.000+02:00

Women who do not drink milk regularly during pregnancy is likely to have babies with low birth weight or allergies and impaired growth in womb, according to expert opinion. A team of researchers compared babies birth weight of mothers who regularly drank milk at least one cup a day during pregnant with mothers who are less or not drink milk regularly. It turned out that infants of mothers milk drinkers have a better weight.

From total 300 women in research, published in Canadian Medical Association Journal, they are non-smokers and have healthy lifestyle during pregnancy. A quarter of those mothers are reported routinely not to drink milk every day.

A team of experts headed by Kristine Koski, director of the School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University in Montreal, Canada, said that the study is important because increasing numbers of women who do not consume milk during pregnancy will have a lower fat intake, weight gain limited and allergic disorders, because the habit of drinking milk during pregnancy is to prevent lactose intolerance.

The mothers and health professionals need to know that milk dietary may restrict essential nutrients and negatively affect fetal development.

Mothers who were studied are those with aged 19 to 45 years and who perform prenatal in three hospitals in Calgary between May 1997 and June 1999. Among them 72 women who did not regularly consume at least one glass of milk per day.

One cup of milk a day containing 2.5 micrograms of vitamin D, this number is highly significant value of 5 micrograms of vitamin D are recommended each day.Vitamin D is essential for growth and bone strength. Calcium from the mother is needed by the fetus which is channeled through the umbilicus.

Previous research conducted by experts from the University of Southampton explains that children who come from mothers who are deficient in vitamin D during pregnancy have lower bone growth compared with normal bone mass, it can cause the risk of fractures due to osteoporosis later in life.

Nevertheless the nutrients contained in milk can be replaced with other foods or supplements.

Dietary advice for pregnant women should be done every day at least consume one serving of milk, cheese and yogurt.

Source: kalbefarma.com

For this winter, I think it will be nice to make hot chocolate milk like this recipe

Cap Cay (Indonesian style mix vegetable saute)

2012-01-20T09:18:00.003+02:00

I am not a vegetarian, but most of my favorite and dish choices is vegetables, all kinds of vegetables. Vegetables have many benefits and most of the vitamins which our body needs. So if you do not like eating vegetables, start to think twice and try changing tastes and your mindset about these rich sources of vitamins and minerals.

It should be noted also, to gain maximum benefit from vegetable, cooking methods is also noteworthy. Several types of vegetables will actually lose their vitamins and minerals contained if cooked too much (too long). If your vegetables need to be cooked , try to cook it only as needed, not too long. I am even prefer eating some kind of raw vegetables as a salad.

This time I made Cap cay or Mix vegetable saute with Indonesian style. You can vary vegetables you want (add fresh green pea will do) to make this dish as well as other additional ingredient like shrimp or squid.

Serve: 4 ~ 6 servings

Ingredients:
 ± 150 g boneless chicken, cut into bite size
 ± 100 gr chicken / beef sausage, sliced round
 Some Indonesian meatballs (bakso) beef / fish, round slices
 1 large onion, finely chopped
 3 ~ 4 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
 pepper powder, salt, sugar to taste
 1 ~ 2 tbsp sesame oil
 ± 1 tbsp oyster sauce
 A little tomato sauce / chili sauce
 Soy sauce to taste
 ½ medium-size broccoli, cut florets
 ½ small-size cauliflower , cut florets
 2 medium carrots, sliced round
 A few sheets of cabbage, cut into rough
 Enough cooking oil for sauteing

How to cook:
1) Heat oil in a deep wok, saute onion with garlic until fragrant and wilted. Cook in chicken, sausage and meatballs, stir until the chicken changes color.
2) Add carrots and stir well. Add some broth / hot water (amount according to your taste. If you want more gravy, add more broth). Cover the wok and cook until carrots slightly soft before stir in cauliflower and broccoli. Season with pepper powder, sesame oil, oyster sauce, ketchup and soy sauce. Test the taste. Cook for few minutes only--I like my vegetable slightly crunchy.
3) Finally stir in cabbage and mix few minutes, just until wilted only. Turn off the heat.

Serve warm with steamed white rice.

I've been gone for a while (with a happy reason) and here I am again

2012-01-18T20:55:00.002+02:00

Hi everybody..... I know.. I know.. I've been 'disappear' for few weeks
Since early December 2011 I feel there was change in me. I became very very lazy (yes I am talking very bad laziness .. hahaha). I did not want to do anything... start from cleaning my house, cooking, I didn't touch my craft at all, I'm even lazy to eat and do simple things or just touch my computer / internet. I began to leery that I'm pregnant when I didn't get my period in time and start had bad nausea ...just exhausting and frustrating days for me.
Well! I'm pregnant!

During the first week of my pregnancy --This my funny story and I couldn't understand why--I could not cook anything right! Once or twice I baked cakes and everything ends up in the trash because sodden or shrink or burn! Even easy-cook dishes which usually I make everyday--sometimes too salty, or burning or taste weird ... hahahhaa ... Anyone know why is that?

little miracle inside me, 14 weeks

Frankly speaking, this is very first experience for me. Thrilling, full of surprising, delightful and little worried at same time .. so I'm trying to open minded for any information and advice from everybody, family, close friends, even from strangers I met on the bus!

well, I am so excited till I don't know what to write anymore because too many things I want to share to the world .. I am too happy @(^,^)@

These couples days I feel a little better than previous weeks. I can do my normal activities since bad nausea slightly reduce. Only sometimes suddenly I felt sick and nausea every time I see my husband.. hahaha...

I hope I can cook "normal" again and share it to you again.. miss that too though... :)

Xoxo

Mie Ayam Jamur (Chicken Mushrooms noddle)

2011-12-15T11:49:00.001+02:00

One popular food in Indonesia. Everyone like it, from eastern to western Indonesia with variety of herbs and additional options like dumplings and meatballs. Everyone has their own favorite. Usually we rarely make this at home because we can get it easily from "bakmi seller" with their mobile stall in our alley or we just go to their food stalls near the corner everywhere in Indonesia.

Since I live in Turkey where I can not find them everywhere, so the only way I can do is making it by my self, a little bit effort but satisfy my craving of homeland cuisine.

Served 6 ~ 8
ingredients:
 wet egg noodles
 pok coy or mustard leaves or kale
 Green onion, roughly chopped
 sweet soy sauce
 "sambal" or Chili sauce
 sesame oil or olive oil
 dumplings and beef / chicken meatballs (optional)

Ingredients and how to make chicken mushroom:
 ± 300 g boneless chicken, cut into small chunk
 ± 200 g fresh mushrooms, cut into small chunk
 4 ~ 5 cloves garlic
 4 ~ 5 small red onions ( or ½ medium size)
 ¾ Tbsp coriander seeds
 ½ tsp peppercorns
 1 cm ginger, crushed
 1 ½ tablespoons palm sugar (or could use brown sugar)
 1 tablespoon sweet soy sauce
 3 teaspoon salt, or to taste
 3 ~ 4 tablespoons cooking oil

Blend and mash: onion, garlic, coriander seeds, peppercorn, sugar and salt.
Heat oil in a sauce pan, saute that mashed spices and crushed ginger until fragrant, put chicken and mushrooms, stir-fry until chicken changes color. Pour 1 ½ cups chicken broth or hot water, sweet soy sauce, stir and check the taste. Cook until cooked about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Chicken soup/ broth ingredients:
 1 ~ 1 ½ l chicken broth or hot water
 A little pepper powder and salt
 chicken bullion powder (optional)
Boil all ingredients. set aside and keep warm.

How to serve:
1) Cook mustard leaves or pokcoy or kale in chicken broth, strain and place in serving bowl. Heat also egg noodles in chicken broth (not too long so that the noodles will not mushy), put in serving bowl with vegetable. Pour enough sesame oil to taste, stir well.
2) Add chicken mushrooms gravy and sprinkle with green onion. Serve hot with chicken soup, dumplings, meatballs and chili sauce.

Enjoy.

Kumpir (Stuffed Baked Potato)

2011-12-11T09:15:00.005+02:00

When you visit Turkey (Istanbul), you will easily find this kind of fast food, Kumpir.

It's baked potato stuffed with many kind of filling. You can vary the stuffing according to your taste, mostly are sausage, sweetcorn, olive, some pickles, some vegetables mix with cheese. Served hot, fresh from oven with ketchup and mayonnaise make this food become popular and everybody choice.

Here I give you my recipe how to make it at home so you can experience Turkish taste in your dinner table.

Served 4.

Prepare 4 large potatoes, wash clean. Prick in some parts with a knife, wrap with aluminum foil and bake in oven until cooked and soft. The time required can vary according to the size of potatoes (it took me about 60 minutes)

Filling:
You can vary amount and type of stuffing ingredients according to your taste, here I just estimate for 4 large potatoes.
• 2 medium-size beef sausage, cut into small cubes
• 1 medium carrot, cut into small cubes or grated coarsely
• 3 tablespoons sweet corn
• 3 tablespoons green peas
• Some green and black olives, cut into small
• Pickled (cucumber and cabbage), cut into small
• white cheese, small pieces or grated coarse
• Cheddar cheese or edame, small pieces or grated coarse
• ± 100 g butter, cut into small cubes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Topping ingredients:
• Celery or dill, finely chopped
• Ketchup and mayonese

How to make:
1) Once potatoes cooked, remove from oven and make holes in it center and scrape it resembles a bowl and set aside.
2) Mash that scraped potatoes in a large bowl and mix with all other stuffing ingredients, season with salt and pepper, check the taste. Preheat oven to 180 ⁰ C.
3) Stuffed back into the potatoes bowl and bake until cooked about 30 minutes.

Serve warm with a sprinkling of celery or dill and tomato sauce + mayonnaise.

Spicy chicken Nugget

2011-12-10T08:50:00.003+02:00

It's always being my favorite since I was a kid. It get along perfectly with mayonnaise salad as lunch menu served with hot steamed rice and spicy chilli sauce. But you also can make it as snack also during TV time with family, cut them into small chunk and dip into ketchup, your family will love it !

@(^,^)@

Ingredient A:

 1 boneless & skinless chicken breast (± 300 g), finely minced
 a little chicken fat, finely minced
 1 egg
 3 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
 2 ½ teaspoon spicy chili powder
 1 ½ tsp pepper powder
 1 ½ tsp caster sugar
 2 ~ 3 teaspoons salt or to taste
 1 tbsp soy sauce
 1 tbsp sesame oil
 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Ingredients B:
 1 egg
 ¼ cup milk
 Enough all purpose flour
 Enough panko flour/ bread crumb
 Cooking oil

method:
1) Mix all ingredients A, check the taste. Prepare a loaf pan, put the dough mixture in it and steamed until cooked about 30 minutes.
2) Unmold from the pan and slice about 1 cm thick. Here I cut a triangle shape, you can cut any shape you want
3) Beat eggs and milk. Coat nuggets in flour, then dip in beaten egg and coat again with bread flour. Repeat to remaining nuggets.
4) Heat enough oil over medium heat, fry the nuggets until golden yellow in few batches.

Serve warm with salad and chilli sauce.

You can see here to make mayonnaise salad

S i m i t (Turkish style bagel) making at home

2011-12-04T08:27:00.025+02:00

"Simitçi Geldiiiiiiii....!! Simitçi Geldiiiiiiii....!!" ... That's the simit seller always comes every morning in my alley. Yes... he sells that popular Turkish style bagel only in morning which he brought fresh from nearest public oven in my area.

People here love to enjoy them in breakfast or brunch time. You can find Simit seller mostly in early morning at streets or any other places in Turkey. And some breakfast cafe provide them while they are hot and fresh from oven in morning only. With hot tea accompany it make this "bagel" very popular as breakfast/ brunch menu in Turkey.

And you can make them at home too for your family, it's easy and economic though.

Making about 10 pieces.
Ingredients:
 3 cups flour
 1 ¼ cup warm water
 active yeast 1 dessert spoon
 2 tablespoons sugar
 2 tsp salt
 1 large egg, room temperature
 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
 Sesame seeds

How to make:
In a large bowl mix flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast. Make a hole in middle resembles well, add in egg, oil and warm water. Knead until smooth and not sticky at your fingers. In this stage you might need additional flour or warm water--do it carefully.

Or mix all ingredients in mixer bowl and knead with a mixer until smooth.
Cover the dough with plastic film or kitchen towel and rest in warm room temperature place ( I need about 60 minutes) or until dough fluffy and doubled in volume.

note: resting time it's depending on your room temperature

Flatten the dough and divide into 10 equal parts. Take one part, and again divided into two parts. Shape each piece lengthwise as shown in picture above. Spire them resembles rope and attach both side, shape like donut. Perform same procedure until the dough runs out. Cover with a towel and let it rest again ± 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180 ⁰C. Take those shaped dough, dip in water and roll over in sesame seeds until entire surface covered with sesame.
Place on baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake in oven until reddish golden on surface about 25 ~ 30 minutes.

You can enjoy this simit with or without cheese and hot tea for breakfast or brunch.

Chosen on Today's Top 9 by Foodbuzz

http://www.foodbuzz.com/top9?date=2011-12-06

Islim Kebabı

2011-12-02T08:33:00.003+02:00

Another kind of Kebab in Turkish culinary. It's meatball wrapped with eggplant, roasted in gravy tomato sauce. Generally served with Pilaf or with round pide bread. Traditional Turkish dish which common serve daily in Turkish dinner table.

Ingredients
For meatball:
 ± 500 g for minced beef meatball (± 30% fat)
 1 large onion, finely grated
 2 slice stale white bread without skin, finely chopped
 1 ½ teaspoon ground pepper
 2 ~ 3 teaspoon ground cumin
 2 tsp red chilli powder
 1 ½ tsp baking soda
 2 tsp or to taste of fine salt

Mix all ingredients and knead until blended. Rest ± 15 minutes. Form balls slightly bigger than pingpong balls. Fry with little oil over medium heat until cooked.

Other Ingredients:
 Eggplant, peeled and slice thinly lengthwise
 medium tomatoes, cut into round slices
 green pepper, cut into several parts
 1 large tomato, finely grated
 1 tbsp tomato paste (or mixed with chilli paste)
 pinch of salt
 1 cup hot water

method:
1. Fried eggplant with little oil. Drain and absorb remaining oil with paper towels.
2. Take two pieces of that sliced eggplant, set them crossing each other, put one meatball in the middle and then wrap, put one sliced tomatoes and green chilli, pinned and embed them with a toothpick .Do same procedure to other meatballs.
3. Mix grated tomatoes, tomato paste / chili paste and pinch of salt with hot water.
4. Arrange meatballs on pyrex (baking dish) and flush with tomato sauce. Roast in oven at 180 ⁰C just until tomatoes and chili wilt (about 20 minutes).

Enjoy warm with pilaf or pide bread.

Yogurt Cheesecake

2011-11-24T08:08:00.032+02:00

I was happy with my previous experiment using "cheese" from drained yogurt. I made a delish "cheese" souffle that now become 'most request' in my family ^,^

To make this Cheesecake, you need to drain plain thick yogurt to separate the water in cheesecloth-lined strainer for at least 24 hours before. From 1 kg yogurt I get about 860 ~ 900 gr drained yogurt 'Cheese' (it depends the thickness of yogurt you use)

If you using electric oven which has two side heat source (up and down heat source) be careful not to burn the surface-like I did here-to perform more beautiful good looking cheesecake. Recognize your oven to produce correct heat (even your oven has temperature setting).

But even my cheesecake surface is slightly burnt, it doesn't affect the silky and delish taste of this everybody's favorite dessert. With various jam topping, you and family can enjoy each personal taste.

Serve 6 ~ 8

Prepare one round 8-inch or 7-inch ( Ø ± 20 cm) springform pan and one larger baking pan--height not more than your 8"/7" round pan.

Ingredients for base:
 1 ½ cup chocolate biscuit crumb
 50 g butter. Melted. And more for grease the pan

Strained yogurt after 24 hrs

Cheesecake Ingredients:
 2 ½ cup of drained yogurt, room temperature
 1 cup + 1 tablespoon caster sugar
 Pinch of fine salt
 2 large eggs, room temperature
 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
 1 tablespoon cornstarch
 2 tablespoons heavy cream, room temperature

Topping:
 your favorite fruit jam

Method:
1) Brush your springform pan and line it's bottom with a baking sheet. Wrap the outside of pan with double aluminum foil. Preheat oven to 190 ⁰C.

2) Mix chocolate biscuit crumbs and melted butter evenly ( I did it manually with spatula). Press in bottom of the pan as a base. Set aside in refrigerator until cheese filling is ready.

3) In a large bowl, beat yogurt "cheese" with caster sugar until sugar dissolves. Combine flour and cornstarch, and continue beat in low speed. Then mix in heavy cream.

4) Add eggs one at a time, beat well after each addition. Pour into the prepared pan. Place the pan over larger pan and pour hot water not more than 1/3 of round springform pan.

5) Bake for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until a bamboo skewer inserted in the center of cheesecake comes out clean. Turn off the oven heat and Slightly open your oven door and let cheesecake inside it to room temperature before being stored in refrigerator at least 2 hours before cut/ served.

6) Cut and serve with your favorite fruit jam as topping. You can see some topping recipe below.

I. LEMON curd topping:
 1 ½ medium-size lemon. Zest and squeeze the juice
 6 ~ 7 tablespoons granulated sugar (or to taste)
 cornstarch 2 dessert spoon
 2 ¼ cups water
Method: Dissolve the cornstarch with water, combine the sugar, lemon Zest and juice, stir well. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick.

II. PLUM Topping:
 ± 300 g plums, pitted
 7 ~ 8 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)
 cornstarch 2 dessert spoon
 2 cups water
Method: dissolve cornstarch in water. Combine sugar and peaches. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until thick.

III. STRAWBERRY JAM Topping:
 ± 300 g strawberry
 4 ~ 6 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)
 cornstarch 2 dessert spoon
 1 ½ cup water
Method: cook sugar and 1 cup water until sugar dissolves over medium heat. Cook in strawberries and stir occasionally. Dissolve cornstarch with ½ cup water, mix into the pan and stir carefully until thick.

Enjoy.

Telor Marmer (Marbled Eggs)

2011-11-23T08:01:00.001+02:00

One of Indonesian traditional dish.

To get marble pattern in old time people used Jati (teak) leaves to give a dark red color on the eggs. With some spices added during boiling make this egg even more tasty. But now days people (generally who living in city) use teabag instead of "jati" (teak) leaves to get the marble pattern. But I still remember my grandma still made them with "jati" (teak) leaves which (at that time) we could find it easily in farmer market near us.

This egg makes usually as side dish of other Indonesian traditional meal. You can make it also to add your family menu list, easy to make...

Material and how to make:

 6 ~ 8 medium eggs
 2 tea bags
 ½ tbsp coriander powder
 ½ tbsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic, grated)
 1 tbsp granulated sugar
 ½ tbsp salt or to taste
 1 segment (3 cm) galangal, crush a bit
 3 ~ 4 bay leaves (in Indonesia we use "daun salam")

Put all ingredients in medium pot and pour water until all the eggs submerged about 3 fingers up. Boil eggs about 30 minutes. Then drain eggs, then gently crack egg shells to form crack pattern. Reinsert them into pan and continue boiling over medium heat until the egg hardens (I need 60 minutes long).

Drain and peel eggs.

Serve as a side dish.

Note: in Indonesia this egg usually goes with nasi Tumpeng, lontong capgomeh, nasi kuning, and others.

Sate daging Kambing ( Lamb Satay)

2011-11-10T08:03:00.011+02:00

Satay originated in Java, Indonesia. Satay is available almost anywhere in Indonesia, where it has become a national dish. It is also popular in many other Southeast Asian countries, such as: Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, and the southern Philippines, and also in the Netherlands, as Indonesia is a former Dutch colony.

Satay is a very popular delicacy in Indonesia; Indonesia's diverse ethnic groups' culinary arts (see Indonesian cuisine) have produced a wide variety of satay. In Indonesia, satay can be obtained from a travelling satay vendor, from a street-side tent-restaurant, in an upper-class restaurant, or during traditional celebration feasts. In Malaysia, satay is a popular dish—especially during celebrations—and can be found throughout the country.

Beside this lamb satay, you can see my other post, Chicken satay with peanut sauce. You can use that peanut sauce for this recipe too.

Ingredients A:
 ± 2 kg Lamb /mutton (mixed with fat). Cut into bite-size
 ± ¾ tablespoon garlic powder
 ½ tablespoons onion powder (optional)
 ± 1 tablespoon coriander powder
 2 tsp salt or to taste
 3~4 tablespoons vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
 4 ~ 5 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
>> Mix all ingredients and let sit at least 4 hours or overnight in refrigerator. Then stacking /puncture on satay skewer

Ingredients B:
 sweet soy sauce (I use ABC brand)
 Lemon juice
 Sliced of small red onion
>> Mix all ingredients B as marinate during roasting.

Ingredients C (soy sauce):
 thin slices of red onion
 Sweet soy sauce (I use kecap manis ABC)
 Juice of lemon
 chili chopped / ground chili to taste
>> C Mix all ingredients for sauce.

Other complementary ingredients:
 mixed pickles (acar ketimun)

How to prepare:
Dip satay into material B (like picture above) and grilled over charcoal. During grilling, occasionally dip / brush satay with material B and continue grill until cooked.

Place satays on serving plates and pour with sauce (ingredients C) and serve hot with mixed pickles and warm rice / rice cake (lontong/ ketupat).

Other optional sauce for serving, you can make peanut satay sauce:
Peanut sauce:
- 2 cups of fried peanut.
- 2 ~ 3 large red chilies. Diced to make it easier to mashed.
- Some cayenne pepper or birds eye pepper (optional-to give spicy-hot flavor)
- 5 ~ 6 cloves garlic
- 2 red onions (small size)
- 3~5 kaffir leaves.
- a small amount (about 1/2 tbsp) of Javanese palm sugar (if you can not find it, brown sugar may be substituted)
- salt
* Heat enough cooking oil on frying pan . Saute peanut and all ingredients (except brown sugar and kaffir leaves) until all withered. Remove from heat. Mash it all together with palm sugar (you can use blender to do it). Then move into sauce pan, pour in small amount of hot water--enough to be able to stirred and thicker than gravy sauce. Mix in kaffir leaves and bring to boil over medium heat. Peanut sauce is now ready to use. Mix with few spoon sweet soy sauce.

Yogurt "Cheese" Souffle

2011-11-07T08:45:00.002+02:00

This is great and easy dessert to make. And I I admit I was quite successful. The souffle rise so high, so beautiful once out from oven. The only thing I fail here is just taking it picture in perfect time, so it looks slightly shrunken and collapsed after 15 minutes. What can I say? I'm not photographer.... But they are perfect indeed, the silky texture and delish taste... you must try this ! ^,^ Never mind the appearance, souffle is like that after few minute out of oven, that's why they served while it's hot..

To make this yogurt "cheese" souffle, you need to drain yogurt to separate the water in cheesecloth-lined strainer for at least 24 hours before.

Make about 6 (250 ml cap) ramekins

Ingredients:
 1 cup thick plain yogurt that has been filtered out.

Yogurt after 24 hour

 3 large eggs (65 g each). Separate the white and yolks
 3 heaped tablespoons flour
 pinch of salt
 2 tsp vanilla powder
 4 tablespoons sugar
 Butter and sugar for the ramekins
 Your favorite choice of fruit jam (optional)

method:
1) Grease generously 6 ~ 7 ramekins with butter and sprinkle with granulated sugar evenly.

2) Preheat oven to 190 ⁰C. In a large bowl whisk egg yolks, yogurt, flour and vanilla. Whisk to perform well blended. Set aside.

3) Beat the egg whites until foamy. Then mix in sugar spoonful after spoonful. Beat until soft peaks, beat in salt, continue to beat for few minutes more.

4) Gradually, Fold the egg whites into the yolk-yogurt mixture, fold until incorporate. Pour into ramekins and bake for 15 minutes until souffle rise and golden yellow on surface.

5) Serve hot immediately with your favorite fruit jam.

Bon apetite.

And this post chosen on Today's Top 9 by Foodbuzz, 9th November 2011

http://www.foodbuzz.com/top9?date=2011-11-09

Ezogelin Çorbası ("Ezo" the bride soup)

2011-11-05T07:32:00.000+02:00

Winter comes early in Bursa, I can see top of Uludağ mountain already cover by snow, it's not even December yet! Hubby asked me to make something hot and freshly tasty for dinner appetizer. So after thinking and searching on my file, I decided to make this Ezogelin Çorbası. It has been quite sometime since last winter I didn't make this soup.

I don't know exactly why this soup named Ezogelin Çorbası which mean "Ezo bride" soup. But some people said this soup originally from Gaziantep where "Ezo bride" attribute to.

Consists of red lentil, rice and fine bulgur. Has a slightly sour and fresh taste of tomato make this soup really suitable in chill cold weather of early November winter...

Serving: 4 ~ 5

Ingredients:
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
• 1 medium tomato, finely grated
• 1 tablespoon of short grain rice
• 2 ~ 3 tablespoons red lentils
• 1 tbsp fine bulgur
• ½ tablespoon dried mint
• ½ tbsp tomato paste or chili paste
• 2 teaspoon red Paprika/ sweet chilly powder
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (or 2 tbsp butter)
• Salt and pinch of sugar
• ± 5 cups hot water (broth)-if you prefer thinner soup, can add 1 cup more

Material B (sprinkle on top):
• Enough margarine / butter
• Enough chili flakes
• Dried mint

method:

1) Wash lentils together with rice and drain. Heat olive oil /butter in a saucepan, saute onion and garlic until fragrant and transparent. Stir in grated tomatoes, stir for few minutes. Mix in tomato paste, mint, salt and sugar, powdered red pepper, lentil and rice. Stir for few second.

2) Add hot water (broth) , stir well and cook over medium heat until lentil and rice is tender. Then mix in fine bulgur, reduce heat and cook about 3~5 minutes more. Test the taste. Turn off the heat.

3) Ingredients B: melt the butter, stir in the chili flakes (the amount is depend on how spicy you want to go).

4) How to serve: Pour soup into serving bowl, pour with melted butter+chili flakes and sprinkle with dried mint. Serve immediately while it's warm with bread.

My hubby love to add few drop of lemon juice also.

Afiyet olsun.

Onde-Onde Pandan (glutinous dumpling Snack with pandan flavor)

2011-11-03T07:42:00.000+02:00

Onde-Onde, it's round ball-like dumpling usually stuffed with mashed mung bean. One of Indonesian traditional snack during family tea time at afternoon together with other traditional snack. Now days there are many other kind stuffing variety such as black bean, chocolate, cheese and other. But traditional version always come with mashed mung bean- my favorite one.

Other variation is on the skin dough like I made this time. I add Pandan flavor in it. But if you like plain one, you can check my other post here

Filling ingredients:
• ¾ cup mung beans (you can use peeled one). soak overnight
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla powder
• Pinch of salt
Steam mung beans until tender. once it soft, while it's hot puree/ mash with hand blender or food processor together with sugar, vanilla and salt. Let stand to room temperature. Then shape it round of a marble. Set a side.

Ingredients for skin dough:
• 1 ½ cups glutinous flour
• 2 tbsp rice flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
• A few drops of pandan paste
• A few drops of green food coloring (optional)
• ¾ cup water room temperature

Dissolve sugar, salt, pandan paste and green food coloring (if you use one) in ¾ cup water, stirring until all completely dissolved. In a medium bowl, combine rice flour and glutinous flour. Pour in the sugar solution and knead until dough could be shaped and not sticky in your fingers. If dough still too dry, water can be added drop by drop, do it carefully. (if you have too wet dough, add glutinous flour carefully)

Other Ingredients:
• Enough white sesame seeds
• Enough Cooking oil for deep fry

Finishing:
Take skin dumpling dough smaller than ping pong ball, shape it round and flatten, put stuffing dough in the middle and cover round again to form a ball. Roll in sesame seed. Do it same procedure to remaining dough.
Heat oil with low heat. in few batch, fry the dumplings with a low-medium heat until dumplings puff up and dry (about 20 minutes).

Enjoy warm or room temperature as snack for your tea/ coffee time ^,^

Dolmalık Bulgur (Stuffed Bell pepper with Bulgur) serve with Yogurt Salad

2011-11-02T07:37:00.001+02:00

Dolma is stuffed vegetable dishes in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire and surrounding regions such as Russia, Middle East and the Caucasus and Central and South Asia. Perhaps the best-known is the grape-leaf dolma (yaprak sarması). Common vegetables to stuff include onion, zucchini, eggplant, tomato and pepper. The stuffing may or may not include meat. Meat dolma are generally served warm, often with sauce; meatless ones are generally served cold and often eaten with yogurt.

One of traditional Turkish meal which daily served on Turkish' family dinner table. Experience turkish flavor by making it in your kitchen

Ingredients
Filling:
 8 ~ 9 medium bell pepper (any color you have)
 2 medium size onion, grated
 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
 ± 150 g minced beef
 1 ½ cup fine bulgur
 2 tablespoons olive oil
 2 tsp cumin powder
 1 tsp pepper powder
 2 teaspoon red sweet pepper powder
 2 tsp cayenne powder
 2 tsp salt or to taste
 tomatoes for topping, slices

For the sauce:
 2 medium tomatoes, grated
 1 tbsp tomato paste or chili paste
 1 ½ cup hot water
 A little salt

method:
A) In large bowl, combine all filling ingredients (except bell pepper and tomatoes for topping). Knead until well blended. Test the taste.
B) Seeded bell pepper (as shown), sprinkle with fine salt. Then prick the bottom of those bell pepper once with a knife. Fill with stuffing mixture and cover the top with tomato slices (as shown). Arrange in pan with lid.

C) Combine all sauce ingredients and pour over the Dolma. Cook over medium heat until cooked about 20 ~ 25 minutes. Remove from pan and serve warm with yogurt salad

How to make yogurt salad:

• 1 large cucumber, finely cubed
• 1 handful fresh mint, finely chopped (or 1 tablespoon dried mint)
• 1 handful of parsley or dill, finely chopped
• 2 ~ 3 tbsp thick plain yogurt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Pinch of salt
Mix all salad ingredients and mix well. Serve cold or room temperature.