DIY TURKISH DELIGHT

In our carrot day special, I talked about a classic Turkish candy called cezerye, originating from the southern province of Mersin. While Turkish delight, or lokum as the Turks call it, can be made from an array of different ingredients, I opted to take the carrot route again since they are inherently sweet and don’t require a lot of sugar.

INGREDIENTS

1 kg carrots

1 liter water

5 tablespoons starch 250 grams sugar nuts, vanilla (optional) shredded coconut powdered sugar (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Wash the carrots thoroughly then peel and cut them into small pieces to make them easier and faster to cook. Add the carrots to water and cook them until they have softened completely. Remove about 100 milliliters of that water and set it aside. Strain the rest of the water. Reintroduce the 100 milliliters and mash the carrots as smooth as you can with either a blender, food processor or if you have neither, a fork will do the job. Try to get the consistency as smooth as possible. Add the sugar and starch and continue cooking until it becomes thick. At this point, you can add crushed nuts if you like. Pour the mixture into a slightly wet tin or the mold of your choice and let it cool off to room temperature and then rest in the fridge for a bit. Cut the lokum into any size and shape you like and roll them in shredded coconut or powdered sugar if it is still not sweet enough for you.