Rice Pudding, Two Ways (Sütlaç)

November 04, 2019 by Gizem in Dessert

For me rice pudding = childhood. When I was a kid, pasteurized milk in plastic jugs or carton boxes didn’t exist. In the city, where I grew up, my mom used to buy daily milk in glass bottles. In the southern coast countryside, where I spent every summer with my grandparents, we used to buy raw milk in gallons. On the arrival day of the milkman, the kitchen would be in full production mode. As soon as the fresh milk arrived, my grandma would set her cauldron size pot on the stove and bring all of the milk to a boil. Most of the time the milk got used to make yogurt and sometimes (which were the best times), half of the milk would be kept to make rice pudding. To this day, I can remember the fragrant smell of rice cooking with milk filling the whole house.

Rice pudding gets a bad rep. When I told Cesar that I was going to make rice pudding, he had a slightly hopeless look on his face. I could see his eyes screaming, “whyyyy?” A lot of people think rice pudding is this bland dish with no depth of flavor but wait until my recipe knocks your socks off. I got this recipe from my mom who adapted it from her grandmother’s recipe. It has the history of four generations. Indeed, when Cesar finally tasted the end result, the first think he said was “this is not rice pudding, this is crack pudding!”

I decided to make this rice pudding two ways. The first way is the home style version which is my favorite and got voted as Cesar’s favorite too. The second way is the bakery/restaurant style rice pudding in which the pudding is baked for a caramelized crust. The end result is a bit more visually pleasing, has a smoky, burnt flavor but is a lot less creamy. I love the creaminess of the home style version, served cold with cinnamon on top. You can make a batch of rice pudding and put a couple of the bowls in the oven and decide for yourself which one you like better.

Tips:

* I really like using jasmine rice for this recipe. It is fragrant and it adds a depth of flavor to the pudding. I would not recommend basmati rice, sushi rice or risotto rice.

* I use 2% pasteurized cow milk in this recipe. You can also use whole milk and 1%. I would not recommend non-fat milk. A little bit of fat helps make this a very creamy pudding. You can also use raw cow milk but make sure to boil it for at least 15-20 minutes before you get started with my recipe. I have never tried this recipe using other kinds of milk like goat milk, almond milk, coconut milk etc. If you do, please comment below and let me know how it turns out.

* Mastic, also called mastic gum and arabic gum, is the resin of the mastic tree. In Turkish we call it damla sakizi which translates into “teardrop gum”. The sap of the tree is dried which results in a translucent crystal like resin (see the photo). It is very aromatic, with a flavor like pine and cedar trees. You can find mastic in specialty spice shops, Middle Eastern, Turkish or Greek grocery stores or on Amazon. I love the piney flavor that mastic adds to the rice pudding. It might sound weird but it works wonders. But, it is also completely fine to omit it from the recipe.

* There are a lot of rice pudding recipes out there that use cornstarch as a thickening agent. I call those fake puddings. They save you 10 mins but you end up losing a lot of depth in flavor. This recipe thickens naturally with the starch of rice and by the water in the milk evaporating over time.

Yields: 8-10 8 oz ramekin bowls Time: 40 mins (+20 mins for baked version)

Ingredients

1 cup jasmine rice*

1 1/2 cup water

6 1/3 cup 2% milk*

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-2 pieces of mastic (optional)*

Preparation

1. Rinse the rice and transfer to a pot. Pour in the water, cover the lid and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let cook for 8-10 minutes. The rice absorbs the water pretty quickly, pay close attention to ensure the rice is not burning.

2. While the rice is cooking, pour all the milk in a separate pot. Bring the milk to a boil, stirring often. Boiling milk overflows very easily, keep an eye on the heat and reduce it if too high.

3. After the rice is done, transfer the rice, with all of the remaining water (if any) into the pot with boiling milk. Cook, while stirring constantly for 15-20 minutes. After 20 mins the milk should start thickening. If it hasn’t continue cooking until it thickens. If you stop stirring the milk can burn very easily.

4. Once the milk has thickened, add in the sugar and the salt. Smash the mastic piece with the back of a spoon and add into the pudding.

5. Continue stirring and let the pudding simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

6. Transfer to bowls or ramekins while hot.

For home style rice pudding:

7. Let cool down until room temperature and transfer to the fridge. Serve with ground cinnamon sprinkled on top.

For the restaurant style, baked rice pudding:

7. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

8. Transfer the ramekin with hot pudding on a baking tray. If not using ramekins, make sure your bowls are oven safe. Fill the baking tray with cool tap water until the water reaches almost half the height of the ramekin.

9. Bake for 15 minutes on the top rack of the oven. In the last 5 minutes, turn on the broiler to 400 degrees F. Broil until browned. The browning happens really fast so I recommend keeping an eye on the pudding to avoid burning it.

10. Let it cool and transfer to the fridge. Serve with ground cinnamon sprinkled on top.

Zucchini Latkes (Mücver)

November 04, 2019 by Gizem in Dinner, Meze

Last two weeks have been quite busy so I have been falling behind on all the recipes I want to post (excuses, excuses). We had multiple guests staying with us, a super fun 4th of July BBQ on our roof and I was out of town for a bachelorette in Santa Cruz. We also found some time to finally explore Mt. Rainier. It has been teasing us with spectacular views from our roof and it was just as majestic up close. The next day, I was in Santa Cruz, kayaking in the ocean with otters and sea lions. I made and photographed this recipe in a quiet moment in between all the activities but just found time to sit down and write it up.

I am still learning the farmers markets of Seattle. We try to go to one each week to see what is new and explore different neighborhoods. But if I am honest, there is nothing comparable to my first love, Union Square Greenmarket (in nyc). Last week, when I started seeing the summer squash popping up all over Seattle’s farmers markets, the first recipe that came to my mind was zucchini latkes or as we say in Turkish, mücver. Latke is originally a potato pancake which has variations in many cuisines like Jewish, Polish, German and Korean. I also just found out that it is the national dish of Belarus (thanks Wikipedia!). In Turkey, zucchini latkes are more popular than potato ones and they are enjoyed as an appetizer during hot summer months.

This recipe is pretty easy to modify. You can use monterey jack or pepper jack instead of cheddar cheese. You can omit the cheese completely. Adding spices like paprika and cayenne work very well too. I prefer dill in this recipe but you can’t go wrong with any fresh herb. I even made it gluten-free once using gluten-free flour and it tasted just as good. Let me know in the comments below if you modified the recipe and how. Happy cooking!

Yields: 6 servings Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

3 zucchinis (about 1lbs)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

3 tablespoons dill or parsley, chopped

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying

For serving:

2 garlic cloves

1 cup plain yogurt

Preparation

1. Peel and grate the zucchinis using the coarse grating surface of a grater.

2. Transfer into a strainer sitting on top of a bowl. Let the zucchini sit for 10-15 minutes to drain its excess juices. You can squeeze the zucchini with your hands or press and pat dry with a paper towel to speed up the process. Discard the excess liquid. If there is too much excess liquid in your latke mixture, they don’t hold as well, so don’t skip this step.

3. Transfer the grated zucchinis into a bowl. Add in grated cheese, chopped herbs, flour, baking powder, eggs, salt and pepper. Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated.

4. Heat 1/4 cup of the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. I add the rest of the oil if skillet is running low on oil.

5. Add 4 separate tablespoonfuls of latke mixture into the skillet. Fry the latkes until golden brown on both sides, flipping midway using a spatula, 3-4 minutes total.

6. Transfer the latkes to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb the excess oil.

7. To make garlicky yogurt, mince the garlic cloves and add into the yogurt. Stir the yogurt until smooth.

8. Serve warm or cold with garlicky yogurt on the side.

Lentil Kofte Balls

November 04, 2019 by Gizem in Dinner, Meze

My immediate family is not big, it is just me, my younger brother, our parents, and our dog Buddy. My extended family, especially on my mom’s side, is much bigger. Mom and Tiya (my aunt) have lots of cousins with whom we spent many holidays, bayrams and family reunions. When family comes together, it is almost always around food. This is partly very Turkish and partly my family’s tradition. You never invite guests over and not serve them food. There has to be some kind of pastry or appetizer ready to be served with tea at all times. You also never go to someone else’s house empty handed. So naturally, a lot of family get togethers turn into potlucks. Everyone brings a dish and sometimes my mom, aunt and all the cousins coordinate who is bringing what to make sure there are no duplicates. Lentil kofte is one of the dishes that my mom likes to make often for these get togethers and it is loved by everyone.

Lentils are the magic ingredient. They can be cooked in many ways, from soups to salads to curries, and I think they provide the perfect stage for spices to shine. This lentil kofte recipe is a meatless, lentil and bulgur “ball” with herbs and spices. They are great to serve for large groups and always a crowd pleaser.

I don’t know why but I haven’t made lentil kofte in a long time. I think I tend to forget some Turkish foods because I am often not exposed to them here in Seattle. Also, I like to try my hand at cooking different cuisines as Cesar and I enjoy a wide variety of food. So when I finally made this recipe after a long time, I kind of broke the tradition and did not invite anyone over for tea. Instead, Cesar and I gobbled down half of it in a day, both for lunch and dinner and finished the rest the day after. But, sharing is caring right? I am sharing the recipe with you so you can bring it over for your next get together and impress your friends and family (or just keep it to yourself, I won’t judge you, I promise).

Yields: 6 servings Time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1 cup red lentil

3/4 cup fine grain bulgur*

1 large onion, grated and cooked (about 1 cup cooked)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Fresh dill, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)

Fresh parsley, chopped (about 1/4 cup)

2-3 scallions, chopped (about 1/3 cup)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon cumin

Lemon wedges for serving

Preparation

1. Thoroughly rinse the lentils in a strainer or colander under running water until the water is running clear and not murky.

2. Transfer lentils to a pot. Pour in 3 cups of water.

3. Over high-medium heat, bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, until lentils are tender and no longer crunchy.

4. Put the bulgur in a large mixing bowl. Once the lentils are cooked, while still hot, add the cooked lentils to the mixing bowl with bulgur. Give everything a quick stir.

5. Cover the mixing bowl with a dish towel and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. Bulgur is going to absorb the steam and the liquids from the lentils.

6. While the bulgur and lentils are resting, prepare the onions. Grate the onions with a grater or chopper. In small pan, over high-medium heat, cook the onions with olive oil for 3-5 minutes.

7. Uncover the mixing bowl. Add in the cooked onions, tomato paste, all the spices, chopped herbs and green onions. Mix everything until the ingredients are fully incorporated.

8. Take small chunks of the mixture, shape them like ellipses and transfer to a plate. Serve immediately or after refrigerating, with lemon wedges.

Note: Lentils go bad quickly if left at room temperature for a long time. If you are not going to serve this dish immediately store it in the fridge. It can be kept in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.

* Fine grain bulgur can be found in specialty grocery stores. I generally find it at stores that sell Middle Eastern or Indian ingredients. In the first picture below, I tried to show you the difference between coarse grain bulgur (on the left) and fine grain bulgur (on the right).