I clearly get my cooking skills from my mum, so when I presented her with my Kiymali Bezelye Yahnisi (Pea and mince beef stew) she nodded, raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to one side indicating that it tasted good. I don’t know why, but I still get nervous when she tastes my food because she’s the Queen of Turkish Cypriot cooking. She likes to cook old school style, and by that I mean I’ve never even seen her use a chopping board to cut the veg or use a teaspoon to measure anything with! Anyway, I passed the taste test with mum and I must admit my Bezelye was extremely tasty and full of delicious flavours, with a subtle taste of herbs and spices.
Ingredients:
800g of Birds Eye Peas
450g mince beef
1 finely diced onion
2 chopped carrots
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 tsp of dried oregano
1 level tsp of pul biber
A pinch of cinnamon
1-2 dried Bay leaf
5 tbs of tomato purée (you may need more or less depending on how concentrated the purée is)
1 tsp chicken stock powder
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
Sunflower oil Or olive oil
3 medium diced potatoes
Method:
Fry the onions and bay leaves in sunflower or olive oil and sauté until soft. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, add the mince beef and cook until brown. Add the puree and stir until combined. Add carrots, cook for a few mins. Stir in the garden peas then add the spices. Pour in enough water to cover dish. Bring to the boil and add the potatoes then simmer until the potatoes are cooked through. Enjoy 😊
Watch her story\highlights and follow her on Instagram to see how she makes other delicious mediterranean dishes. https://www.instagram.com/zaliscooking/
