Turkish Market Shopping in South London

Since living in Istanbul for three years, I’ve enjoyed cooking Turkish food usually once or twice a week at latest home in London.

 

Sometimes, I need to find some special ingredients or Turkish products that I enjoy using such as Turkish olive oil, beyaz peynir, pomegranate molasses, spices etc. Fortunately, we actually do have two small Turkish markets in our neighborhood of Battersea where we live. One of the owners even proudly displays a Turkish flag in his small shop.

 

But awhile back, I decided to venture out to a special Turkish market called Cheam Arena, located in North Cheam, about an hour south of where we live by bike. This store also is close to the London neighborhoods of Morden, Kingston and Epsom. My Turkish friend, Ozlem of Ozlem’s Turkish Table, had recommended going to Cheam Arena. But if you don’t live in this area and don’t own a car, then it’s not so easy to reach.

But during the past year of the pandemic, I’ve biked my way around a lot of places in London, so I loaded up my bike with my paniers and went shopping. The first thing I noticed when I arrived at Cheam is that a lot of the produce was a bit cheaper than my part of London. For example, lemons cost 5 for 1 pound in Cheam vs 2 for 1 pound in Zone 2 London. The only way I can buy cheaper lemons or any produce is the Saturday street market on Battersea High Street.

 

But Cheam Arena also sold special produce like sivri biber and dolma biber (great for stuffing), which I don’t often see in more central London.

The lovely produce alone is enough to make the trek down here.

 

But inside the store, there are tons of other Turkish products that I like such as sucuk, cheeses, less expensive pine nuts and pistachios and olive oil (1 litre for 6 pounds). I also couldn’t resist the freshly baked baklava section and the tubs of olives. Yum!

By the time, I left the store, my backpack was stuffed and so were my paniers. My bike definitely weighed more going back home. I mean, check out my amazing haul!

 
With all these delicious ingredients, I couldn’t resist putting together a favorite Turkish recipe: 

Ozlem’s Lamb kebabs with pistachios. I served the kebabs with some roasted vegetables and a Turkish-style tomato-herbed salad. If you can find inexpensive, preshelled pistachios, then the recipe comes together more easily.

Afiyet olsun!

Follow

Read More

Turkish Weekend at the Tesselaar Tulip Festival

Daytrip from Melbourne

When I heard about a local festival featuring tulips and Turkish food, I knew we had to attend! It's like this event was created just for us!

Just an hour’s drive from Melbourne through the beautiful Dandenong Ranges, the Tesselaar Tulip Festival, now in its 62nd year, features more than half a million tulips and a million other spring bulbs planted on 25 acres of farmland. The festival runs through October 6^th and includes an upcoming food, wine and jazz as well as Irish weekends. There’s something for everybody here!

Since we lived in Istanbul for three years, I took countless photos of the Turkish lale (tulips). I ended up doing the same thing at the Tesselaar Festival, although my husband insisted that I surely had enough tulip photos in my collection. Never enough, I told him!

We arrived right as the doors opened at 10 a.m. so we could beat the crowds and have better tulip photos sans people, of course. I was slightly disappointed more tulips weren’t open yet, but apparently the Victoria region's winter had been longer and colder than usual this year. No worries. The festival workers gave us two free late-bloomer tickets to return again.

Seeing row after row of colorful blooming tulips is certainly a feast for the eyes, don’t you think?

There once was an old woman that lived in a shoe…but I don’t consider myself old!

This wooden shoe is recorded to be the largest in the world and was carved by Aussie-born and internationally renowned chainsaw artist, Robbie Bast.

By now, you may be wondering what does Turkey and tulips have in common.

Well, tulips are native to Turkey and Central Asia and were brought to Holland in the 16^th century. Because of the growing popularity of Turkish tulips, Holland experienced a period known as “Tulipmania” during the 17^th century with excessive tulip prices and oversupply which resulted in market crashes. Then, during 1718-1730, known as the “Tulip Era” under the Ottoman reign of Sultan Ahmed III, tulips became an important symbol in Turkish arts, folklore and daily life. The lale symbol is still found all over Turkish ceramics and textiles.

After taking plenty of tulip photos, we wandered over to the Turkish side of the festival where a live band was playing. The only Turkish word I could grasp was “şey,” which is the American equivalent of saying “like” all the time.

Next, I found a Turkish woman from Izmir demonstrating how to do ebru, which is the art of creating patterns with colored pigments in a pan of oily water and then transferring this pattern to paper. I paid 10aud and she helped me create my own vibrant masterpiece.

By now, we were hungry so we wandered off to check out the Turkish options for food. The gözleme stand was calling my name. The Turkish family from Ankara making these spinach-cheese filled flatbreads (or pancakes) were thrilled to speak with me in my bir az Türkçe. The only item missing was the pickled veggies that are usually served alongside like at the Turkish pazar.

Since we shared the gözleme, we were still hungry and soon were tempted by the tantalizing smells coming from the nearby Adana kebab grill. We shared the kebab and an ayran to drink while we soaked up the spring sunshine and planned where we wanted to go hiking.

Even though I haven’t lived in Turkey for more than two years now, I still miss it and I think she will forever be a part of my soul. At least, this Turkish weekend and the blooming tulips brought back so many wonderful memories of my former home.

Am I really in Australia? The festival also featured free tractor rides around the farm and a sculpture garden.

Read More

Another Week of Good Eats in Istanbul

Since I have Istanbul on my mind this week, I thought I would write another foodie post involving my last two trips to this magical city.

Though our travels always revolve around food, Turkish food is something that I miss and was more than happy to indulge in with our willing (and missed) friends. So here’s a rundown of some of the tasty places we tried for the first time or revisited for the umpteenth time in Istanbul.

Midye Dolması

In March, we introduced our skeptical American friend to eating midye dolması (stuffed mussels) off the streets in Beyoğlu. “Is it safe?” he asked us. To us, it’s just one of those things you MUST do in Istanbul, especially after you’ve had a few drinks. The street sellers will keep giving you more mussels until you tell them to stop. Then, you pay based on how many shells you emptied.

Turkish Etli Ekmek

Now, you don’t have to travel all the way to Konya to try this meter-long flatbread pizza. My friend’s Turkish husband, Kartal, treated me to a delicious etli ekmek at Ikonium in the Levent neighborhood. Of course, when I’m back in Istanbul, I must have an Efes beer too! Grab a friend or two because you’ll need them to help share this flatbread pizza!

Location: Aytar Caddesi Dilek Apartmanı No:28, Levent. 5-minute walk from Levent metro stop.

Turkish Grilled Meat

Our Turkish friend, Huseyin, loves good food as much as we do, so we had to try one of his favorite meat-centric places in Etiler. Before taking a seat at Nusr-Et Steakhouse, be sure to look in the meat showcase near the grill. Try the lokum (Turkish delight), spaghetti (thinly sliced beef) and sliced-to-order lamb ribs. The meat used comes from the Marmara Sea region. Accompany your meat with unlimited crispy fries and a salad. This fancy, crowded steakhouse is a place to be seen so don’t be shocked by your 100tl per person bill. (Note: we didn’t have any alcohol that night because local elections that day forbid it.) However, I think the experience is worth trying at least once!

Some of the best grilled rack of lamb I've ever had in Turkey!

And for dessert, don’t skimp on the pistachio baklava that is flown in fresh every day from Gaziantep and served tableside with a generous scoop of Maras dondurma. My mouth is just watering thinking about this heavenly baklava!

Location: Nispetiye Caddesi No:87, Etiler

Bosphorus Views on the Asian side

Once again, Kartal and his wife, Nicole, treated me to a special dinner at Del Mare. Half the fun was taking a free ferry boat from the Kuruçeşme Iskelesi (Pier) to the Asian side of Istanbul. This seafood restaurant is housed in a former 19^th-century factory and features a splendid, canopied outdoor terrace with beautiful Bosphorus views. 

The menu features the typical Turkish mezes and fresh seafood. And for dessert, don’t forget to order irmik helvası, which is semolina cooked with butter and sugar and served with vanilla ice cream in the middle. Delicious!

Location: Kuleli Caddesi No:53 / 4, Çengelköy

Literally next door to Del Mare, you’ll find an unique concept at Tapasuma Restaurant where Turkish and Mediterranean food is served as bite-sized tapas in a modern setting. It’s definitely worth checking out if want to dine by candlelight away from the hectic crowds of the city. The restaurant is housed in a luxurious boutique hotel (a restored former raki distillery) in case you want to stay the night and wake up to these beautiful Bosphorus views as well.

Tasty mini versions of Turkish and Mediterranean food at Tapasuma.

Last year, we even got to peak into the kitchen and meet the friendly Executive Chef Gökay Çakıroğlu and his cooks at Tapasuma.

Location: Kuleli Caddesi No:43, Çengelköy

Beer Break under the Galata Bridge

After you’ve been sightseeing for several hours, you’ll definitely want to enjoy a break under the Galata Bridge. Sure, this area is touristy. However, I still love sitting under the bridge right by the water, sipping my Efes beer and people watching. Just make sure the café you sit at actually sells alcohol as several of them now have signs that say “alcoholsuz” (no alcohol).

Turkish Breakfast at our Hotel

The Turks are well known for their Turkish breakfasts! Luckily, we had breakfast included at the Anemon Galata Hotel where we stayed for 3 nights for about $100 per night. The hotel offers a fantastic location right by the Galata Tower and a lovely view over the Golden Horn where you can enjoy your breakfast or a glass of wine later at night.

Group Dinner with Friends

Sometimes, it’s simply easier to organize a group dinner with friends when we’re back in Istanbul. We met our friends at Yüzevler Kebap, a restaurant originally based in Adana, that features traditional Turkish kebabs and meze dishes. We enjoyed a good dinner and even better conversation catching up with our friends. But at 100tl per person, we don’t think we’ll be coming back here as the food didn’t live up to its reputation.

Location: Nispetiye Cad. No:10, Etiler

Everyone Eats at Çiya (Old Post)

During my last three trips to Istanbul, I’ve made it a point to dine at Çiya. This last time, we tried a unique bulgur meatball soup and perde pilavi, a special rice dish from southeastern Turkey. The “curtain rice” as it is so called features a seasoned rice with raisins, pine nuts, almonds and chicken wrapped inside a crispy baked phyllo shell. It’s an uncommon dish, but one that I highly recommend if you find it on the menu.

Turkish Yogurt in Kanlıca (Old Post)

Another Asian-side place we like to return to again and again is the yogurt shops in the small neighborhood of Kanlıca. Again, half the fun is taking one of the water taxis from Emirgan, especially after visiting the Turkish lale festival in the spring, to Kanlıca. Pull up a chair outside, order some of the best Turkish yogurt with a side of powdered sugar and a glass of tea. Enjoy!

 

Turkish Staples

You’ll find several locations of Günaydın Restaurant throughout the city. The restaurants feature well-made Turkish kebabs and meatballs, but last time, I thought the prices were a bit more hefty then what they used to be. Still it’s a good place to enjoy some typical Turkish dishes and a sinful künefe for dessert.

Location: Suadiye Mahallesi, Kazım Özalp Cad.

After reading about all these Turkish dishes and restaurants, I hope you’re ready to visit one of my favorite cities!

(Thanks for reading! If you like what you read, how about subscribing to My Traveling Joys through this FeedBurner?)

Read More

Turkish Loquat Kebabs at Home

Do you remember when I first discovered this strange yellow fruit in Istanbul?

If not, please check back to this old post: Bu Ne? Loquat Var. Back then, I had no idea what to do with these delicious, tangy, but sweet fruits.

During our last trip to Istanbul earlier this spring, I “smuggled” a package of fresh loquat from the bakkal back to Poland. (Oh, to the lengths I will go to have Turkish food back at home!) We had just eaten at Çiya Restaurant where loquat kebabs were featured on the menu, and I wanted to make them at home. In spring, loquat kebabs also are popular in the southeastern Turkish city of Gaziantep as written about on Istanbul Food.

Turns out, loquat kebabs are fairly easy to make at home. Like most Turkish cooking though, there’s a lot of prep work involved. The loquats need to be halved and stuffed with a minced-meat mixture similar to making köfte. I decided to use this köfte recipe by Ozlem’s Turkish Table, but only used ground beef since lamb is very difficult (and expensive) to find in Warsaw.

To prepare, slice each loquat in half, remove the seeds, place on a skewer and stuff with a meatball in the middle, alternating with slices of red pepper. I placed three loquats and three meatballs on each skewer. Then I drizzled each skewer with a bit of Turkish olive oil and nar ekşisi (pomegranate molasses).

Since we don’t have an outdoor grill, I placed my loquat kebabs on a baking tray in the oven and baked at 200 C for about 20 minutes.

The loquats caramelize nicely in the oven are absolutely delicious with the kebabs. 

To round out our Turkish meal at home, I made my fresh Tabbouleh salad recipe as well as bulgur with a dab of tomato paste and my Herbed Yogurt Dip, which we generously topped our kebabs with. Luckily, I can stop at a local Lebanese shop to find some decent flat bread (lavaş). Hopefully, you’ll have the same success wherever you live and can make your own Turkish loquat kebabs at home too. 

Afiyet olsun!

A complete spread of Turkish food, including the loquat kebabs, at home in Warsaw.

Tabbouleh Salad is so fresh and one of my favorites!

Read More