There are three moms who are crucial in my life, my mom, my mom’s mother and my maternal aunt. This trio of beloved ladies inspired me with their daily cooking traditions, their practicality, and their acumen in the kitchen.
My Aunt Emel (on the left) with my mom Emine from our Antwerp trip, May 2024
This delicious meze recipe belongs one of these beloved ladies in my life, my aunt, Emel.
Yogurt is a staple in Turkish cuisine. We consume yogurt with almost every meal.
In Turkey, tarator is a sauce based mainly on yogurt, unlike Middle Eastern tarator (tahini sauce). There are a lot of tarator-based mezes in Turkey, like haydari, and köpoğlu (the Bulgarian version it is quite different).
Carrot tarator
My Aunt Emel’s meze table at her summer house, in Kandıra (Kantur Tatil Sitesi) near Black Sea
Recipe (serves 2 – 3)
Here, I would like to share this 5-ingredient meze with you. It is a meze you can enjoy throughout the year.
- 4 medium carrots (grated)
- 4-5 tbsp olive oil
- 1-2 cloves garlic (grated)
- ½ tsp salt
- 5 tbsp yogurt (creamy Turkish yogurt — süzme yoğurdu on the label)
- Heat the oil in a skillet until it sizzles a bit when you put in a piece of grated carrot.
- Then reduce the heat a little, and mix the carrots in slowly. Sauté the grated carrots until they turn a bit darker, but are not quite completely cooked.
- Add salt.
- In a bowl combine yogurt with grated garlic, and stir well.
- Add the warm sautéed carrots directly to the garlic yogurt, and mix thoroughly.
- Let sit in fridge overnight, or for at least 2-3 hours.
This meze can be enjoyed the next day, or even right away while still warm. Both ways are delicious. Letting it sit overnight will make the meze creamier and more subtle, the juice from the delicious carrots blending with the yogurt.
Be sure to tag me (@globalseasons.nl) when you make this simple vegetarian meze. I would love to see your examples!
