Turkish food is delicious, and has many elements similar to other Middle Eastern cuisines: falafel, creamy dips, and charcoal-grilled kebabs to name a few. However, Turkish cuisine also has its own specialties, such as a dish that I only discovered recently: “mujver”, or fluffy zucchini pancakes made with cheese and spices. Because I had fresh CSA zucchini and onions in my fridge this week, I decided to try making my own version of this dish. It is such a versatile recipe that if Middle Eastern flavors aren’t your thing, you could make these Italian by substituting the spice with basil and the hummus with pesto, and using marinara as a dip. In fact, this recipe could work with a variety of cuisines, such as Mexican or even Chinese! Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Wet:
5 cups grated zucchini
1 small white or yellow onion, grated
1 scallion (or onion top), chopped
3 large eggs, beaten
1/3 cup hummus
¼ to 1/3 cup grated/crumbled cheese (mozzarella, feta,
kasseri, or whatever you please)
Dry:
1 cup flour
1 and ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon Arabic seasoning (or 1 teaspoon cumin plus dashes
of cinnamon, turmeric, coriander)
Other:
Canola or very mild olive oil, for pan/griddle
Preparation:
After grating zucchini, place in a strainer/colander and
sprinkle lightly with salt
Let zucchini sit for at least 30 min, to release water
Press zucchini down with paper towels to get out most of the
remaining water
Combine wet ingredients in a large bowl and dry ingredients
in a small bowl
Add dry ingredients to wet and combine (should look like a
pancake batter)
Cook as you would make pancakes: heat a large skillet or
griddle over medium/low heat, add a thin layer of oil, and pour batter into
pancakes in batches
Flip when golden brown on one side, and then take off when
pancakes are golden brown on both sides and cooked through
Enjoy!
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