RECIPES FROM

TURKEY

This document was prepared by Istiklal zen
Primary School as a product of Multilateral
Comenius School Partnership called United
Europe is in our eYES (UE-YES).



MANTI
Manti dumplings typically consist of a spiced
meat mixture, usually lamb or ground beef, in a
dough wrapper, either boiled or steamed. Mant
are dumplings popular in most Turkic cuisines,
as well as in Caucasian and Central Asian
cuisines. Manti was originated by Uyghur Turks
living in Eastern Turkestan, now a province of
China, where it is now called as mantou, and it
was carried across Central Asia to Turkey by
migrating Turks and Mongols in the Chingizid-
Timurid periods.
INGREDIENTS
250g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon water, or as needed
2 onions, peeled
225g minced beef

INSTRUCTIONS
Prep:40min Cook:25min Ready in:1hr5min
1. Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
Add the eggs and water, mixing well with your
hands. Add more water, if needed, to form a soft
dough. Cover and set aside for at least 30
minutes.
2. Grate the onions and place them in a colander or
sieve set over a bowl; drain the juice and
discard. Combine the onion, minced beef, salt
and pepper; mix the meat well with a spoon until
mashed.
3. Divide the dough into two portions and lightly
flour a work surface. Keep one piece of dough covered while you roll out the second
portion into a rectangle, rolling the dough as thin as you can. Cut the rectangle into 5cm
squares with a knife or pastry wheel.
4. Place about 2 teaspoons of the meat filling in the centre of each square. Seal the dumplings
by gathering the edges of the dough and pinching them together at the top to form a bundle.
Transfer the finished manti to a floured plate, and sprinkle more flour over the manti to
prevent sticking. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
5. Heat the oil and red chilli flakes in a small frying pan over low heat just until the chilli
flakes have started to colour the oil; don't let them burn. Remove from the heat and keep
warm. Stir the minced garlic into the yoghurt and set aside.
6. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil over medium-high heat, and cook the manti
until the filling is no longer pink and the dough is tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain well.
Divide the manti among four plates. Spoon the yoghurt sauce over the manti and drizzle
each serving with the hot chilli oil.

ETSZ KFTE

In Turkish cuisine, Etsiz i Kfte is a traditional dish without meat, which originated from
i Kfte. Etsiz i Kfte never includes any kind of meat whereas i Kfte includes raw
beef. It is believed that i Kfte originated in Urfa during the period of Prophet Abraham.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup fine bulgur
1 piece of a day old bread (with crust)
1 small onion
2 cloves of crushed garlic
1/4 cup crushed walnuts
1 full teaspoon tomato paste
1 full teaspoon hot red pepper paste
Salt
1 full teaspoon spice mix (below)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
Spice mix (You can make this mix and save for other recipes) :
1 tablespoon allspice
1 tablespoon blackpepper
2 tablespoon hot red pepper
2 tablespoon cumin
2 tablespoon curry
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon mint
1 teaspoon thyme

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Put the bulgur in a colander and pour boiled water through the bulgur. Set aside to dry.
2. In a food processor chop onion and add all ingredients except bulgur, olive oil and parsley
and mix through until you have a sticky mixture. Add in bulgur and mix through. Finally
add in olive oil and mix that through in the food processor
3. Remove from the food processor and add in parsley and knead like a big dough making
sure parsley is all through.
4. Make small bites and serve in a bed of lettuce with pickles on the side





TOKAT KEBABI
It is a traditional type of kebab with lamb meat and vegetables which is native to Tokat.
INGREDIENTS
1 kg fresh lamb meat
500 gr tail fat
1 kg seedless eggplant
1 kg good ripe tomatoes
300 gr sivri peppers or green
pepper
6 medium potatoes
10 small onions
6 heads garlic
10 long lavash breads
INSTRUCTIONS
Cut the meat into matchbox-size pieces, and salt. Remove the stems from the eggplants and
cut longwise in two (use the long thin type). Rub the cut surfaces with rock salt. Then cut
crosswise into thumb-length pieces. Peel potatoes and cut into cm thick circles. Rub the
kebab skewer with a piece of tail fat, then put onto the skewer: a piece of meat, one piece of
tail fat, one whole head of garlic, then a piece of meat, and a piece of eggplant with the cut
side facing the meat. Altna patates olmak zere srasyla taklr. Her ite bir ba sarmsak
kullanlr.
Cut tomatoes in half and arrange face up in a frying pan. On the other skewers, add a large
piece of tail fat and the green peppers. iler ocan iine pime srasyla ve domateslerin
iinde bulunduu tavann stne gelecek ekilde dizilir. Arrange the skewers over the
tomatoes so that they will drip onto them in the fire.
This dish is cooked in special clay ovens in old Tokat houses made especially for this
purpose. From its preparations to its cooking and serving, Tokat kebab is a ritual. Not lending
itself to commercial production, it is a cultural treasure left by people who are passionate
about the dish. The oven is an indispensable item in the gardens of Tokat, and the ability to
make these ovens is considered a mark of special skillfulness. Each implement used in
cooking Tokat kebab requires masterful craftsmanship. Contrary to what one might think, it is
an easy-to-digest dish because of the dry heat in which it is cooked. Looking into the past, we
see that Tokat kebab was made in ovens that were heated from the outside, and never had a
fire inside them. Later on, as Tokat kebab gained commercial dimensions, it began to be
cooked with oak wood, and this has continued to the present day. Tokat kebab is not really
Tokat kebab without local tomatoes and peppers, Tokat lamb, and it cannot be made in a
metal oven. Unfortunately it continues to fall from its former heights as it is made more and
more commercially. Much can be written and said about Tokat kebab, but nothing short of
tasting a well-made Tokat kebab prepared with quality ingredients.


BAT
It is a traditional dish with bulgur, lentils, parsleys and other ingredients, which is believed to
be native to Zile or Tokat.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup fine bulgur
1 cup hot water
1 cup cooked green lentils (~1/2 cup dry
green lentils would make 1 cup cooked
lentils)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2-3 green onions, finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1 green pepper or 1/2 green bell pepper,
finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp or less red pepper flakes
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil flakes
1 tsp dry mint flakes
1 tsp or less black pepper
Salt
optional a couple of cherry tomatoes
grape leaves (if unavailable, lettuce would do)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Put bulgur in a bowl and add hot water. Stir once, cover with a thick towel and wait
until bulgur soaks all the water.
2. If you have fresh grape leaves, boil some water and cook grape leaves for 2-3 minutes.
Set aside and let cool.
3. Add tomato paste to bulgur and mix it well with the back of a spoon or your hands
until paste is homogeneously distributed.
4. Add lentils.
Add green onion, parsley, dill, tomatoes, green pepper, basil, mint, red pepper flakes,
black pepper, walnut, and salt.
Serve bulgur with lentils with grape leaves or lettuce. Put some in the middle of a
leave, make a roll or a bundle and enjoy.