Amazing Kuymak Recipe – Make Turkish Food At Home
As I promised, here is one amazing recipe for kuymak, a dish very popular in Black Sea Region of Turkey. It is very easy to make this Turkish food at home with few ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
Recently I went with my husband and son for a road-trip along Black Sea Region, all the way to the Georgia-Turkish border, then on the way back we traveled through Kars, Erzurum and Sivas. It was an amazing trip, where I got introduced to this amazing dish called kuymak.
The Black Sea region is not only famous for it’s tea production, but also for corn production, so if you ever have the opportunity here in Turkey to choose where from your corn meal will come, choose Black Sea’s corn. It is the best and tastiest, for sure!
My first kuymak
My first kuymak was made by one amazing Turkish woman in a village near Trabzon. I can still feel the smell of the kitchen in the morning, where she was preparing breakfast for us.
Actually, similar dish was prepared for us in the Erzurum region (where they call it “mıhlama”), so there are several versions of this dish, but I’m going for the Trabzon one! 🙂
In Turkey, they would usually make much bigger amounts than what is described down in the recipe, but usually we don’t have to feed 10 people at a time, so I adjusted the recipe for 4 larger servings.
You will now see how easy it is to make Turkish food at home.
Kuymak – Cheesy Cornmeal
- 2,5-3 cups of water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup Trabzon string cheese* or Kaşar peyniri (if you are not in Turkey, or can’t find these cheese, use Cheddar or Oaxaca cheese)
1. Melt butter in a skillet, add cornmeal and fry it for a bit on a medium heat. Stir well and frequently, so it doesn’t burn.
2. Add water and continue to stir frequently, break any clumps that might appear. Stir until it reaches a thick consistency.
3. Add cheese and stir until all melts.
4. Serve hot**
*You can use also mozzarella cheese or try the recipe with other cheeses. I would usually use just plain cheddar cheese or really any cheese that melts well.
Share your thought in the comment box below or contact me directly. I would like to hear your opinion about this lovely, hearty dish and will make sure to answer as soon as possible.
Happy cooking! 🙂
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Very nice receipe well explained and easy
I love Turkish food
and really nice and clean website
Glad you liked it! I also love Turkish food and there is always something new and interesting to be discovered, like this wonderful dish!
Cornmeal with butter, water and cheese?
That’s like … a cheesy mealiemeal!
It must be FAN-TAS-TIC! I’m going to try it for brekkers tomorrow – I seriously never ever thought of adding cheese to my porridge!
So – thank you for that one.
BTW. How long must I let it cook for before I add the cheese?
I’m so happy you liked it and got new ideas! Yes, this is a wonderful dish and I’m sure you will enjoy it.
Just when you see it’s done, add cheese, stir well until it melts and it’s done!
Bon appetit! 🙂
I love simple recipes, this is a must-try!
I’m sure you will enjoy it,Maja. Let me know how it goes 🙂
This sounds delicious!
Hi April, yes! It is delicious! Hope you will try to make it! From a great cook like you, this is a big compliment for this dish 🙂
I am in Trabzon and had in breakfast. Wanted to know the recipe and found you have explained step by step. Thanks
Yeah, in Trabzon you can find the best Kuymak, I guess! Afiyet olsun! 🙂
If we use different cheese other than trabzon one, will it have different taste or it will be same ?
Hi Amta,
I guess if the used cheese has a strong taste, it will influence the taste of kuymak. Try with the cheese available to you and see how you like it. Just make sure it’s some hard cheese, not cottage one.
Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Bon Apetite!
Hello , thanks a million for the recipe it has become a very easy to make dish in my house , whenever someone is tired and dont know what to cook i suggest kuymsk and everyone loves it .
But i would like to ask you a question , if i have leftovers , how much time it will stay good in the fridge ? And how much time it will stay good at room temperature ?
I’m so glad you liked the recipe. 🙂
As for the time how much it will stay good, it can stay in the fridge for a few days, but the taste will not be the same. The best is to be eaten immediately, but if you lower your standards “) even after a few days you can eat it. As for outside, it depends on the season. Longer in the winter and in the summer, I would not keep it outside more than few hours.
Hope it helps.
Hi I just tried it. I am a big fan of Turkish food. I have been watching a Turkish series call Sen Anlat Karadeniz. And the character Tahkir makes this as his favorite breakfast dish. I am happy that I found a simple recipe.
Hi Mini,
Glad you liked it!
Enjoy!
Was looking forward to this recipe and I didn’t like it sadly. I think you have to like corn meal to enjoy this dish. I used cheddar cheese and it still was bland. Maybe I should try another?
Hi Lyds, try with some other cheese that melts, but yeah, I guess you are right, you have to lake cornmeal a bit in order to like this dish.
Hey Ana… thanks for the recipe
I wanted to ask if when we have to put salt and how much.. thanks
Hi Neha,
The amount of salt you will add depends on the cheese, how salty it is. You can put salt at the beginning of cooking. Hope you like it! Let me know, please. 🙂
Is it eaten on its own or with bread?
Usually eaten with bread… Usually they use bread as a spoon and eat it together with every bite.
Hope you like it!
🙂