If you are making tarhana for the winter for the first time, this amount is enough, do not exceed it. See if you can handle it. If you have made it before, multiply the ingredients by 3 to 5 of course.
Of course we don’t add tomatoes or yoghurt to make it allergy friendly. Add them if you wish. Tarhana and other herbs also add flavour but also increase the sodium load so we don’t prefer it since we make it mainly for babies but those who wish can add it.
The subject of Tarhana is a sea; I explained it in detail in the first book. Those who are interested can look there too
Now let’s move on to the 9 stages
1) Planning: Since it is winter preparation, make sure to plan, don’t just start winter preparations. Think about how many kilos you will make it from, where you will dry it and where you will store it.
2) Shopping: Remember that clean materials produce good products. When you say cheap, be careful not to make it bad. Prefer organic raw materials like us.
» 1.5 kg red pepper with meat
» 1/2 tomato (optional)
» 1/2 onion
» Half a bunch of parsley
» Half a bunch of mint
» 1 cup chickpeas
» 1 kg yoghurt (optional)
» 2-3 kg flour (mixture of flours you want)
» 1 cup of wheat germ
3) Cleaning: Especially make sure that there is no chemical polish left on the pots and pans, rinse them with clear water and dry them. Peppers etc. should be washed well, rotten shoes should be cleaned.
4) Cooking: Chop all the vegetables and start cooking them in a pot. When they are all soft, puree them with a hand food processor and evaporate as much of the water as possible over medium heat. The more watery it is, the harder it is to dry. Moreover, this will cause your tarhana to absorb more water, which may reduce its taste.
5) Kneading: Mix all the ingredients except the flour , namely the vegetables that you have reduced to a paste consistency. Add the flour little by little so that it is just right. It will all have the consistency of sweet pastry dough.
6) Fermentation and Punching: Put the tarhana dough in a flat bowl. I recommend stainless steel trays. Flatness is necessary for airing. Put a clean cheesecloth on it and place it in an airy but definitely shaded place and monitor its fermentation. Depending on factors such as sunlight, temperature, and humidity in your home, your tarhana will ferment in nine to fifteen days. It may rise quite a bit at first. Putting a cheesecloth underneath will make your job easier. It will also have a strong odor in the first few days. Since fermentation will end slowly, you need to turn the dough upside down and mix it in the first few days, but after the third or fourth day, when the fermentation speed has slowed down relatively, it will be enough to punch the dough to release the gas inside. If it looks too runny, you can sprinkle flour on it from time to time.
7) Spreading and Drying: There is a risk of mold during the spreading phase as well as during fermentation. Black, green, white tarhana should definitely be thrown away. When there is no more gas to be released, the sour smell has diminished and the dough has come together, your tarhana will be ready to be spread. Again, spread all the tarhana in your hand on a clean sheet by making flat pieces the size of your palm. Check and turn it every day. Also, making the pieces smaller every day will speed up the drying and you will not have to tear your hand to break them when they are too dry.
8) Crushing – Grinding: Shred your completely dried tarhana as small as you can in your hands. Passing it through a colander or wire sieve will help you to make it smaller. You can continue until it becomes large grains of sand. If you wish, you can grind it completely in a food processor, but be careful, if the tarhana is too dry, it may be too hard for the processor and burn the motor.
9) Storage: You can store the tarhana you have made in glass jars and keep them closed in a cool and dry place for a year. Be careful not to use cloth bags as they are permeable; you do not want your labor to be eaten by insects and to absorb moisture and odor.