Good blend of flavour and ingredients

In Hyderabad for a food fest, Turkish chef Eyüp Kemal conducted a culinary workshop

As chef Eyüp Kemal entered Meeting Place 1,2,3 at Hyatt Place in Banjara Hills for a cooking demo, participants were sipping Turkish coffee; some of them ready with queries on the sweet after-taste of the black coffee.

Predictably, many wanted to know if chef Eyup could teach them the trick of the ice cream jugglers. The master chef of Istanbul who also runs a culinary academy said he could not, but assured that they could have some fun with the ice cream jugglers during the Flavours of Turkiye food fest he was to oversee. The food fest organised in collaboration with the Consulate General of Turkey and Turkish Airlines is on till July 5.

Setting out to teach a few easy Turkish dishes that are close to Indian cooking procedures and ingredients, at a cooking demo session that afternoon, Eyup said the secret to learning cooking is to start with basics, know the common ingredients and always learn the classics. He began with a simple dish: Kisir (bulgar salad with tomatoes and fresh herbs) and Manti (Turkish meat dumpling with yoghurt). A few attentive guests asked if the ingredients can be switched. For eg bulgar with millet and olive oil with everyday oil. He was firm that “Switching is possible, but then it cannot be called Turkish. Olive oil is a part of Turkish cuisine and bulgar cooks faster than millet.” 

Throughout his demo, Eyup kept the guests engaged with conversations about food, patiently demonstrated every step and encouraged guests to ask questions. Eyup explains, “Indian cuisine uses hot pepper, we use sweet pepper. Our food is mild and we include nuts in our preparations. “

At the end of the demo, guests were treated to signature Turkish dishes like beetroot hummus, spicy red lentil soup, cucumber with hung yoghurt and a mixed meat pilav, which were quite flavourful.

Eyup advocates travel as the best way to learn about places, people and cuisine; visiting the local markets and talking to locals is the best way to learn. On his part, he loved the Hyderabadi biryani and the curries like mutton rogan josh and fish pulusu because it was so much more flavourful and will be taking back a recipe of Biryani with him.

For the Flavours of Turkiye food fest at Hyatt Place, until July 5, Eyup will offer diners a variety of salads, soups, desserts, Turkish Coffee, Turkish Tea and the main course for dinner, “We serve popular dishes like Ezogelin Çorbasi (a spicy red lentil soup); Köpoğlu (a roasted eggplant and pepper dip); Zeytinyağli Enginar (artichokes braised in olive oil); Perde Pilavi (pastry encrusted pilaf with chicken, nuts and raisins) and Aşure (wheat berry pudding with dried fruits and nuts),” he says.