Beyaz peynir ezmesi

You would have noticed that our eating habits have been changing in recent times. The spurt of restaurants across the country and in the metros in particular has forced us to review what we always thought was a proper meal — starting perhaps with soup and starters, going on to the main courses and then ending with dessert.

These days, I find that any of these components can be a meal. At Chinese eateries known for their dumplings, I have often made a meal out of a bowl of soup and a healthy helping of dimsums. I have a friend with an overactive sweet tooth whose dinner often consists of appetisers and desserts. And when I am eating in a neat little pub in Delhi, I am happy with a glass of draught beer and a platter of dips with breads and other mezze appetisers.

Mamzana

In fact, when I was in Calcutta a few weeks ago, I had a very interesting mezze lunch with chef Sujan Mukherjee of the Taj Bengal at their restaurant, Souk. We had various kinds of delicious Turkish dips prepared by restaurant chef Prasad Metrani and visiting Syrian chef Simon Shakour. I was particularly struck by something called mas piyazi, a spread of green moong dal.

Clearly, Mediterranean dips for mezze platters are not just about hummus and tzatziki, though I must say I am fond of both the chickpea-based hummus and tzatziki, prepared with yoghurt, garlic and cucumber. But Turkey — along with other countries in the region — has various other kinds of dips to offer. The beyaz peynir ezmesi, for instance, is prepared with feta cheese, walnut and chilli flakes, and gets its piquant flavours from oregano and powdered mint and bay leaf. The dip goes best with toasted breads and crackers or as a spread on bread, says chef Metrani.

Salads work well in mezze platters too. Gavurdagi salatasi, for instance, is a salad from southeast Anatolia, nicely flavoured with pomegranates. The mamzana, which comes from the Trakya region of Turkey, is a salad of chargrilled eggplant, roasted bell pepper, chopped onions and tomatoes.

Arnavut cigeri

There are different ways of making your mezze accompaniments work well. Gavurdagi salatasi, for instance, is at its tastiest when you’ve kept it aside for a while and allowed the flavours to blossom. Beyaz peynir ezmesi has to be refrigerated overnight for intense flavours.

The dips and salads go with all kinds of food — from soft and crusty breads to kababs, chicken drumsticks or vegetable sticks. The Taj chefs presented the platter with a delicious dish of arnavut cigeri — fried liver served with red pepper — which went very well with mas piyazi, while the gavurdagi salad was just right when eaten with kababs. The feta cheese spread can be served with anything from crackers to olives.

I think one reason why mezze platters are becoming ever so popular is that it’s a healthy option for a meal. Chef Sujan points out that a mezze platter includes all that is good for you — from nuts, goat milk cheese and yoghurt to vegetables and olive oil.

To top it, a mezze platter is filling and a meal in itself. It offers you everything from carbs (bread), protein (cheese and yoghurt), essential vitamins (chickpeas and vegetables) and a healthy dose of antioxidants that nuts possess. In short, it’s a Turkish delight.

Maz piyazi (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 250g green moong dal • 20g chilli flakes • 75g chopped onion • 25g chopped garlic • 100g garlic yoghurt • 100ml extra virgin oil • salt to taste

Method:

Boil the moong dal with salted water. Strain and let it cool. Sauté onions and garlic in the extra virgin olive oil. Add chilli flakes. Add the moong beans and season. Garnish with garlic yoghurt and a fresh parsley sprig. Serve warm.