We all know that Turkish food is amazing and very unique in its own way. Just think of the first time you had a kebab! I enjoy making and eating food from many different cultures. I love to be inspired by friends from all walks of life that I meet along my food journey. It’s been a year since we were introduced to some mutual turkish friends and this year before having a catch up with them my partner had this dish in mind which they strongly suggested to him a long time before. Catching up with them again reignited our interest in turkish cuisine and this dush was a great way to experience their culture first hand. My partner had quite a conversation with them about this dish and wouldn’t let it go until I made it and I’m glad I did. They gave us some advice for the recipe that it tastes better when you add more lemon and garlic to the recipe; better than we expected it tasted amazing and the garlic yogurt sauce goes so well with it.
Prep-Time: 10 mins Serve: 4
Cooking Time: 35 mins
Ingredients
2 bunch spinach
1/2 cup rice
1 cup water
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp paprika
3 garlic cloves
1 onion, chopped
1 lemon juice
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
garlic yogurt
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
4 tbsp plain yogurt
Salt to taste
Method
Wash the spinach well in clean water to get rid of the sand and dirt that can come along with it. The way I do this is by washing them in a kitchen bucket and then changing the water another 2 times with clean water, this will take 5-7 minutes. Leave to drain and then cut into small pieces.
Heat oil in a large pan over medium high heat, add in the onion and then cook for 3 minutes or until onion starts to soften. Add in the garlic followed by tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes or until tomatoes start to soften.
Stir in the rice, water and lemon juice – leave it to simmer for 10-20 minutes or until the rice starts to cook but not cooked all the way through. Add the spinach in to the pan in batches and then stir to combine with the rest of the ingredients. Leave it to cook for a further 10 minutes or until the rice is cooked through (soft). Season with salt and pepper to taste (if you want it to dry out cover with a lid, or just add more water if the rice isn’t cooked yet). Remove from heat and set aside.
Garlic yogurt :- Combine the garlic, salt and yogurt in a bowl, mix well with a spoon a set aside.
Transfer the turkish spinach on to a serving plate and then top the dish with a tablespoon of garlic yogurt. Enjoy!