The unique cooking methods of a Turkish kitchen

Similarly, eating and drinking etiquette has changed over time, eventually developing to today's level of courtesy and elegance.

Cooking methods have developed during this time, as well. Each country has its own culture of cooking and different variations of methods in the kitchen. As for cooking techniques in Turkey, methods in the traditional and contemporary kitchen are similar. In Turkey there are five main cooking methods, of which each can be divided into smaller categories.

The first is cooking with water. This method is for cooking foods by boiling or steaming. All kinds of food, including meat, vegetables and legumes, can be boiled in water. Bain-marie cooking is rare, but not unheard of in the Turkish kitchen. In the Ali Eşref Dede cook book there is a reference to steamed rice. A similar method is used in Çorum and İkilip for cooking rice. 
The second method is frying. Foods can be deep fried or pan fried. Many foods are often cooked by frying, especially vegetable patties, vegetables and Turkish doughnuts.

The third method is dry-heat cooking. Roasting, grilling, broiling, and sautéing are classified as dry-heat cooking methods. Tandoori is another dry-heat cooking method that is common in Anatolian kitchens. Almost anything can be cooked in a tandoori oven. Konya, Siirt and Kastamonu are known for all kinds of tandoori lamb meals. 

The fourth method is water-oil cooking. This is the most common method used in the Turkish kitchen and is used for making stuffed foods, moussaka, stew and any other dish cooked in a saucepan. You can be certain that you are making Turkish-style food if  your chopping up some onions, frying them in a saucepan, adding some ground meat, tomato and pepper paste, stirring it a little, adding washed and chopped vegetables, one or two chopped tomatoes and some green peppers and then topping it off with some salt and pepper.

The last method we can call combo-cooking. This method is a combination of all of the above, such as karnıyarık (slashed eggplant), where the eggplant is fried and the ground meat is sautéed. 

This week I will share a recipe for sautéed lamb cubes that can be cooked in a non-stick pan or saucepan. Cook rice and put some cacık (a turkish sauce made with yogurt, cucumbers and mint) next to the lamb cubes and you will fulfill your daily nutrition requirements. Have a nice meal!

Banane cake roll

Cake ingredients: 4 tablespoons sugar, 4 eggs (separate whites and yolks), 4 tablespoons flour, 1 packet of baking powder
Filling: 1 liter milk, 3 tablespoons flour, 4.5 tablespoons sugar, 2 eggs, 1.5-2 bananas, 1-2 teaspoons cocoa powder (optional)
Coconut flakes or chopped walnuts make good toppings for the cake.
Cake directions:
Mix 4 tablespoons sugar and 4 egg yolks. In separate bowl, mix 4 tablespoons flour and 1 packet baking powder. Beat 4 egg whites in small bowl until fluffy. Slowly add egg whites to mixed egg yolks and sugar; then beat in flour. Spread cake batter evenly onto wax paper. Bake at 170 degrees Celsius in preheated oven until cake is light golden brown. Cake will bake very quickly. Gently roll up cake into a loose roll. Place a damp towel over the cake and let rest.
Filling directions:
Mix 3 tablespoons flour, 4.5 tablespoons sugar, 2 eggs and 1 or 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder (cocoa powder is optional) in a medium-size saucepan. Slowly add cold milk and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Cool to room temperature, occasionally stirring mixture to cool faster. Unroll cake and spread approximately two-thirds of the filling onto it. Place 1.5-2 whole bananas in the middle of the cake and roll twice. Scoop spilled filling from the sides and spread on top. Spread remaining filling on sides of cake and decorate with walnuts or coconut flakes. Refrigerate until serving.

Rolled pastry from phyllo dough

Ingredients: 4 sheets of phyllo dough, 1.5 cup milk, 1 egg, 3 tablespoons olive oil, feta cheese, chopped parsley, 1 egg yolk, black sesame
Note: cheese and parsley filling can be substituted with mashed potatoes or ground meat.
Directions: Beat milk, eggs and olive oil in bowl. Mix mashed feta cheese and chopped parsley in separate bowl. Place one sheet of phyllo dough on table and spread half of it with milk mixture. Fold over other half to cover three fourths of phyllo dough and spread same mixture on folded part. Spread cheese filling on top. Roll up dough starting from the edges. Cut roll in half and place on greased tray. Follow the same directions for remaining three sheets. Spread any leftover milk mixture over rolls. Beat egg yolk and brush it on top of rolls. Decorate with black sesame and bake in oven until golden brown.

Sesame and mahlab sticks

Ingredients: 125 grams margarine, 1 egg yolk, 1 egg white, 1 packet baking powder, 100 milliliters (the size of a traditional Turkish tea glass) vegetable oil, 3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, 4 table spoons yogurt, 1 teaspoon salt, about 5 tablespoons of sesame and flour and 1 teaspoon of mahlab.
Directions: Mahlab is essential because that is what gives flavor to the sticks. Mix all ingredients, excluding the sesame, to form soft dough. Take walnut-size pieces of dough and shape into a stick. Fold dough in half and twist edges. Place on greased tray. Spread egg whites and sesame. Cook in preheated oven at 170 degrees Celsius.

Apricot cookies

Ingredients: 1 cup of chopped dried apricots, 5 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, 250 grams of margarine at room temperature, 3 cups flour, 1 packet baking powder, 2 eggs and coconut flakes.
Directions: Beat margarine, egg yolks and apricots. Sift confectioners' sugar into mixture. Lastly, sift flour and baking powder to make dough. Take small pieces of the dough and roll into a cookie. Dip cookies into egg whites and then into coconut flakes. Place on greased tray and cook until light brown at 180 degrees Celsius.