AYRAN - Turkish Yogurt drink

Ayran: the perfect beverage

Ayran is a mixture of yoghurt, water and salt. The thickness may vary across Turkey with those down south preferring something a little firmer. Most commercial manufacturers add approximately 1 percent salt -- about 1 gram for every 100 milliliters of liquid. Unsalted versions are available and can be easily prepared at home. Ayran is the perfect accompaniment to kebabs, döner, lahmacun (very thin, flat-style pizza), gözleme (savory flat, phyllo-style pastry) and some pide (thicker-crust-style pizzas) and börek (savory pastry).
The potential health benefits attributed to the bacteria of yoghurt are related to the traditional, spontaneously fermented milks, not those soured with standard bacteria used in industrial production. Ayran purchased in sealed plastic and foil cups are unlikely to provide the sought-after gastrointestinal assistance; any bacteria present will not survive the harsh internal environment of the human body.
Ayran  is that the process of fermentation sees milk's natural sugar, lactose, broken down, used as food by the bacteria. This makes digestion of both drinks easier than their predecessor, milk. Their other nutritional benefits come from their abundant minerals; calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and vitamins riboflavin, B12, A, K and D.

What you need and how to prepare it:

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CHERRY CLAFOUTIS

Happy Ramadhan to all Moslems in world. Have a 'barokah' fasting time and may God accepted our deeds

My simply Cherry Clafoutis, I think it's perfect dessert for our first day of Ramadhan, which is also festive my summer time here in Turkey. Simple, easy, and quick to make....

Ingredients:

 500 g fresh cherries, remove stems and pitted (traditional version no need to pitted)
 ¾ cup cream and milk mixture 1:1 ( half and half)
 1 tsp vanilla essence
 2 large egg
 ¼ cup sugar (can add 1 tbsp if you want sweeter taste)
 ¼ cup flour, sifted
 Pinch fine salt
 Icing sugar for topping
 Butter/ Margarine for basting the pan

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(mix) Fruity cookies

I always keep something in our cookies jar in case if there is family, friends or neighbors come to visit. Or it's just only for accompany our afternoon tea. Mostly chocolate cookies in it... But today I made something else. Since I found many dried fruit in my storage cabin, so why didn't I make them something? like this cookies......

Ingredients:

• 2 medium eggs 
• 250 gr unsalted butter, soften at room temperature 
• ¾ cup brown sugar 
• ½ cup sugar 
• 3 cups flour 
• 2 tsp ground ginger 
• 3 tsp ground cinnamon 
• ¼ tsp ground cloves 
• 1 tsp vanilla powder 
• ¼ tsp fine salt 
• 1 cup mixed dried fruit  
• 1 cup raisins or seeded sultanas, roughly chopped 
• ½ cup roughly chopped dried peaches (if any) 
• ½ cup pecans (or other nuts) roughly chopped 

How to make: 

1) Sift together: flour, salt, ginger powder, cinnamon powder, clove powder, vanilla powder, set aside. In a large bowl, beat together: butter, brown sugar, and sugar, beat until well blended. Beat in eggs one at a time, beat well after each addition, beat about 3  minutes more.

2) Carefully, mix in dry ingredient mixture alternately with fruit mixture plus pecans (or other peanuts). Stir with wooden spoon or spatula until blended.

3) Place the dough in plastic (I use plastic stretch) and shape it long pipe form (as shown),  wrap it carefully and  store in freezer about 40 minutes.
  Note: you can divide the batter into two equal part and wrap individually.

4) After 40 minutes, take the dough from frezer, slice with sharp knife about 0.5 cm thick. Place in baking tray lined with baking paper, do not forget to give a space about two fingers from each other. Let stand about 15 ~ 20 minutes until cookies are slightly thaw.

5) Pre heat oven at 180 ⁰C. Bake for 20 ~ 25 minutes until cooked and golden brown on surface.
Let stand until room temperature before stored in an airtight jar.

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Stuffed Chicken Wings... and I'm back ! ^,^

 It's been for a while I've been absence.. I had some administrative things to do. I'd been to Ankara for few days. Beside went to my embassy, I met some other Indonesian friends there... lovely time. After from Ankara, I went to some other places too... hhh... thanks God, everything are finish now... 

With some Indonesian friends in Ankara

Well... after some time didn't write any post... today I started with one of my favorite.. I'm sure it will be your fave too after you try it ^,^

I love chicken, especially wing part.. I don't know why, I think it more crispy than other part, don't you think so? @(^,^)@

If you are boring just fried them, why don't you try this stuffed recipe or your chicken wing..

What you Need:

 10 clean chicken wings. Discard the bones inside the wings, coat with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and a pinch of salt, let stand minimum 30 minutes.

 ½ portion of boneless chicken breasts, minced. (Or you can use 300 gr minced beef)
 200 gr shrimp, discard head and tail, minced.
 2 large carrots, finely shaved.
 1 egg, lightly beaten.
 2 tsp oyster sauce
 1 teaspoon ground ginger
 3 cloves garlic, finely grated.
 Sugar, salt and black pepper powder to taste.
Other Ingredients for coating:
 2 eggs, beaten
 Bread crumb flour/ panko flour
 Cooking oil.

method:
1) In a bowl, mix together, minced chicken, shrimp, carrots, eggs and all seasonings,taste the flavor. Put the stuffing mixture into pipping bag and fill prepared chicken wings with it. Steam for 30 minutes. Allow up to room temperature before coating them.
2) Dip wings  into beaten egg, coat with panko flour, dip in beaten egg and coat with panko flour again. Do same to all wings. Heat oil in deep skillet, fry wings just until golden brown. Drain.

Serve warm with chili sauce and your favorite salad.

served 10 wings

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Homemade Cherry Compote and some Facts about Cherry

As I said previously, for celebrating cherry season (read: Low price cherry) here in Turkey I will post some recipe using this fascinating cherry. And read some facts about this little cute fruit below that I copy from some sources.

 

Some great facts and advantages about this Cherry:
* Cherry contain anthocyanins which combat diabetes (lowers blood sugar levels)

* Consuming fresh Cherry also can reduce levels of cholesterol in the blood.

As reported by genius beauty, cherry juice can improve your sleep quality. Research has shown that people who had been drinking cherry juice without the sugar in the morning and evening, have better sleep than those who drink other juice in the same amount. The average duration of their sleep improved by 17 minutes after eating cherry juice.
The content of the cherry juice affects melatonin in the body. Melatonin is a hormone that regulates sleep and wake cycles, as manifested by Wilfred Pigeon, a psychiatrist the University of Rochester in New York.

Check my other post using Cherries.

Well, after knowing the fact of these cherry.. let's make this one also, shall we? ^,^

Ingredients:
 500 grams of fresh cherry fruit, pitted and clean the stem.
 7 tablespoons granulated sugar (or you can use diabetes sugar for a healthy reason)
 ¾ tsp citric acid (or can be replaced with 2 tablespoons lemon juice)
 ¾ cup water
 ½ tsp Vanilla extract

In a heavy-bottom sauce pan, put sugar, water and citric acid, bring to almost boiling and  sugar dissolves. Put in fresh cherry, stir very gently until all cherries covered with the syrup, let it cook about 2 ~ 3 minutes.
If you cook it too long, cherry will soft and tend to crushed, but if you like it that way (slightly like jam), you can also cook them a bit longer.

Let stand until room temperature before storage in sterile jars. Keep refrigerated

(Yield about 700 gr). You can double the recipe to make more yield.

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TAVUKLU DÜRÜM (Chicken roll flat bread) / Turkish #CHICKENKEBAB

Selam everybody...Merhaba from Turkey.

Dürüm means Roll in English. Dürüm is very famous in Turkey, I think everybody like it. Dürüm stuffed with lamb or beef şiş kebab(minced meat in skewer then roasted), some vegetable salad and typical spread sauce with a lot of  'Isot biber' (black hot pepper). This 'isot biber' which make Turkish Dürüm has typical taste, and roll in 'lavaş' (read lavash-tortila or flat naan bread look a like)

Dürüm is favorite menu in restaurant, but today I make it homemade with different stuffing. I use chicken instead of minced meat, but with same spread sauce and salad... well, I got "high score" from my Turkish hubby @(^,^)@

in here it is I share my ev yapımı tavuklu dürüm (homemade chicken Dürüm)......

Ingredients: 

ingredients A (Chicken kebab):
 500gr boneless chicken breasts (I use some fats also), cut into bite size
 1 medium onion, grated
 2 cloves garlic, grated
 4 tablespoons olive oil (or other vegetable oil)
 2 Tbsp Turkish spice mix (baharat karışımı) See here for recipe (*)
 Salt and pepper to taste


Replace (*) with:
 1 Tbsp red paprika powder (tatlı biber)
 1 tsp cayenne pepper powder (acıbiber)
 1 tea spoon ground cumin  
 1 tea spoon hot chili flake (or more if you like)
 1 tbsp dried thyme (or fresh, finely chopped) 

Isot biber (Black hot pepper)

Ingredients B (sauce): 
 2 tablespoons tomato paste (mixed with chili paste if you like)
 Isot biber (spicy hot black pepper flake)

 Hot red chili flake to taste 
 3 tablespoons olive oil 
 pinch of Salt 

Ingredients (C) Salad and other complementary: 

 Fresh (daily) Lavaş flat bread
 Onions, thinly sliced, squeezed with salt and wash clean.
 Celery, finely chopped.
 Tomato, cut into thin
 Lettuce (optional), thinly sliced
 Isot biber and red chilly flake for more on top.

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Cherry Cake

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 on 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 😍💛

 

Yaayyy... Summer really come in market :))
Many kinds of fruits and vegetables which I couldn't find in wintertime, now everywhere in farmer market, and the price getting low each day :))
And I found many many fresh cherries with low price as well as strawberry and other summer fruits.
Cherry season is coming.... Hubby bought some kilos, now I'm thinking how will I do with those many cherries... For the start.. it's my simple Cherry Cake.

Cherry Cake

By: Çitra's Home Diary

Make one 22 cm bund pan

Ingredients: 

 1 cup pitted fresh cherries, cut quartered or halved
 ¾ cup caster sugar
 2 large egg
 ¼ cup (± 60 g) unsalted butter, Soften at room temperature. Plus for greasing baking pan 

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Rosemary Lemon Chicken

I planted some pots of rosemary in my balcony. Since this early spring, my rosemary got some new shoots and grow beautifully with some new green leaves. I'm very happy to see it, more over, the smell of it fragrance in early morning ...and yesterday I picked few new green stems to try some menus using this great scent of this rosemary which I really like, one of them is chicken with rosemary and lemon . Easy and quick to make with perfect result...

And here it's my easy recipe..

served 2

Ingredients:
 2 boneless and skinless chicken breasts.
 3 pieces medium potato, peeled and wedge (apple cut).
 ½ medium lemon, press the juice.
 fresh rosemary, roughly chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
 2 cloves garlic, Crushed and minced (or finely grated)

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