My girlfriend and I visited Istanbul earlier this year. It’s a pretty crazy place. Chaotic and a bit ramshackle, but very interesting. One of the things we were blown away by was the food. We had a few memorable meals, but again it was the local places that specialised in certain dishes that came out on top. If you ever go, I can heartily recommend the Sultanahmet Koftecisi near the Blue Mosque. Amazing.
Another discovery that we made whilst there was a spice called Maras Biberi. It’s on the table of most restaurants and seems to be a kind of pepper substitute. It’s a blend of chili, olive oil, lemon juice and salt, ground up and dried. We bought some at the Egyptian Souk to bring back with us; it’s not that easy to get in London, but I have found it in local Turkish supermarkets.
We’re pretty much addicted to the stuff, and it goes into quite a lot of what we eat, including this recipe which is a remix of a healthy coleslaw.
Ingredients
Vegetables:
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 a head of spring / pointy cabbage, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, grated
For the dressing:
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons no fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon hummus
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Maras Biberi
Juice of half a lemon
50 ml olive oil
Handful of chopped leafy green herbs (mint / basil / tarragon / coriander etc)
Method
Grate the carrots and finely chop the cabbage and onions and place in a large bowl. Mix the dressing in a sepperate bowl by chopping up the garlic and herbs and then adding the rest of the indgredients. Mix well until blended. Add the dressing to the vegetables in the bowl and mix well. Serve with grilled meats (lamb or chicken) or to keep it veggie some griddled Haloumi cheese. Afiyet olsun.
Tags: Biberi, Cabbage, Carrot, Colslaw, Garlic, Juice, Lemon, Maras, Mustard, Onion, Slaw, Turkey, Turkish, Yogurt
