A Kurdish feast

[Chufi]

One of my co-workers is originally from Kurdistan, and I invited my self at her place for dinner, hoping she would make me something Kurdish and that I could learn something from her. And she did!

we made Patlican Borek (Eggplant pastries).

She had roasted 2 eggplants, wrapped in foil, in a hot oven until very soft. The skin is peeled off and the flesh is chopped up:

The chopped up flesh is added to a mixture of onion and ground lamb, sauteed until soft but not browned. I think there was about 250 grams of meat and 2 onions. The mixture is sesaoned with salt and pepper.

Yufkasheets. These are being smeared with a mixture of 5 tablespoons of joghurt, 3 tablespoons milk, 2 tablespoons of oil, and 1 egg white.

The huge sheets ate quartered and each quarter is filled with the meat/eggplant pix and rolld into large pastries. These are placed in a baking dish.

The remaining eggyolk is mixed with some more yoghurt and poured on top:

Then baked in a medium oven until golden brown. While that was baking we had the first part of dinner.

She made a golden bulgur pilav with peppers and tomatoes. And a simple beef stew, that I am sure had some sort of secret ingredient because it was so rich and flavorful, but she said it was just beef, tomatoes, onions and mushrooms. A herb salad of parsley, springonion, coriander and onion. And a cacik (joghurt, cucumber, garlic and dill)

Borek when they came out of the oven:

These were utterly delicious and I ate much more of them then was good for me What I found fascinating was how all the dishes were spiced with nothng but salt and pepper. There were fresh herbs, but they were on the table almost as a dish in their own right, instead of incorporated into the food. Had I been making the borek from a recipe, I would have been strongly tempted to add herbs or spices to the filling. But it was just perfect as it was, with nothing but meat, onions, eggplant in the filling.

we were talking about Kurdish cuisine and she told me that Kurdistan has very different cuisines in different regions. The mountainous area where she's originally from, is known for it's simple food, with an emphasis on meat and salty flavors, whereas 100 miles down the road the food can suddenly turn extremely spicy.

Dessert was a "nontraditional helvah" made by one of my co-workers friends, also Kurdish but born and raised in Belgium. It was a wonderful evening and I hope these girls will share some more of their recipes with me soon!

[Swisskaese]

This is very interesting Chufi. It all looks delicious.

How was the helva made?

Edited August 9, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Smithy]

Chufi, that looks wonderful. It's interesting that no extra spices were used or needed. Like you, I'd have been tempted to add things to the mixes - makin extra work for myself. I wonder, why does that work so well without the extra spices? Is it because the basic ingredients were of the best quality so their flavors were good enough to stand alone?

[Chufi]

How was the helva made?

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she told me it was made with milk, sugar, flour, almonds and cinnamon. Her mother would traditionally make it without the cinnamon and with water instead of milk. I think I need to get the exact recipe, it was really good and I couldn't eat much of it because I had stuffed myself with Borek!!

[Chufi]

Chufi, that looks wonderful.  It's interesting that no extra spices were used or needed.  Like you, I'd have been tempted to add things to the mixes - makin extra work for myself.  I wonder, why does that work so well without the extra spices?  Is it because the basic ingredients were of the best quality so their flavors were good enough to stand alone?

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well, lamb and eggplant are ofcourse a winning combination.. The roast eggplant made the filling really succulent and juicy, and the lamb gives great flavor.

Also, the joghurt mix that's spread on the sheets of yufka and on top is crucial I think, it sort of melts away but it gives a lovely tangyness that cuts through the richness of the stuffing.

[Franci]

Chufi, thanks a lot for the pictures! I do love boregi, in any way they are made, I always think I must have been turkish in another life! I usually keep a package of yufka in my fridge.

If you don't have, get yourself a copy of Ayla Algar Classical Turkish Cooking. I almost tried all her recipes, not yet the one for irmik helvasi.

I would have eaten the all tray of borek . As for the spices, I understand and that is why I like this kind of food, why do you need to hide the taste of a perfect and tasty vegetable!

[BarbaraY]

Fascinating. Wish I could have tasted it all. It looks delicious.

[Pille]

we were talking about Kurdish cuisine and she told me that Kurdistan has very different cuisines in different regions. The mountainous area where she's originally from, is known for it's simple food, with an emphasis on meat and salty flavors, whereas 100 miles down the road the food can suddenly turn extremely spicy.

I shared a flat with a lovely Turkish Kurdish couple for 3,5 months last year, and they must have been from that village 100 miles down the road, as the food was usually rather spicy

My friend Fatma used dried mint quite a lot, as well as the Turkish chilli paste, and occasionally some sumac to add a some sourness. But yes, otherwise salt & pepper ruled. She got me addicted to the yogurt soup (made with mint), spicy Kurdish potato mash as well as kisir (spicy bulghur salad). She also used LOTS of flat leaf parsley when cooking.

PS The oven-baked börek look extremely tasty!!!

[Abra]

I am longing for those recipes. That borek looks better than any I've seen, but I have no idea where to get the pastry. Is it like feuilles de brik? Not that I know where to get that either, but at least I've heard it's available online. What a beautiful dinner!

[Chufi]

I am longing for those recipes.  That borek looks better than any I've seen, but I have no idea where to get the pastry.  Is it like feuilles de brik?  Not that I know where to get that either, but at least I've heard it's available online.  What a beautiful dinner!

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I think the pastry used for brik is warka or ouarka, which is very thin. I have never seen or used it so I'm not sure.

Yufka is a bit like filo, but a bit thicker and doughier, and less brittle when cooked. Maybe someone with more knowledge of Middle-eastern pastries can chime in?

[markemorse]

wow chufi you continue to amaze me....really great and inspiring work. now could you find someone who makes a great bstilla and invite yourself over to their house (of course getting photos, recipes, etc.)?

(;->

mem

[Pontormo]

What is yufka, exactly? The borek look wonderful. Calling the dish a specialty of Pandeli's in Istanbul, Paula Wolfert includes a recipe in her book on the Eastern Mediterranean that calls for phyllo dough. The sheet of yufka seems to have a different texture in the photograph where it is spread out on the table.

[Franci]

What is yufka, exactly?  The borek look wonderful.  Calling the dish a specialty of Pandeli's in Istanbul, Paula Wolfert includes a recipe in her book on the Eastern Mediterranean that calls for phyllo dough.  The sheet of yufka seems to have a different texture in the photograph where it is spread out on the table.

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I know that the term yufka indicates a very thin flat bread and also the pastry sheets used for borek, it is sturdier than phyllo, I like it better. It's just flour, water and salt.

In the States is not difficult to find. In NY I'd buy at Amish mkt.

[Chufi]

wow chufi you continue to amaze me....really great and inspiring work. now could you find someone who makes a great bstilla and invite yourself over to their house (of course getting photos, recipes, etc.)?

(;->

mem

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Ah, I wish! I need more multi-national culinary friends! Don't know anyone Moroccan

[Franci]

Ah, I wish! I need more multi-national culinary friends! Don't know anyone Moroccan 

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Chufi, how I understand you...I just need one for each country . When my husband was in business school I managed to put together an international cooking club (italian, portoguese, brazilian, chinese, japanese and mexican), we used to meet once a week every time a different country. We had so much fun, we also pull together a book of 2 years of cooking (just for ourself)

[Pontormo]

When I was in high school, I had good friends whose parents came to the United States from Turkey when their father when their father joined the faculty of a major university. I happened to visit one day when their mother was in the middle of rolling out thin sheets of dough that draped over the sides of a large surface as if a tablecloth.

Those of you who have PC's might enjoy learning how to prepare yufka, thanks to the Turkish Embassy here in The United States. Unfortunately, Mac-users like me seem to be out of luck.

While searching for a local source for buying yufka, I came across this link to videos on Turkish culture. There are demonstrations for a number of dishes.

[Pontormo]

This thread in the forum devoted to Elsewhere in Europe might be of interest:

Greek vs. Turkish Food.

Early on, one post by a US-based pastry chef says that "yufka" is the Turkish name for the pastry dough while "phyllo" is the Greek name. Perhaps the pastry simply differs from cook to cook, manufacturer to manufacturer...or there may be distinct cultural preferences in thickness of the dough.

[anzu]

Thickness does seem to vary according to the manufacturer.

However, I think feuilles de brik would work reasonably as a substitute for yufka, though most of the yufka I've seen is still somewhat thicker.

I know a couple of people who went to the US and, when they couldn't find yufka, found the thickest phyllo they could, used two layers at a time, and then worked with it as they did with yufka. It wasn't exactly the same, of course, but it was still better than nothing - and a lot faster than making your own.

Got to make those borek, they look really good!

[ohev'ochel]

What is yufka, exactly?  The borek look wonderful.  Calling the dish a specialty of Pandeli's in Istanbul, Paula Wolfert includes a recipe in her book on the Eastern Mediterranean that calls for phyllo dough.  The sheet of yufka seems to have a different texture in the photograph where it is spread out on the table.

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yufka and phyllo/filo are quite different.

before anything is added to it for its final product, one product is cooked very briefly (yufka) and the other isn't (filo). the "standard" filo usually is commercially produced in rectangular sheets and sometimes if ur lucky and can find it, round.

yufka comes in different shapes: round -- and quite large at times as chufi showed in her pictures -- or square or even triangular for quick wrapping of sigara.

the other difference is thickness. yufka can vary in its thickness more than filo. while i have bought filo locally which is extremely thin and machine made, the same company makes another one which is thicker and hand rolled.

i also think that the turkish word yufka is also used/meant for the standard greek-style filo dough and is differenciated by the way it is used. obviously, the two doughs give very different texture to the final products. the filo being very crisp and flaky. yufka does not have the same texture.

this is a pic of yufka i found. yes, i know it looks sort of like pita and also looks very cooked but usually it's thin enough to roll up and cook, either by frying or baking. this one was fully cooked before being stuffed for doner (meat stuffing) -- which is why it's so dark above.

yikes! that's a huge pic!

another pic of same yufka being used in donner:

as another note, chufi mentioned ouarka -- those are basically the same as feuilles de brik. ouarka/feuilles de brik, usually u get them fresh or frozen in packages and they are round (usually about 9/10 inches, think size of a dinner plate) and look like filo dough but they are somewhat thicker than filo. [eta: it is paperwhite and uncooked also].

hope that helps. correct me if i am wrong about something i posted or forgot anything!

btw...getting back to kurdish food, we had kubbe hamusta for dinner Friday night. kubbeh are semolina/bulgar "shells" dome shaped and stuffed with cooked beef, spices, onions and pine nuts. they are quite large and are simmered and served in a sort of sour (lemon) kind of chicken or vegetable broth. very, very good.

chufi, ur pics are great (as usual).

Edited August 12, 2006 by ohev'ochel (log)

[Chufi]

Thanks for the info ohev'ochel!

obviously, the two doughs give very different texture to the final products.  the filo being very crisp and flaky.  yufka does not have the same texture.

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exactly. That's why I was so excited about it.. I love anything doughy , and I had never seen/used yufka before, and now I have discovered a new ingredient!

your kubbeh sounds so good.. i made something like that once, i think from Claudia Rodens Book of Middle Eastern Food, only they were deep-fried instead of simmered in broth. Delicious, but a bit fiddly to make (but I like that)

[ohev'ochel]

Thanks for the info ohev'ochel!

obviously, the two doughs give very different texture to the final products.  the filo being very crisp and flaky.  yufka does not have the same texture.

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exactly. That's why I was so excited about it.. I love anything doughy , and I had never seen/used yufka before, and now I have discovered a new ingredient!

your kubbeh sounds so good.. i made something like that once, i think from Claudia Rodens Book of Middle Eastern Food, only they were deep-fried instead of simmered in broth. Delicious, but a bit fiddly to make (but I like that)

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klary -- glad u found something new! that's always fun. yufka IS different as u saw/tasted. u can get the stuff in turkish/middle eastern stores in holland i am sure. there is a HUGE turkish community in Germany so i am sure u get tons of their products. the precut triangular yufka is easier and faster also.

the kubbeh u mention are the fried kind, they taste very different. u would probably like the kurdish kubbeh if u like doughy things as that is the consistency of the ones in the soup. i can pm u the recipe if u like for u to try. it is very easy to make.

[markemorse]

Chufi, I was just looking through that book not minutes ago...I cooked through quite a bit of it this summer...the hot weeks were perfect for it.

ohev'ochel, how do the simmered kibbeh hold their shape? I would think that little pieces of bulgur would defect during the simmering process. Roden's recipe doesn't really shed any light.

[Pontormo]

Suggestion: Since this thread is moving in a great direction and I am finding it very informative, perhaps a new thread devoted to these different sorts of doughs, breads, etc. would be invaluable for future consultation.

BTW: Still searching for local sources. Thanks for new names to try.

[ohev'ochel]

Chufi, I was just looking through that book not minutes ago...I cooked through quite a bit of it this summer...the hot weeks were perfect for it.

ohev'ochel, how do the simmered kibbeh hold their shape? I would think that little pieces of bulgur would defect during the simmering process. Roden's recipe doesn't really shed any light.

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mark -- it's held together with the semolina (fine white type -- called suji in indian stores or as i know it solet in hebrew or lol, smidi in arabic). it acts like a kind of glue which binds the bulgur. the bulgur must/should be fine, not medium or coarse. after the bulgur is soaked and drained/squeezed dry, it is mixed with the semolina flour and kneaded to make a dough which holds together nicely. the proportions are 1:1, give or take. no binding agent such as eggs or extra water are needed. u do basically the same thing to make a dough for the fried kibbeh but proportions are different and u can use a medium grind of bulgur but it's alot of work to knead the bulgur. after alot of work and a little water, it magically turns to a dough which u fill and fry. i hate making fried kibbeh as they are EXTREMELY fussy and if not made properly will disintegrate and ruin a good batch of oil!

hope that helps. roden's book doesn't talk about the kurdish kubbeh/kibbeh.

Edited August 12, 2006 by ohev'ochel (log)

[markemorse]

Sorry, totally missed the semolina mention in your original description....Thanks!