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Kumru
Sausage and cheese sesame sandwich
Kumru: İzmir's sesame-crusted sandwich of grilled beef sucuk, cheese and tomato
The kumru takes its name from the dove-shaped sesame roll baked in İzmir and is the city's favourite beach snack, especially at the stands of Çeşme. The roll is filled with slices of beef sucuk (spicy Turkish sausage), melting kaşar, tomato and green pepper, then pressed flat in a hot sandwich press until the crust crackles. Eat it with an ayran in the shade. Chef's tip: fry the sucuk slices briefly first so they release their red, spicy fat into the bread before you press it.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 4 soft sesame-crusted rollsabout 20 cm long, split
- 7 oz beef sucuk (Turkish spiced sausage)skin removed, thinly sliced
- 5 ½ oz kaşar or mild cheddarsliced
- 2 tomatoessliced
- 2 long green peppersliced
- ⅔ oz buttersoft
- 4 pickled gherkins (optional)
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Fry 7 oz beef sucuk (Turkish spiced sausage) in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes, until it sizzles in its own red fat and is cooked through. Keep the fat.
3 minStep 2: Brush the cut sides of the 4 soft sesame-crusted rolls with the sucuk fat. Layer in 5 ½ oz kaşar or mild cheddar, sucuk, 2 tomatoes and 2 long green pepper.
Step 3: Spread ⅔ oz butter thinly on the outside of the rolls and cook in a sandwich press or a heavy pan weighted with another pan for 4–5 minutes, turning once, until crisp and the cheese has melted. Common mistake: overfilling with tomato; it steams the bread instead of crisping it.
5 minStep 4: Cut in half and serve hot with 4 pickled gherkins.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 25 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 32 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kumru take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of kaşar or mild cheddar?
- Any hard cheese, same amount.
- What can I use instead of tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
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