My attempt at a mini Turkish Breakfast – inspired from my trip in Cyprus!

After coming back from sunny Cyprus not only did I miss the lovely weather and beautiful surroundings, but the daily breakfast/brunch that we had each morning that was always served with soup first, then extras such as eggs, pasta, salads and of course, Turkish tea and home-made jams! (can view my travel log here!)

So I tried to re-create my own Turkish breakfast by making lentil soup (recipe link) and having my first go at Turkish tea!

For my Turkish tea, as the soup was being made. I used the lower half of my Turkish tea set to boil up some water.

Once boiling, you then add the water to the little pot on top and place them together so the heat from the bottom pot heats up the smaller one – if that makes sense.

For my tea infusion, I used 1 teabag of Yorkshire tea, 1 teabag of Oolong, 1 small cinnamon stick and 2-3 cardamons. And for my first go, it came out rather nice! The cinnamon overpowered the tea a little so next time I will use much less cinnamon.

 

 

my Turkish tea

For the rest of the breakfast I set the table with a quick salad, olives, some jams (no I didn’t make them but hoping to in the future!) and some bread that was toasted in the oven and some bread also cut into pieces and made into croutons for the soup – Cyprus style!

My Turkish breakfast!

Yorkshire Trip

 

Hi all, I’m now back at home after a week’s trip to South Yorkshire to visit my in-laws. My motherinlaw’s cooking is one of the best authentic Pakistani foods I’ve eaten so after watching her in the kitchen viewing the ingredients she uses, I bought my own stack of ingredients while being there!!

 

 

 

Ingredients: haldi (turmeric) powder, dhania (coriander) powder, cinnamon powder, black seeds, and gram flour.

One of my favourite side-dishes she made was Pakora’s – which gram flour is needed.

Pakoras are created by taking one or two ingredients such as onion, eggplant, potato, spinach, plantain,paneer, cauliflower, tomato, chili pepper, or occasionally bread^[2] or chicken and dipping them in a batter of gram flour and then deep-frying them. – Wikipedia

 

Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures of the food (was too busy eating all of it!) but the variety was anything from chicken curry, egg curry, daal curry (lentils), chicken biryani, meat kofta with boiled eggs (which I would definitely like to try out!) and many more!

 

So for my next recipes there will be an asian twist to them as well as trying out some of my motherinlaw’s authentic Pakistani recipes! Yummy yum!

 

xxx The Wandering Cook 786 xxx

 

Simple Chickpea Curry Recipe – Vegetarian

 

Hi to all the cooking fans out there!

So sorry haven’t blogged for awhile, been another busy week. And unfortunately won’t be able to blog for another week as we’ll be visiting my motherinlaw but i’ll be recording some of her delicious foods!!

But for now, this post is dedicated to my version of the classic Chickpea curry. My husband and I are trying to venture onto vegetarian meals more and after realizing that I had a can of chickpeas in the cupboard, chickpea curry it was!

 

Prep time: 5-10minutes

Cooking time: 30minutes (+45minute simmer time)

Servings: 2

 

Ingredients:

• 1 can of chickpeas
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 onion
• olive oil for frying
• 1tsp. cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 2tsps. ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp. chili flakes
• hot water
• 1/2 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 tsp. garam masala
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley
• salt and pepper

 

 

Method:

• First start by preparing your ingredients, by finely chopping your onions and garlic. And wash and drain your chick peas. 
• Also wash your parsley and roughly chop, including stalks.
• Now start cooking by placing a medium saucepan with 3tbsps of olive oil onto medium-high heat.
• Once the oil is hot, start by frying your onions and garlic till soft.
• Next add your cumin powder, cinnamon, paprika and chili flakes. Stir and fry for a further 5minutes until the onions have browned from the spices.

 

 

• Next add your chopped tomatoes and stir into the onions.
• After, add in your chickpeas and stir thoroughly into the onion and tomatoes spice mix. Add hot water from the kettle to just cover over the chickpeas. 
• Now add in your coriander powder, garam masala and salt & pepper to taste.

 

 

• Now add in your chopped fresh parsley, stir and lower heat to the lowest setting. Cover and simmer for 45minutes.

 

 

 

• Serve warm!
  

 

If you want more spice, then add tad more garam masalan and chili flakes to enhance the chili!

This recipe is also under the Category of ‘Winter Foods’ as I find the spice in this curry helps to warm you up!

 

Enjoy!

Coming up soon!

How to make Turkish vermicelli noodle rice

 

 

Where else to find The Wandering Cook786!

Facebook, where I always give a sneak peak of whats to come before posting on my blog: 

 

 

www.facebook.com/thewanderingcook786

YouTube, where you can find video tutorials of my recipes

www.youtube.com/thewanderingcook786

Twitter, where you can tweet me your versions of chickpea curry or any other recipe on here!  

@thewanderincook

***QUICK 30 minutes recipe! Prawn Noodles with veg***Food on the go***

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simple Turkish Lahmacun Recipe using Pitta bread – Turkish Pizza

Lahmacun, lahmajun, or lahmejun (Turkish: Lahmacun), (Armenian լահմաջուն lahmaǰun or լահմաջո lahmaǰo), from Arabic: لحم بعجين‎, lahm bi’ajīn, “meat with dough”, is a round, thin piece of dough topped with minced meat (most commonly beef and lamb) and minced vegetables and herbs including onions, tomatoes and parsley, then baked. Lahmacun is often served sprinkled with lemon juice and wrapped around vegetables, including pickles, tomatoes, peppers, onions, lettuce, and roasted eggplant; a typical variants may be found employing kebab meat or sauces. – Wikipedia.

My take on Lahmacun comes from memories of my childhood when my parents, brother and I used to make home-made Lahmacun by using leftover pitta bread. It was a joyous occasion that has always been kept with me as a memory I cherish. My father would be the one preparing the mince meat, my mother the one placing them in the hot oven or under the grill and my brother and I picking our toppings! So as a childhood memory I decided to make Lahmacun using pitta bread again but my own take incorporating different spices and herbs to enhance the flavor. I definitely recommend making this with your children! And as you wont be making your own dough, it also saves time and creates more time to have some fun while cooking!

Ingredients:

• Handful of fresh parsley
• 50g butter
• 1 onion
• 1 tomato (peeled – refer to Cooking Tips)
• 5-6 pitta breads (sliced in half – refer to Cooking Tips)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. chilli flakes
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried mint
• Olive oil
• 1 tbsp. tomato puree/paste
• 1/2 Ib mince meat
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Sprinkle of cayenne pepper

Method:

• Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius
• Start by finely chopping your fresh parsley and placing into a large bowl along with your mince meat.
• Next finely chop your onion and garlic (you can blitz them if you have a fine blender). Then using a large frying pan, melt your butter on medium heat and fry your onions and garlic till soft. Lower heat and cover to soften the onions more. Leave for approx. 5mins.

• Then place the onions and garlic also into the bowl with the mince meat and parsley.
• After, peel your tomato (for peeling tomato method refer to Cooking Tips) and finely dice into small pieces and add into the same bowl with the rest of the ingredients.

• At this stage add the tomato puree and your spices and herbs so your cumin, chilli flakes, dried mint, cayenne pepper and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and add in your lemon juice until well cooperated with rest of the ingredients.

• Next prepare your pitta bread by slicing each pitta bread into half (refer to Cooking Tips).

• Using some olive oil, lightly brush some onto each pitta bread slice and start adding your mince meat onto the bread!

• Place into prepared baking tray and cook in hot oven for 10-15mins until the edges of the pitta bread and mince meat have browned.
• Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice and fresh salad!
• Note: after making my Lahmacun if I had to change something it would be to chop the fresh parsley more smaller.

I served my Lahmacun with boiled black-eyed beans with Swiss chard drenched in olive oil and vinegar, fresh parsley salad (featured in above picture), Turkish noodle rice, fresh lemon, olive and for the daring, cooking kidneys.

Whereas you can find The Wandering Cook786

Facebook, where I always give a sneak peek of whats to come before posting on my blog:

www.facebook.com/thewanderingcook786

YouTube, where you can find video tutorials of my recipes

www.youtube.com/thewanderingcook786 

Twitter, where you can tweet me your versions of Lahmacun or any other recipe on here!

@thewanderincook 

xxxxxxx The Wandering Cook 786 xxxx

My make-shift bento box!

After hours of going through the yummy video tutorials on YouTube about bento boxes, I decided I really wanted to make one especially when traveling around!

But after coming across a few websites here in the UK on buying an authentic bento box, the prices were quite expensive from£35 onwards and as you know, I’m always on a budget (heck I even budget my food shop by making items myself, i.e. cheese)..so much more rewarding and those extra pennies go to something else – whoops, this is a whole different article.

Back to bento boxes, so I thought why not buy a lunchbox and just fill it with smaller plastic containers. My first attempt after taking the bus to our nearest town, I bought a big plastic box and smaller containers, came home, and none of them fitted right into the bigger lunchbox – fail.

Next day, when to another shop and this time tried to measure each box roughly and they had pretty clip-on lunchboxes, came home and it all fitted perfectly! Success! Now when I start backpacking I’ll be bringing my bento box with me, but I also have an eye on those stainless steel tifin boxes 😉 I’ve become a lunchbox fanatic!

Here’s my first make-shift bento box with home-made sushi, home-made chocolate chip cookies (which I cut into strips to fit into the containers), sliced kiwi and cherry tomatoes.

Total amount spent: £4 for the lot! (not including chopsticks)

A useful way to use up leftover Pitta Bread – Home made Garlic Bread RECIPE

Now I for one do not like wasting food! If there’s a little bit of green mold on piece of bread, just take that bit off and continue eating. Or even just break the bread into pieces and toast them under the grill and use them in soup.

If milk is just beginning to go off, turn it into cheese by boiling it with some lemon juice!

 

So for this recipe, I had some pitta breads that were beginning to get moldy I decided to make home made garlic bread out of them from a recipe inspired by the free food magazine in my local Co-operative supermarket. And the results were delicious! A great side to any dish.

Ingredients:

• your leftover pitta bread or any type of bread
• 100g butter
• 1/4tsp. chilli flakes
• 1/2tsp. dried basil
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Method:

• Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
• Cut your pitta bread into slices, I choose triangles.

• Next, in a frying pan, add your butter, garlic cloves (thinly sliced) and fry until butter has melted and garlic is covered by the butter.
• Add in your chilli flakes and dried basil and stir.

• Next with a small spoon/pastry brush, coat your bread with the garlic butter and place in a hot oven for 10minutes.

• Serve warm!

Enjoy!

Don’t forget I’m also on Facebook! >>> http://www.facebook.com/thewanderingcok786

Twitter>>> #thewanderincook

Any questions feel free to comment below and I’ll do my best to answer as soon as poss.

Let me know how you get on with making these and the best thing is, on the frying stage you can add other things aswell as dried basil, such as mixed herbs, coriander powder, dried mint, olive oil..etc.

xxx

Lemon & Honey colds and flu remedy

 

I know this is off topic but a month ago I came across a home made remedy for Winter colds/flu’s. It’s seemed very simple and lasts for 3months in the fridge so decided to give it a try!

What you need:

• Fresh cut ginger
• Slices of lemon
• Honey
• Dried Mint – I decided to add this ingredient in even though it wasn’t on the website, but knew that mint is very good in combating the common cold especially taken in the early stages

Method:

• Add the sliced ginger and lemon into a jar with the dried mint (I put about 1/2 tsp)
• Pour honey on top till it covers the lemon and ginger
• Place in the fridge and the honey will solidify making a jelly texture
• Then whenever you feel your coming down with something especially with the Winter month’s ahead of us, take a spoonful of the jelly, place into your favorite mug and add hot water and stir until it dissolves.
• Then drink! 🙂

Because I was running low on honey and I wanted to make 2 jars for family, I decided to only do half a jar but you can easily fill the honey up to the top with the lemon and ginger slices.

Vegetable & Chicken Biryani recipe review

Good news! Finally my camera-to-PC cable wire has come through the post so been busy all day trying to edit photo’s of my previous recipes and my experimental recipes.

As a sneak preview, here is my spicy biryani made with vegetables and some left over chicken pieces (great if you have leftover chicken from last night’s roast dinner!)

 

This was made after I bought ‘Shan’ spice mix, I’ve heard a lot about Shan and thought to try it out. After purchasing it, I studied the back on how use the spice mix and I was astounded with how much other ingredients you had to buy! From tamarind, ginger paste, garlic paste, curry leaves to green chillies which I didn’t have any of them. So I thought to add my own mixes and still use the spice mix but in my own fashion.

In this recipe I used mushrooms, fresh runner beans, peas, carrots, onions, garlic, coriander powder, and slices of courgettes. I fried the ingredients together in the frying pan while cooking the rice and putting the spice vegetable and chicken mix on simmer. After 30minutes I got an empty large saucepan and layer after layer I filled it wither one layer of cooked rice, with one layer of the vegetable/chicken spice mix, cooked on low heat for 5minutes and stir. Serve hot!

I will be posting a video tutorial and full method in the future as I definitely enjoyed this meal, only thing to be prepared with is that this Shan mix (Malay Chicken Biryani version) is very spicy, so use cautiously!

This was also one of my meals I made for Eid! ❤

P.S this can be a tasty vegetarian meal too just by excluding the chicken.