Batırık Recipe
Batırık is one of the most famous dishes of Mersin city and nomad cuisine which is mainly located in Mersin. Most of the people think that batırık is similar to kısır. But in terms of flavor, batırık has not the slightest affinity with kısır. Since the tahini and peanut flavor used in batırık is clearly felt, batırık has a unique smell and taste that is unlike any other food.
One of the most unique features of the batırık is its preparation in two different forms. You can prepare batırık in the form of patties and / or soups. Either way, it's delicious. It is a great soup for the summer months such as gazpacho soup and cold yogurt soup. It is both cool and refreshing, and it has a very satisfying and addictive flavor.
You can serve batırık with salad ingredients, pickles, and / or cooked cabbage. Many ingredients used in the batırık are summer vegetables. Two ingredients that do not fit this are dried tomatoes and cabbage. Of course, dried tomatoes can be found in all seasons, but since it is a winter food for me, I forget to use it occasionally while making batırık. Mersin people please don't be angry, but I do not use cabbage at all. In the summer, cabbage is a vegetable that I never buy. What will I do with the rest in the middle of summer, if I buy it for making batırık? If cook kapuska or something else in the winter with the cabbage, I make pickled cabbage with the rest for example, but we don't eat pickled cabbage in summer also. The essence of the matter is that I could not adapt cabbage to this recipe, taking shelter in the forgiveness of the people of Mersin. I guess this may be more possible for the people living in the villages.
Roasted and ground sesame seeds are used in batırık. This is actually tahini. Of course, the taste and smell of freshly ground tahini would be much better, but on the other hand, there is the convenience of store bought tahini. I prefer to use tahini because convenience is one step ahead for me. Peanuts are likewise processed while making batırık. Since I do not use store bought peanut butter and make my own peanut butter with the peanut butter recipe at home, I prefer to use home made peanut butter instead of dealing with processing peanut. But these two are entirely up to you. If you want to do it the way it is done, you can process the sesame seeds and the peanut while you are making batırık.
Enjoy ...
Ingredients
- 2 cups of fine bulgur,
- 2 cups of grated tomato,
- 1 tablespoon of pepper paste,
- 1 onion,
- 1 tablespoon of dried tomato powder or dried tomatoes grounded with food processor,
- 1/2 cup of tahini,
- 1/2 cup peanut butter,
- 2 tomatoes,
- 2 cucumbers,
- 1 handful of chopped parsley,
- 1 handful of chopped fresh mint,
- 1 handful of chopped fresh basil,
- 1 teaspoon of cumin,
- 1 teaspoon of chili pepper,
- 1 lemon juice,
- Salt.
Preparation
- Take the bulgur, grated tomato, pepper paste, grated onion and dried tomato powder on a large tray,
- Mix it well, cover and let it rest for 30 minutes,
- Add tahini, peanut butter, cumin and chili peppers and knead well until it becomes mellow,
- Add chopped greens and lemon juice and knead,
- Add the tomatoes and cucumbers that you have chopped finely and knead them,
- Take small pieces from half the mortar and shape them into patties,
- Add cold or ice water and mix the remaining half until it reaches the consistency you want,
- Taste the soup and add salt and / or lemon juice as needed.
Bon Appetit...