Are you interested in Turkish food? I'll be happy to get you off to a good start.
There's no need to hesitate. If you're a newcomer, it's only natural that Turkish food may seem very foreign and complicated to prepare.
Once you become familiar with some recipes and cooking techniques, you'll be happy to discover that many Turkish dishes are actually made with familiar, inexpensive ingredients that are easy to find at your local supermarket.
You'll be surprised at the exotic tastes you can create with simple staples like onions, tomato paste and ground beef.
First, you'll need to stock your kitchen with some common items. Here is my list of the Top 10 Ingredients in Turkish Cuisine.
With these items alone, you can make several dishes to put together an entire meal. Not bad for your first try at Turkish cooking!
Here are my suggestions for your first ever Turkish menu. You can prepare all the dishes below with the above ingredients, plus some other ingredients and spices you most likely already have in stock:
- Grilled meatballs, or 'kofte' (kuf-TEH')
- Turkish-style rice pilaf
- Aegean tomato soup
- White cheese triangle pastries
- Eggplant salad
I hope your first try at Turkish cooking goes well! Please let me know.
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