The first days in Istanbul had been filled with the popular sightseeing highlights in the Golden Horn, traditional restaurants, the hustle and bustle of the grand bazaar and lots and lots of tea. I had really been enjoying the beauty of the mosques and had also taken a day trip to a nearby island to feel a bit of island vibe. But, except for landing on the airport on that side, I hadn’t made it to the Asian side of the city yet. Therefore I was quite curious to discover a bit of that part of Istanbul as well.

So on my last day in the city I took the public transport, which works very well by the way, to cross the Bosporus. My first impression was that the area I was in had a nice buzz to it, but that it was not very pretty nor did it have shops I was very interested in. This impression fortunately changed while venturing further into the Kadikoy area. I suddenly entered some smaller pedestrian streets with market stalls all around. Everywhere I looked there were beautiful vegetables, olives and fish. Now, here I could feel happy! After spending plenty of time enjoying those streets, I went for a long walk along the coast. Very calm and beautiful, with a long stretch of boulevard where people were walking, cycling or just relaxing and talking. Even though it was November, some brave older men were still in their swimming clothes on the small beach enjoying the sunshine.

All in all, I really enjoyed this part of Istanbul. Obviously the beautiful fresh produce and also the delicious lunch I had played a role in this. But not only in this area the food was good. I ate many delicious meals, often reminding me of the time I worked in a kebab restaurant in Sydney, run by Turkish people. There are many highlights to the food, but one simple dish I like a lot as a snack or lunch is lahmacun. It is often nicknamed “Turkish pizza”, but clearly a complete dish of its own. I had a version with walnuts as topping that I really enjoyed, so it was time to try recreating this at home as well.

Lahmacun with Walnuts

This amount is enough for 2 as main course or of course for more people as snack. In case of a nut allergy, simply leave out the walnuts and it will still taste good.
You could make a simple salad on the side and add some on top of your lahmacun and roll this up as a wrap before eating.

Ingredients (For 6 lahmacuns)

Dough:

• Flour – 200 grams
• Lukewarm water – 140 ml
• Salt

Topping:

• 350 grams of minced beef or lamb
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 large onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• Parsley – small bunch plus a few sprigs for decoration
• 2 table spoons of tomato puree
• 1 heaped teaspoon of cumin
• Salt
• Olive Oil
• Chili flakes – to taste
• Walnuts – shelled and finely chopped, 50 grams
• Lemon

Pre-heat your oven to 230°C.
For the dough, put the flour with a good pinch of salt in a bowl. Add the water and stir with a spoon until the dough starts to come together. Knead the dough on a clean working surface for a few minutes, until you have a smooth dough that does not stick to your hands anymore. Divide the dough into six balls. Clean the bowl, place the dough into it and cover with a moist teatowel to let it rest while preparing the topping.

To make the topping, start by finely chopping the onion, garlic and parsley. Slice the tomato into small cubes. Place the onion, garlic, parsley, tomato and the minced meat on a large chopping board. Use a knife to chop everything even finer and to mix the ingredients at the same time. Place this meat mixture into a bowl and add a tablespoon of olive oil, the tomato paste, the cumin and a good pinch of salt. Mix this together well.

Take the first ball of dough and roll this out to a circle. The dough should be very thin, just around 1-2 mm thick. If you have a pizza tray, place the dough on this. Otherwise, cover a normal oven tray with baking paper and place the dough on there. Spread a sixth of the meat mixture over the dough, completely covering it. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and as many chili flakes as you like.

Repeat with the remaining dough balls and meat mixture. When your oven tray is full, place it in the oven and bake for around 8-10 minutes, until the dough starts to brown and crisp up and the meat is cooked. Continue until you have cooked the 6 lahmacuns. Serve with extra parsley and lemon wedges, and enjoy!