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Osmans Töchter

Stephanie Drescher als | Daniela Schulz
May 24, 2017

They are Oriental meatballs, but there are over 200 different ways to prepare them. Lale Yanik and Arzu Bulut, at their restaurant, Osmans Töchter, make them the way they're made in the provincial capital of Izmir.

https://p.dw.com/p/2YowH
Izmir Köftesi (Photo: Lena Ganssmann)
Image: Lena Ganssmann

Video: Izmir köftesi, Turkey

 

Lale Yanik and Arzu Bulut learned how to cook traditional dishes from their mothers

Before they opened the restaurant together in 2012, Arzu Bulut and Lale Yanik were only acquaintances. Now, they are friends. It couldn't be any other way - that becomes abundantly clear when you see how much heart and soul has flowed into this joint project. At Osmans Töchter in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg district, Turkish housewives cook alongside professional chefs. The two restaurateurs can jump into the kitchen at any time - after all, they have both been cooking since they were children. It's simply part of the way parents raise their children in Turkey.

Lale Yanik and Arzu Bulut (Photo: Lena Ganssmann)
Lale Yanik and Arzu Bulut Image: Lena Ganssmann

Osmans Töchter in Berlin's Prenzlauer Berg district

Oriental rugs adorn the walls, colorful pillows are everywhere, lamps made out of mason jars, and two charming hostesses – this is "Osman's Daughters" (Osmans Töchter). The menu at Osmans Töchter is full of Turkish classics interpreted in a sophisticated, modern way.



Izmir Köftesi (Turkish meatballs)

Osman's Daughters in the kitchen

Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

For the köfte:

500 g ground beef with high fat percentage
1 onion
2–3 slices white bread, stale
1 egg
1 bunch parsley
2–3 t oregano
Finely ground pepper, salt

For the side:

2–3 medium-sized potatoes
2–3 medium-sized carrots
5 Turkish spiral or Aleppo peppers
3–4 tomatoes

For the sauce:

1 onion
2–3 cloves garlic
1 can peeled and chopped tomatoes
1 t bell pepper paste, mild or hot
2 t tomato paste
2 t chili powder
7–8 T canola oil
1 t oregano
Finely ground pepper, salt

Preparation:

To make sauce, dice onions and garlic. Heat 3-4 T canola oil in a pan, briefly sauté onions, then add garlic and briefly sauté. Add bell pepper and tomato paste, and mix thoroughly.  Add canned tomatoes and oregano to pan, season with salt and pepper to taste, and simmer at medium heat for five to eight minutes.

In the meantime, peel potatoes and chop into quarters or sixths, depending on size. Peel carrots, slice once through the middle, and slice each half into three pieces. Wash spiral peppers, then dry, and slice in half. Peel and quarter tomatoes.

To make köfte, dice onions. Chop parsley and grate white bread. Place in a large bowl with other köfte ingredients and mix thoroughly. Form meat into long 5-7 cm pieces by hand. Continue to moisten hands to ensure that mixture does not stick. 

Place köfte onto a deep cooking sheet or a deep clay pot. Arrange potato wedges and carrot pieces between köfte.

Distribute spiral peppers and peeled tomatoes over the köfte. Ladle tomato sauce over the tray or pot and add around 150-200 ml water at the edges of the tray. Then spoon 3-4 T canola oil over the tray. Preheat oven and bake for around 20 minutes at 220°C. Turn temperature down to 180°C and cook for an additional 40 minutes. At around half of the cooking time, stir carefully to distribute broth at bottom of tray.

Restaurant Osmans Töchter
Pappelallee 15
10437 Berlin

Tel.: +49 30 32663388

Osmans Töchter website