This is a light summer salad perfectly paired with roasted meats. The richness of the fatty meats is cut by this light salad, which also adds a wonderful crunch. This salad is also wonderful on the mezze table, its lightness cutting through the richer dishes and small fried plates. The freshness of the cucumbers is balanced by the basil's earthiness, and the dish finishes with a pop of tartness from the lime juice. It is a wonderful summer cooling dish. The Turkish Cookbook i

Okra is favoured in Turkish cuisine, and interestingly, it is used as a thickener for stews and soups. But, like us in India, they prefer not to have the slimy palate feel. They get around this by adding lemon or lime juice that is added to the dish to prevent the mucilage from forming. This is a simple dish, easy to make yet so delicious. The baby okra is soft and tender, without the slime, and the tomatoes add an acidic, mild sweetness to the dish. It is perfect as a side d

Turkish cuisine is known for its amazing variety of soups, diverse and beautiful. Here is one that I really loved. Let's begin by breaking down the soup name. "Malhuta" means combined or mixed, and refers to the combination of grains and letils. "Eksili" refers to sour that makes this otherwise heavy soup light and refreshing. So the soup means "refreshing sour mixed soup". And that is what it is. The lentils are almost entirely broken down, forming a creamy base. The couscou