Chef´s Choice – Turkish Cuisine

Cabbage Salad with Chrunchies

Turkish cuisine is largely the continuation of Ottoman cuisine, which in turn borrowed many elements from Central Asian, Caucasian, Jewish, Middle Eastern, Greek and Balkan cuisines.

Turkish cuisine varies across the country. The cooking of Istanbul, Bursa, Izmir, and rest of the Aegean region inherits many elements of Ottoman court cuisine, with a lighter use of spices, a preference for rice over bulgur, köftes and a wider availability of vegetable stews (Türlü), eggplant, stuffed dolmas and fish. The cuisine of the Black Sea Region uses fish extensively, especially the Black Sea anchovy (hamsi) and includes maize dishes. The cuisine of the southeast (e.g. Urfa, Gaziantep, and Adana) is famous for its variety of kebabs, mezes and dough-based desserts such as Baklava, Söbiyet, Kadayıf, and Künefe.

Ingredients

• 

  instant noodles

  1 head white cabbage, finely shredded

• 1 bunch spring onions, minced
• 70 g butter
• 1oo g instant noodles, crushed
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 100 g slivered almonds
• white wine vinegar
• vegetable or olive oil
• 100 g sugar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce

Preparation

Mix the cabbage and spring onions in a large bowl, cover with cling film and put aside in the fridge.

In a big enough pot, mix in the vinegar, oil, sugar, and soy sauce and bring the mixture to a boil stirring occasionally. After about 1 minute, remove the pot from the stove and put aside to cool down.

In a skillet or wok heat the butter over medium heat. Add the crushed noodles, slivered almonds and sesame seeds. Stir continously to prevent burning. Once browned remove the crunchies from the heat and put aside.

Take the cabbage-spring onion mix out of the fridge and combine carefully with the dressing and the crunchies. Serve immediately.