HOW TO MAKE USAK STYLE TURKISH TARHANA - 100 Years Old Family Recipe

HOW TO MAKE USAK STYLE TURKISH TARHANA

Music: Ekinler Ekilirken - Usak Folk Song
Arrangement and Piano: Elvan A. ULUCINAR

In this episode, I'd like to share with you how to prepare TARHANA, indispensable in winter for healing and comfort. Preparing TARHANA shows regional differences and Uak tarhana is quite famous. My grandmother on my mother's side is from USAK and this recipe handed down from my great-grandmother. We used to call her 'Cotton Nanny, let her rest in piece... And I know the recipe is at least 100 years old, but who knows how many generations of family members had got this recipe.

Tarhana is probably one of the world's oldest food and the first instant soup. And is always made at the end of the summer, for a cold&snowy day. You could even eat this soup for breakfast. It is also considered as a very nutritious meal and given to babies (unsalted) as a good first supplemental food.

To stay tuned upcoming videos SUBSCRIBE here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC199vdxLlzuiFf0onyQWhgg

You can support my Channel with Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/ElvancaTarifler

How to cook Tarhana: https://youtu.be/HrlUsWOEqFA

INGREDIENTS
1/2 kg. (1.1 pound) tomato
1/2 kg. onion
1/2 kg. sweet red kapia pepper
1/2 kg. yoghurt
1 tbsp vinegar
1 hot green pepper (optional)
2 kg. (4.4 pound) + 3 cups flour
1 tsp granulated sugar
2 real tablespoonful salt and red sweet paprika
A Pide Bread dough (or any bread or pizza dough)
A small bunch of fresh parsley
A small bunch of fresh mint

A food processor or a blender
A big container with a lid (10 liter - 10 US quarts)
A big cotton tablecloth and nylon sheet
Large- meshed sieve

Mix yogurt to keep it from being too watery and set aside.
Cover Pide dough, so it doesn't dry out.
Pick the mint and parsley leaves and place in a bowl.
Fill the bowl with water and pour 1 tbsp vinegar, mix and set aside.
Peel the onions and chop coarsely.
Remove seeds and stem from rinsed kapia peppers and chop coarsely.
Add hot green pepper to taste.
You can always add some more hot spices when cooking Tarhana.
Rinse, peel and coarsely chop the tomatoes.
Drain the greens and stir in the chopped veggies, mix.
Blend all in multiple batches, in a food processor or blender.
Transfer to a big container.
The dough will rise, make sure to use proper container.
Add salt, granulated sugar and red sweet paprika into the yogurt and mix well.
You can always add some more salt when cooking Tarhana.
Stir the yogurt into the veggies and mix well.
Then add 2 kg. flour in batches and knead until well combined.
Add the Pide bread dough in pieces and knead until well combined.
It takes about 10 minutes to knead, that makes you sweat :)
Then cover with a lid and leave undisturbed for a day at room temp.
The next day, add 3 cups more flour and knead again.
This time, it takes about 5 minutes to knead and it is less tiring :)
Cover the lid again.
Now, for the next seven days, mix the dough once a day with a wooden spoon, then cover and leave undisturbed at room temp.
At the end of seven days, lay down a piece of nylon sheet over a large area or outside (not in direct sunlight) then the tablecloth.
Using a spatula spread the dough into thin pieces, making sure to place them apart from each other.
Then leave them for 7-8 hours to dry.
Mom suggested and we cooked first tarhana of the year, using the leftovers in the bottom of the container and it was so yummy!
Anyway, 7-8 hours later flip each piece upside down.
Do not allow the pieces to dry out completely, will be difficult to lift.
And try to place over a dry spot of the tablecloth this time.
Allow flipped pieces to dry for 2-3 hours more, then using your hands divide into smaller pieces.
Now, this is the tricky part... When the pieces have become brittle (they will crumble when rubbed between thumb and forefinger) just crumble them. Working with wet or too dry pieces can be difficult.
You need to find the delicate balance between too dry and too wet :)
We waited for 15-16 hours and they were a little too dry, ideally it should be only left for overnight.
But also keep in mind, in some regions of Turkey, large pieces of Tarhana is being prepared. Just soak them in water overnight, before cooking.
But this is USAK style tarhana and it needs to be crumbled :)
Just do your best and crumble them as much as you can.
Then leave to dry for one more day.
Preparing Tarhana is not difficult, it just takes time.
Almost there... Sift the crumbled Tarhana through a large- meshed sieve then blend the larger pieces in a food processor.
Repeat until all the pieces are sifted.
Spread and leave to dry completely.
It took me one more day to dry out.
The whole process takes about 12 days total.
Place Tarhana in a clean and dry jar and keep in a dark place or refrigerate for up to two years.
I have just filled 1 liter- 3 jars.
Tarhana is traditionally prepared once a year in large amounts, to share with the family & ones you love.