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"Cooking, in effect, took part of the work of chewing and digestion and performed it for us outside of the body, using outside sources of energy. Also, since cooking detoxifies many potential sources of food, the new technology cracked open a treasure trove of calories unavailable to other animals. Freed from the necessity of spending our days gathering large quantities of raw food and then chewing (and chewing) it, humans could now devote their time, and their metabolic resources, to other purposes, like creating a culture."

Michael Pollan

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« Ezogelin çorbası | Main | Istanbul Eats »
Tuesday
Feb102015

Cooking Alaturka

On our trip to Istanbul, I took my sister to a cooking class at Cooking Alaturka. I was mainly in it for the five-course meal with wine at the end – surprise! – and that was definitely the highlight.

The cooking class is fun. My first impression of Chef Feyzi was that he seemed like a typically surly exemplar of the species, but he turned out to have a great sense of humour.

The class is aimed at beginners. Students are involved in simple tasks like peeling and chopping. Chef Feyzi does the rest. However, this should not deter more advanced students; if you are a good cook you will probably get more out of it in the long run, since you will find it easier to recreate the dishes at a later date. 

Chef Feyzi

This is the menu that we helped to prepare: 

Ezogelin çorbası

Red lentil and bulgur soup with dried mint and chili pepper

... 

Kabak mücveri

Courgette patties with herbs and cheese

 ...

İmam bayıldı

Aubergine braised in olive oil with onion and tomato

 ...

Etli yaprak dolması

Vine leaves stuffed with minced meat

... 

İncir tatlısı

Walnut-stuffed figs in syrup

I was least excited about the soup, but it turned out to be one of the best dishes. It is quick and easy to make and hearty, wholesome and delicious to taste. I’ll be sharing the recipe for it shortly.

The courgette fritters were light, fresh and creamy on the inside and crisp on the outside – just as they should be.

Aubergine braised in olive oil with onion and tomato was perfectly nice, but after seeing the amount of delicious herbs, spices and aromatics that went into it, I was expecting a little more wow factor.

My favourite, hands down, was the vine leaves stuffed with spiced minced lamb and beef and studded with rice. These are served hot with their cooking juices and a dollop of yoghurt. Devine.

Walnut-stuffed figs were a pleasant sweet to finish and easy to make. I was stuffed at this point though, so I didn’t make much headway with them.

Overall it was a great experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Istanbul for a more than a few days. At 65 euros, all inclusive, it’s great value too. 

Cooking Alaturka – Akbiyik Caddesi 72A, Sultanahmet, Istanbul; Ph:  +90 212 458 5919, Mob: +90 536 338 0896

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Reader Comments (2)

Hurry and post the recipes, I really want to try , especially the soup. And aubergines, because I com with them so often now. ever since my trip to iran my interest in middle eastern food has been re kindled. 65 euros does sound great value.

February 16, 2015 | Unregistered CommenterMa

Hi Ma, I'm planning to make the soup this week to test the recipe and take some extra pics. Will put up as soon as I can. Glad you are loving Middle Eastern food. So delicious.

February 16, 2015 | Registered CommenterVix

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