Turkish Vegan Gozleme with Spinach and Potatoes

Vegan Turkish Vegan Gozleme with Spinach and Potatoes is our next stop from #streetsfoodchallendge!

Gözleme is a Turkish flatbread consisting of flour, water, yeast, olive oil, and yogurt, which prevents the flatbread from going too brittle. The dough is filled with ingredients such as meat, vegetables, eggs, various cheeses, or mushrooms, and is then baked on a sac griddle.

Originally, gözleme was served for breakfast or as a light afternoon snack, but today it has a status of popular fast food that can be found throughout the country's restaurants, food carts, and cafés.

Gozleme (Gözleme) is easiest to describe as a favourite Turkish snack. It is a simple and tasty flatbread usually made of unleavened dough filled with different stuffing. Recipe for Gozleme is quite simple and easy to make.

Traditionally, the dough is rolled out in front of you, filled and baked on a griddle. Due to the way it is prepared and the appearance, tourists often call it Turkish pancake.

Gozleme can most often be found stuffed with cheese (Peynirli), spinach (Ispanaklı), potato (patatesli). There is much other stuffing, which mostly depends on the region, but on personal preferences as well. Recently, thanks to tourism, you can find “contemporary” versions filled with chocolate spreads, fruit jams, honey. There are numerous variations.

Until recently, Gozleme was considered a rural food. However, thanks to popular culture and tourism, there has been an explosion of interest in this dish. Today it can be found literally on every corner in Turkey. I dare say that in almost every market there are stands with it. Also, there are more and more restaurants and hotels which have it on standard offer. I was especially interested in the roadside stands where you can stop and buy fresh Gozleme.

Gozleme Recipe Origin

Gozleme comes from the Turkish word Göz, which means eye. Namely, brown spots are formed during baking, hence the name. As with other traditional dishes, there are no detailed historical records of the origin of this dish. However, it is assumed that, like I borek, it is present in Turkish cuisine for more than a thousand years. In fact, Gozleme can often be found under the name saç böreği.

Traditionally Gozleme was served as breakfast, but in the last few decades, it has evolved into a snack. Today it is a popular street-food. It is usually served sliced into pieces or as a single piece in a square shape. With it goes excellent turşu, which is a Turkish name for different kinds of pickled vegetables. *source

Find the recipe below!

Prep: 40 min

Cook time: 20 min

Level: medium

Servings: 6 gozleme

Calories per serving: 378 kcal

Find the recipe & nutrition facts below :

For the dough:

1/2 cup warm water
1/2 tsp sugar
1 pack yeast
1 1/3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup coconut butter (melted)

For the potato filling:

3 large boiled potatoes (slightly mashed)
2 tbsp oil
2 large onions
1 garlic
100 gr frozen spinach
3 tbsp wold garlic
2 tbsp parsley
salt & pepper to taste

For the frying:

1 tbsp oil

Method:

Step 1: First, for the dough, mix warm water, sugar, and yeast together and set aside for 10 minutes. In a large bowl mix flour and salt together and add in the coconut butter along with yeast mixture and knead the dough for around 5 minutes. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it chills for at least 30 mins.

Step 2: Prepare the filling by placing finely chopped onions with oil on a preheated frying pan and cook for around 5 minutes, add in garlic add cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Step 3: Add in potatoes parsley, wild garlic, spices, and spinach and cook for around 4-5 more minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool down almost completely.

Step 4: Preheat a frying pan on low-medium heat, brush it with a little bit of oil.

Step 5: On a floured surface take a small piece of the dough and roll it out into a really thin circle, brush the edges, then put the filling (around 2-3 tbsp, depending on the size of the circle), and cover it with the dough by bringing the edges to the center. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Step 6: Place one Gozleme into the frying pan.

Step 7: Cook on each side for around 5-6 mins or until golden brown.