Tag Archives | biber salcasi

Acuka; Spiced walnut and red pepper paste dip

By Ozlem Warren on April 8, 2025 in Vegan / Plant based, Vegetarian recipes 0

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.

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.

Chicken and Vegetable Bake in Pomegranate Molasses; Eksili Tavuk

By Ozlem Warren on January 5, 2015 in Casseroles and Stews, Gluten-free recipes 14

Chicken and vegetables bake in pomegranate molasses and lemon sauce; Eksili Tavuk

Inspiration for this delicious, gluten-free recipe, Eksili Tavuk; Chicken in lemon and pomegranate molasses sauce with vegetables, came from dear Janet, who is part of the wonderful blog, Archers of Okcular. Janet and Alan have been enjoying Eksili Tavuk, traditionally made with the delicious whole chicken from the villages nearby; I can just imagine how tasty that chicken must be. She asked me the recipe and so glad she did. After some research, I came up with my version of Eksili Tavuk, using some seasonal vegetables like celeriac and chard in it. We greatly enjoyed this dish and I owe a big thanks to Janet!

Marinating the chicken in pomegranate molasses, red pepper paste, garlic and spices add a lot of flavor.

Traditional Eksili Tavuk in the Aegean Region is made with cooking a whole chicken in plenty of water and adding vegetables like potato, carrots and onions to it, as well as the lemon sauce. I have seen flour being used in the broth to thicken the sauce; it is a delicious dish. I have used chicken breast in my version and added celeriac and chard to the vegetable mix. I have also added pomegranate molasses in the sauce; celeriac especially has been a perfect pair to the chicken in the tangy lemon and pomegranate sauce; the sweet and savory flavors really complemented one another very well (Pomegranate molasses, nar eksisi is widely used especially in southern Turkish cooking and add great flavor to salads, mezzes, stews. You can make your own pomegranate molasses with my recipe here, if you’d like). Marinating the chicken in cumin, red pepper flakes, garlic, tomato paste, red pepper paste, biber salcasi (if used), lemon juice and pomegranate molasses really worth the effort, add a delicious flavor to the chicken.

I baked my eksili tavuk; chicken with vegetables in pomegranate and lemon juice sauce, in the oven. It turned out to be an easy, wholesome and delicious all in one pot dish that we loved and will be revisiting often. Many thanks for the inspiration, Janet, hope you all enjoy it!

Eksili Tavuk; baked chicken and vegetables in lemon and pomegranate sauce

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

4.0 from 1 reviews

Chicken and Vegetable Bake in Pomegranate Molasses; Eksili Tavuk

An easy, wholesome and delicious all in one pot chicken and vegetables bake with pomegranate molasses and lemon sauce, inspired by the Agean region's Eksili Tavuk. Celeriac especially here really worked well with the sweet & savory pomegranate molasses; a wonderful dish we loved and will be revisiting often. Afiyet Olsun!

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Healthy & gluten-free chicken and vegetable casserole

Cuisine: Turkish Cuisine

Serves: 4

Ingredients

500 gr / 1 ¼ lb. chicken breast or boneless thighs, skinned
175 gr/ 6 oz. chard, washed, trimmed and roughly chopped
2 small carrots, quartered and sliced in small chunks
1 small celeriac root, cut in small, chunky strips (about 4 cm log, 1 cm wide)
2 onions, quartered and sliced thinly
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
15 ml / 1 tbsp. concentrated tomato paste
½ tbsp. Turkish hot pepper paste, biber salcasi (optional)
30 ml/ 2 tbsp. pomegranate molasses, nar eksisi
Juice of 1 lemon
30 ml/ 2 tsp. olive oil
1.2 liters/2 pints/5 cups water
10 ml/ 2 tsp. ground cumin
10 ml / 2 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F
Cut the chicken into small chunks and place in a large bowl.
Marinate the chicken in cumin, red pepper flakes, garlic, tomato paste, red pepper paste (if used), lemon juice and pomegranate molasses. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well so that all the ingredients coat the chicken pieces. Cover and keep in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes.
While the chicken is marinating, prepare the vegetables. Cut the outer skin of celeriac root and slice in chunky strips. Rub the celeriac with 1 tbsp. lemon juice to avoid discoloring.
Combine the celeriac with the other vegetables chopped, except chard, in a baking dish. Add the 2 tbsp. olive oil, season with salt and ground black pepper and mix well.
Stir in the marinated chicken to the vegetables mixture and combine well.
Pour in the1.2 liters/2 pints/5 cups water and mix well.
Cover and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, stir in the chopped chard to the mixture and give a good stir. Cover and bake 10 -15 minutes more, until the chard is tender and chicken is cooked.
Serve hot with crusty bread aside.

Flatbreads with zahtar and red pepper paste; Biberli Ekmek

By Ozlem Warren on November 24, 2014 in Regional Signature Dishes; Mains, Sides and Desserts, Savory Pastries 18

Turkish flat breads with crumbled feta, hot pepper paste, zahtar and sesame seeds, Biberli Ekmek

This delicious flat bread with spicy red pepper paste, biber salcasi, feta cheese and za’atar or zahtar spice blend is a specialty from the Antakya cuisine and brings special memories back. I remember my grandmother and mum preparing the delicious topping at home and we children would take it to the local bakery, firin, to be baked over flat breads. They always smelled mesmerizing and we couldn’t wait to have a bite (or two).

Aromatic and pungent zahtar or za’atar blend

Fresh Zahter or Zahtar is a popular herb grown in southern part of Turkey, especially around Kilis and Antakya in spring. Fresh zahter looks more like summer savory, or a crossing of marjoram, oregano and thyme. This herb is wonderful on salads like this Zeytin Ufeleme, Olive salad with pomegranate molasses and zahtar. Za’atar is also the name given to the exotic blend of herbs, spices and nuts, widely used in Southern Turkish as well as Middle Eastern cooking. At my home town, Antakya, zahtar blend is a rich mixture of dried zahter, sesame seeds, crushed cooked chickpeas, cumin, nigella seeds, sea salt, sumac and many more. It has a lovely, pungent, nutty taste and flavors salads, meat, and vegetables beautifully. In Antakya, locals simply dip their bread to a bowl of olive oil than to this zahtar blend for a delicious breakfast. I now see wholesome zahtar available even in supermarkets these days, you can also make your own zahter or za’atar blend, here’s my recipe.

Spread the topping over the flat bread and let the dough rise for 30 minutes.

These delicious and healthy flat breads also feature Antakya’s much loved olive oil, Turkish hot pepper paste, biber salcasi and crumbled feta cheese, cokelek. Combined with zahtar, sesame seeds and cumin, it makes a scrumptious, wholesome and fragrant topping for the flat breads. There is a delicious heat from red pepper paste, biber salcasi, a staple in Antakya cuisine and in my kitchen, which add so much flavor. You can make your own red pepper paste, biber salcasi with my recipe; it really is worth the effort. If not, you can add red pepper flakes, mixed with tomato paste instead.

Delicious flat breads with crumbled feta, red pepper paste, sesame seeds and spices; Biberli Ekmek

I hope you enjoy Biberli Ekmek; it is delicious served as a mezze (try with hummus, muhammara, cevizli biber – red pepper paste and walnut dip or with cacik, yoghurt dip with cucumbers and dried mint), accompanies tea time, soups and main courses so well. My cookery book, Ozlem’s Turkish Table, Recipes from My Homeland, is a tribute to this rich culinary heritage and scrumptious authentic recipes like this delicious flat breads, dips, mezes, regional specialties are all included. You can get a signed copy at this link, if you’d like, now 25 % off for a limited time. We also have this new apron, featuring embroidery of Antakya’s daphne leaves in the design, it can make a lovely gift, you can order at this link.

Afiyet Olsun,

Ozlem

4.8 from 4 reviews

Flatbreads with feta, zahtar and red pepper paste; Biberli Ekmek

I hope you enjoy Biberli Ekmek; Turkish flat breads with crumbled feta, red pepper paste, sesame seeds, spices and zahtar blend. This easy recipe from Antakya, southern Turkey also showcases region's wonderful olive oil and crumbled feta, cokelek. Delicious and wholesome; try as a mezze (try with Hummus, Muhammara – red pepper paste and walnut dip or with Cacik, yoghurt dip with cucumbers and dried mint), or at tea time, with soups and main courses.

Author: Ozlem Warren

Recipe type: Turkish flat breads with spicy feta cheese topping

Cuisine: Turkish Regional Cuisine - Antakya Cuisine

Serves: 8

Ingredients

For the dough:
3 cups/16 oz./ 1 lb. plain flour
1 sachet (7 gr ) dried yeast
5 ml/ 1 tsp salt
½ cup / 4 fl. oz. luke warm milk
¾ cup/ 5 fl. oz. luke warm water
⅓ cup / 3 fl. oz. olive oil
For the topping:
200 gr/ 7 oz. crumbled feta cheese or cokelek
30 ml/ 2 tbsp. Turkish hot pepper paste, biber salcasi
15 ml / 1 tbsp. concentrated tomato paste
10 ml/ 2 tsp. ground cumin
45 ml/ 3 tbsp. sesame seeds
30 ml / 2 tbsp. zahtar or za’atar
30 ml/ 2 tbsp. olive oil

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180 C / 350 F
Prepare the topping first. Combine the crumbled feta (or cokelek), red pepper paste, tomato paste all the spices, sesame seeds and olive oil. Knead with your hands to blend them well to form a smooth paste. Set the topping aside.
Now let’s make the dough. Combine the flour, dried yeast and salt in a large bowl.
Stir in the warm milk, warm water and olive oil and knead for 3 minutes to form a soft dough. If it gets sticky, drizzle a little extra olive oil in your hand to shape the dough, it really helps.
Grease a baking tray with 1 tbsp. olive oil and spread the dough as a thin flat bread base, reaching all the edges (about ¼ cm, 0.9”).
Spread the topping evenly over the flat bread.
Leave the flat bread with topping on at a warm spot to rise for 30 minutes.
Once the dough's risen, bake in the preheated oven (180 C / 350 F) for 18 – 20 minutes.
Let the baked flat bread with spicy feta cheese topping, Biberli Ekmek to cool down for 15 minutes.
Slice and serve as part of a mezze spread or with tea, Turkish cay.