HELİSE DİSH

People from Kayseri pay great attention to seasoning and saucing their dishes. Looking at Anatolia’s deep-rooted history, it’s no surprise—this region was once part of the spice trade route. The dish Helise, known in other regions as Keşkek, is a flavorful recipe expected from an area abundant in wheat and meat. It’s one of those forgotten traditional dishes that definitely deserves to be tried.

RECIPE:

1. Soak whole wheat (wheat for aşure) overnight.
2. Split a neck bone (lamb or beef) in half and cook it with 9 cups of water until it becomes tender.
3. Once the bone is cooked, shred the meat from it and set it aside to cool.
4. Put the soaked wheat and the shredded meat into a pot.
5. Add about 8 cups of the broth you used to boil the bones. Cook until the wheat grains completely soften and break down.
6. Once cooked, mash the mixture thoroughly using a wooden spoon or pestle until it becomes a thick, porridge-like consistency.
7. Melt butter in a pan.
8. Add salt and black pepper to taste, and pour the melted butter over the dish. Sprinkle red pepper flakes on top and serve hot.

Enjoy!