Garbanzo Bean Pilaf nimbuls(Nohutlu Pilav)

Now a highly common and popular street food, garbanzo bean pilaf (nohutlu pilav), was a special dish served during the reign of Mehmet the Conqueror by Grand Vizier Mahmut Paşa to his guests. Mahmut Paşa's pilaf had both real, edible garbanzo beans and garbanzo beans made out of gold! Mahmut Paşa called the golden ones his "diş kirası," which literary translates as "tooth money." But don't think it was a compensation for broken teeth! In the past it was a tradition of wealthy families to give a feast for the poor and the wealthy alike during the month of Ramadan. The family would give a small gift to everyone who attended the fast breaking dinner (iftar) for kind-of renting their teeth to their hosts for the night. Apparently Mahmut Paşa offered the gift in the food in stead of handing it out.

Nowadays in Turkey you can eat this rich and tasty pilaf, usually along with pieces of chicken, at small sloppy restaurants during the day and on the street late at night, post-bar hours, and with no "tooth money."

1 cups rice
1/2 cup garbanzo beans (soaked over night and boiled the next day until cooked or use can garbanzo beans)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 tbsp butter (traditionally sheep's tail fat is used for this recipe, but we settle down for butter now)
2 cups of water
salt and pepper


























-Heat butter in a non-stick pot.
-Add onion and stir until soft.
-Add rice and garbanzo beans. Stir for a couple of minutes.
-Add water, salt, and pepper.
-Let it boil first and then turn it to low heat. Cover and cook until the water is absorbed. Do not stir the rice while cooking.
-Turn it off and cover the top of the pot with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. Place lid on tightly. Let sit for ~10 minutes.
-Fluff and serve it as a main dish or as a side with meat.

Turkish Zuppa Inglese nimbuls(Supangle)

The chocolate pudding that we call in Turkey "supangle," or "sup" in short, comes from French soupe Anglaise, which comes from Italian zuppa Inglese, which probably is derived from British trifle. Despite the inherited name, the dessert itself bears no resemblance to either zuppa Inglese or trifle, other than the first layer of cake. Therefore, I will label this rich, absolutely delicious chocolate pudding that you can find in every single patisserie in Turkey as traditional Turkish.



























makes 8 medium size bowls or glasses
1 litre milk
7/8 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup dark chocolate or chocolate chips
left over cake or lady fingers or tea, cocoa, etc. biscuits or cookies


























-Mix cold milk, sugar, flour, and cocoa powder, and start cooking stirring constantly.
-Once it starts boiling, take it off the stove.
-Add butter and chocolate. Stir well.
-Cover the bottom of bowls or glasses with which you will serve the pudding with a layer of cake, cookie, or biscuit, and wet them with a splash of milk.
-Pour the pudding into the bowls.
-Decorate the tops with ground pistachio, shredded coconut, ground walnuts or almonds.
-Serve cold.

The popular way to have a "sup" in Turkey is with a scoop of ice cream on top.

note: See the cracks on the surface of the pudding in the pictures? That's because I forgot what a patisserie chef told me once and pour the pudding into the bowls when it was still hot. However, if you let the pudding cool down in the pot, stirring it frequently, and then pour it into the bowls, there would not be any cracks on the surface.