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Acuka; Spiced walnut and red pepper paste dip

By Ozlem Warren on April 8, 2025 in Vegan / Plant based, Vegetarian recipes 2

Acuka is a popular and a very moreish breakfast spread across the country; you may come across at cafes and various breakfast houses, kahvaltı evi in İstanbul too. It is a derivative of the Georgian – Abkhazian dip known as ‘Adjika or Ajika’. The Turkish version includes tomato paste as well as the pepper paste, with many variations made across the country. There are similarities with muhammara (or cevizli biber, as we call at my hometown Antakya in the southeast), though garlic is not included in our version of muhammara. This power dip is so easy to make, packed full of flavour and goodness. Red pepper paste, biber salçası is widely available at Turkish and Middle Eastern stores these days, you can make your own at my recipe in my cookery book SEBZE too. Enjoy acuka as part of your Turkish style brunch, or serve as meze aside to grills, casseroles and pasta. Try it as part of the Kahvaltı Tabağı, Turkish syle breakfast or brunch – it is great as a sandwich filler too.

Prepare ahead: I keep a tub of acuka in my fridge regularly, as it stays well in the fridge, covered for 3-4 days. Also use up other nuts, such as chopped hazelnuts in hand too.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Acuka; Spiced walnut and red pepper paste dip

Acuka is a popular and a very moreish breakfast spread across the country; you may come across at cafes and various breakfast houses, kahvaltı evi in İstanbul too. It is a derivative of the Georgian - Abkhazian dip known as ‘Adjika or Ajika’. The Turkish version includes tomato paste as well as the pepper paste, with many variations made across the country. There are similarities with muhammara (or cevizli biber, as we call at my hometown Antakya in the southeast), though garlic is not included in our version of muhammara. This power dip is so easy to make, packed full of flavour and goodness. Red pepper paste, biber salçası is widely available at Turkish and Middle Eastern stores these days, you can make your own at my recipe in my book SEBZE too. Enjoy acuka as part of your Turkish style brunch, or serve as meze aside to grills, casseroles and pasta. Try it as part of the Kahvaltı Tabağı, Turkish syle breakfast or brunch - it is great as a sandwicc filler too

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Healthy dips

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine, Eastern Mediterranean

Serves: 8

Ingredients

185g/ 6 ½ oz shelled walnuts
3 medium garlic cloves, grated
3 tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
3 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste, biber salçası
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp ground cumin
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp crushed walnuts to serve
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to serve
Sprinkle of pul biber to serve – optional

Instructions

Blitz the walnuts in food processor, until they are about half pinenut size, take care not to grind too much, as it is nice to feel their texture in acuka. Place in a medium mixing bowl and combine with the tomato and pepper paste, grated garlic, extra virgin olive oil, cumin and dried oregano.
Combine well with a spoon, to achieve a chunky paste. Season with salt and ground black pepper to your taste, bearing mind that the pepper paste is quite salty too.
Spread over a serving plate, sprinkle 1 tbsp crushed walnuts in the middle and drizzle extra virgin olive oil to serve, along with sprinkle of pul biber if you wish.

Tırnaklı Pide Ekmek; Finger-dented flatbreads

By Ozlem Warren on March 6, 2025 in Turkish Breakfast 2

These round (and sometimes oval) finger dented, Tırnaklı Pide Ekmek is a national favourite. Also known as Ramazan pidesi, it is the traditional bread we eat to break the fast during Ramadan. Happy memories of queuing at the bakery, fırın, to get our freshly baked, warm pide ekmek for our iftar, the meal we eat to break the fast during Ramadan. Most bakeries in Istanbul pretty much offer Tırnaklı Pide Ekmek all year around these days. It is a lovely bread to accompany breakfast, meze, grills, soups, casseroles, and easier than you think to make at home.

Prepare ahead and freeze: Though it tastes best on the day, you can make Tırnaklı Pide Ekmek a day ahead and wrap with a clean kitchen cloth to keep fresh and moist. You can cut the pide ekmek in quarters, wrap with foil and freeze too.

I also love our easy, puffy bread, balon ekmek, fantastic to serve with meze, casseroles, grills. You can find my easy puffy bread, balok ekmek recipe, at my new book SEBZE.

I hope you enjoy my Tırnaklı Pide Ekmek recipe, Ramadan Mubarak if you are observing and Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem x

4.0 from 1 reviews

Tırnaklı Pide Ekmek; Finger-dented flatbreads

These round (and sometimes oval) finger dented, Tırnaklı Pide Ekmek is a national favourite. Also known as Ramazan pidesi, it is the traditional bread we eat to break the fast during Ramadan. Happy memories of queuing at the bakery, fırın, to get our freshly baked, warm pide ekmek for our iftar, the meal we eat to break the fast during Ramadan. Most bakeries in Istanbul pretty much offer Tırnaklı Pide Ekmek all year around these days. It is a lovely bread to accompany breakfast, meze, grills, soups, casseroles, and easier than you think to make at home. Prepare ahead and freeze: Though it tastes best on the day, you can make Tırnaklı Pide Ekmek a day ahead and wrap with a clean kitchen cloth to keep fresh and moist. You can cut the pide ekmek in quarters, wrap with foil and freeze too.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Flat Bread

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine

Serves: Makes 2 pide ekmek

Ingredients

500g / 1lb 1.6oz all-purpose plain flour (plus extra for shaping)
1 ½ tsp salt
11g/0.4 oz dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
170ml/6fl oz luke warm water
155ml/5 ½ fl oz luke warm milk
for shaping:
3 tbsp room temperature water
3 tsp all-purpose plain flour
for brushing and topping::
1 tbsp whole milk yoghurt
1 egg yolk, beaten
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp nigella seeds
2 tsp maize flour, cornmeal or polenta, to dust the trays

Instructions

Combine the yeast, luke warm water and sugar in a small bowl and mix to dissolve. Cover with cling film and set aside for 10 minutes to get frothy.
Sift the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour in the yeast mixture, olive oil, salt and lukewarm milk. Using your hands, turn the mixture into a soft, sticky dough. Place the dough into a lightly floured, dry, clean surface. Knead for 5 minutes, adding a little more flour if needed, to achieve a soft, elastic and smooth dough. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film or damp cloth and leave to rest in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled its size.
Place baking papers on 2 large trays and sprinkle 1 tsp maize flour, cornmeal or polenta on each tray; this will help crisp the bottom of the tırnaklı pide ekmek. Preheat fan oven to 200C/220C/430F.
For shaping, combine the flour and water in a small bowl, mix well until smooth. For brushing, combine the yoghurt, beaten egg yolk and olive oil in another bowl, mix and set aside.
Once doubled, punch the dough down, knead for 1-2 minutes on a lightly floured surface and divide into two equal pieces. Turn each dough piece into a ball, placing one in the bowl with cling film over. Flatten the other dough ball with your hands and stretch into a 25cm diameter round circle, about 1 cm thick. Place the dough circle over the prepared tray. Dip your fingertips into the flour and water mixture and indent the dough about 2 ½ cm inwards, creating a thick, circular lip around the edges. Dip your finger tips to the water and flour mixture again and indent the dough making vertical and horizontal indentations, about 4 cm apart, making diamond shapes. Repeat this process for the remaining dough, placing and shaping on the other prepared tray. Loosely cover both trays with cling film and rest for another 25-30 minutes for another rise.
Then remove the cling film, and gently brush and coat the surface of both breads with the yoghurt, egg & olive oil mixture, taking care not to press hard. Once the both tırnaklı pide ekmek surfaces coated, dip your fingers into the yoghurt mixture and press through the finger indentations on the breads again, making them visible; they will help the diamond shapes pop up. Sprinkle each tırnaklı pide ekmek with 1 tbsp sesame seeds and ½ tsp nigella seeds and bake in the preheated oven for 16-18 minutes (rotating the trays half way, for even baking, if needed), until golden with light brown patches. Take the trays out of the oven and place tırnaklı pide ekmek on top of one another and wrap them with a clean, dry kitchen cloth, to keep warm and moist. Slice to serve warm or at room temperature.

Kaygana Crêpes with Parsley and Spring Onions

By Ozlem Warren on March 3, 2025 in Vegetarian recipes, Vegetarian recipes 0

Pancake day is round the corner, and I wanted to remind you our delicious, savoury Kaygana crepes, from my new book SEBZE, Vegetarian recipes from my Turkish kitchen.

These fragrant, savoury crêpes are a popular breakfast, especially in the Black Sea region and the northeastern part of Turkey. It’s a cross between an omelette and a Western-style crêpe and each region, almost each house, has their own version. In the Black Sea region chopped anchovy might be added; some may have it less eggy, some may add more herbs, garlic or spring onions (scallions). In the city of Trabzon, traditionally kaygana can be made using water instead of milk; plain (wheat) flour could be substituted with corn (maize) flour, too. We absolutely love these crepes with my Kuru İncir Reçeli (dried fig jam) from SEBZE, with thin slices of mature Cheddar (or Turkish kaşar cheese) on the side if you like.

SEBZE, Vegetarian Recipes From My Turkish Kitchen

Here is my recipe; you can get a copy of my book SEBZE here worldwide, too.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

Kaygana Crêpes with Parsley and Spring Onions

These fragrant, savoury crêpes are a popular breakfast, especially in the Black Sea region and the northeastern part of Turkey. It’s a cross between an omelette and a Western-style crêpe and each region, almost each house, has their own version. In the Black Sea region chopped anchovy might be added; some may have it less eggy, some may add more herbs, garlic or spring onions (scallions). In the city of Trabzon, traditionally kaygana can be made using water instead of milk; plain (wheat) flour could be substituted with corn (maize) flour, too.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Vegetarian crepes

Cuisine: Turkish cuisine

Serves: 5

Ingredients

255 ml (8½ fl oz/1 cup) full-fat milk
165 g (5½ oz/11/3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
4 medium eggs, beaten
small handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 spring onions (scallions), trimmed and finely chopped
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Instructions

Combine the milk and flour in a large mixing bowl and whisk until you reach a smooth consistency. Pour in the beaten eggs and whisk again until well combined. Stir in the chopped parsley and spring onions, season with salt and pepper and combine well.
Brush a wide, non-stick, 25 cm (10 in) frying pan (skillet) with the melted butter and heat over medium–high heat. Pour a ladle of the kaygana batter into the pan and swirl it around so the bottom of the pan is evenly coated in a thin layer. Cook over a high heat for about 45 seconds–1 minute on one side until golden. Use a wide spatula to flip the crêpe over and cook the other side for 30–45 seconds, until darkish golden blobs appear. Transfer to a serving plate.
Cook the rest of the kaygana this way, brushing the pan with melted butter each time. Roll the crêpes into individual rolls and place side by side on a serving plate.