Kaygana (Turkish Omelette)

I've never much explored the borderlands between omelettes and pancakes. Crepes might be there, given their high egg content, but somehow they are firmly in pancake territory. This Turkish egg dish, on the other hand, is much more ambiguous about its identity.

If you look on line, you will see all kinds of Kaygana, some of which are clearly omelettes and some of which are clearly pancakes, and some, the ones that caught my attention, rather hard to call.

I used 2 tablespoons of chick pea flour. I read that corn flour was the traditional flour used, but most people seem to be using wheat flour these days. Being an omelette (or a pancake?) it is probably more flexible than most pancakes (or omelettes?) At any rate, I tried a second time with 3 tablespoons of potato starch, and thought that was even better. But either works, and both quantities gave me Kayganalar that were still fairly omelette-like, but a bit pancake-y.

People put all kinds of things in their Kayganalar and you can too, but at this time of year the first spring herbs are showing up, green onions for sure and maybe a very little spinach or sorrel. At any time I am apt to think those are the best things to put in omelettes, but dill, cilantro, parsley, and mint are typical Turkish herbs and would all be good too.

2 to 3 servings
20 minutes prep time

2 green onions or similar in fresh herbs
2 to 3 tablespoons chick pea OR corn flour
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Aleppo pepper to taste, or similar mild red chile flakes
salt if needed (see: cheese)

5 large eggs
2 to 3 tablespoons milk OR yogurt
1/4 cup drained and crumbled feta cheese
butter for cooking

Wash, dry, trim, and very finely chop 2 green onions, or a small handful of other fresh herbs such as parsley, cilantro, or dill, or some combination of the above. 

Measure the flour, seasonings, and prepared green onions and/or other herbs into a small mixing bowl. Break in the eggs and add the milk.

Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat - a little lower than you usually cook your omelettes, but not by much - and add a bit of butter to the pan; let it melt and heat through.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and milk into the rest of the ingredients until well blended. Crumble in the cheese. You may wish to heat the oven to 200°F to keep the finished Kayganalar warm as they are cooked.

Use a gravy ladle to form each omelette; in other words, make them fairly small. You should expect to get about 6 little omelettes. Cook them until set and very lightly browned on each side. Handle them carefully; they are a bit delicate. I found it helpful to pop a lid over the pan while they cooked. Be sure they are completely loosened and firm enough to hold together before you flip them.





Last year at this time I made (ha ha, very funny) Turkish Celeriac Salad.

Posted in: Ontario Food