Kumpir in Portion

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)

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Hot Chocolate (Our fave beverage during winter)

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 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.

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

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:

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Drink Milk !! Good for you.

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

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Cap Cay (Indonesian style mix vegetable saute)

I am not a vegetarian, but most of my favorite and dish choice 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

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

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

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Mie Ayam Jamur (Chicken Mushrooms noodle)

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:
  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)

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Kumpir / Turkish style Stuffed Baked Potato

Merhaba From Türkiye 👋

First, I'd like to thank you for visiting my blog. Please come back, again and again, to check up on anything beyond Indonesian or Turkish food or something sweet you might love. Your comments and emails brighten my days and make this simple blog thing worthwhile 😍💛 

And make sure you subscribe to my Youtube channel and turn on the bell sign to get more video recipes.

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

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

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

Kumpir / Turkish style Stuffed Baked Potato

By: Çitra's Home Diary

Served 4.

Prepare 4 large potatoes, and wash them clean. 

Prick in some parts with a knife, wrap with aluminum foil and bake in preheated 200 deg C oven until cooked and soft. The time required can vary according to the size of the potatoes (it took me about 40 minutes)

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Spicy chicken Nugget

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

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#Simit / #Turkish bagel, making at home

Merhaba From Türkiye 👋


First of all, I'd like to thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you can come back, again and again, to check up any beyond Indonesian or Turkish food or something sweets that you might love. Your comments and emails brighten my days and make this simple blog thing worthwhile 😍💛

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

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

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

Simit/ Turkish bagel make it at home

By: Çitra's Home Diary

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

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İslim Kebabı / Kofta wrap with eggplant in tomato sauce-#Turkishfood

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

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Labneh (strained Yogurt) Cheesecake

Selam everybody ...... Merhaba from Turkey....

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). You might need to cover lightly your cheesecake with aluminium foil when you notice it's going to burn much.

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. 

Maybe you would think that cheesecake made of yogurt has too much sourness taste in result...well...One thing I can say that each yogurt product has different quality and sourness. In Turkey we have few kind of yogurt for example; kaymaklı or kaymaksız. Kaymaklı is more creamy and less sourness than kaymaksız. And mostly turkish yogurt are very thick compare yogurt products I found in Indonesia which mostly thinner.

But again... it's back to your personal palate and taste.

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Telor Marmer (Marbled Eggs)

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...

Ingredients 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, bruised
 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. Drain eggs, then gently crack egg shells to form crack pattern. Put them back 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.

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Indonesian Lamb or mutton Satay /Sate daging Kambing bumbu kecap

Satay (sate) 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.

Besides this lamb satay, you can see my other post, Chicken satay with peanut sauce-  here and here. 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 the refrigerator. Then stacking /puncture on satay skewer


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


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

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Yogurt "Cheese" Souffle Cake

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 strained thick plain yogurt.

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Ezogelin Çorbası ("Ezo" the bride soup)

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

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Onde-Onde #Pandan / Indonesian glutinous dumpling Snack with pandan flavor

Onde-Onde, it's a round ball-like dumpling usually stuffed with mashed mung bean. One of Indonesian traditional snack during family tea time in the afternoon together with another 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

Check category Indonesian Snack (jajan pasar/ kue) for more Indonesian Kueh or snack.

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

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

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 is 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.

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Peynirli Pide with Ezme (Pita with Cheese filling, served with Ezme salad)

In Turkey, pita (called pide) has a soft, chewy texture. The pizza-like foods called lahmacun are made with oval-shaped pieces of pide dough topped with finely chopped meat and herbs before baking. Pide also refers to another pizza-like food made of pide dough topped with different ingredients. Regional variations in the shape, baking technique, and topped materials create distinctive styles for each region. Such pides can include chicken, beef, cheese, potatoes, garlic and many other ingredients. Beside Pide with meat topping, chicken topping, Turkish sausage topping, this time I made it with cheese filling. Served it with Acılı Ezme and you can choose ayran for drink.

Serve: 8 pieces medium size

Ingredients:
PIDE bread Ingredients:
 4 cups flour, divide.
 4 tsp instant dry yeast
 1 tablespoon sugar
 1 ½ cups lukewarm water, divide.
 6 tablespoons olive oil (or other vegetable oil)
 2 teaspoon salt

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Acılı Ezme (meze)

Acılı Ezme is hot spicy freshly mashed tomato with onion mix with other herb ingredients. The Hot spiced leveling can be vary according each one's taste and favor.

Although ezme look like sauce, but these dish include in salad variant usually served with other traditional Turkish foods such as kebabs, kofte (Turkish meatball), pide, lahmacun and other favorite foods

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