Food Blogger Helen Adourian: “I was born in Chicago, and live and work in California. My parents were both born in Turkey; my father is from Kayseri, and my mother is from Istanbul. Kayseri is renowned for its culinary specialties such as manti, pastirma (basturma) and sucuk. Manti is the most popular dish in Kayseri for the local people and tourists. My in-laws are from Dikranagerd, and I also post special family recipes that I’ve learned from my husband’s relatives,” says Helen Adourian, the successful blogger and entrepreneur at Mediterranean Meals for Moms.
“I love to cook and bake especially traditional meals and baked goods from my Armenian culture. My paternal grandparents were a big part of my childhood. and I remember them when I cook and bake because I have the fondest memories of them in our family kitchen,” she adds.
“Early on, as I prepared authentic Armenian dishes for my family, my friends and other family members began asking me for these recipes. I posted the recipes and photos on Facebook and many people were intrigued enough to ask me if I would be interested in going to their homes and showing them how to prepare my recipes. I went to their homes and at that point, I decided to start blogging because I realized these were cherished family recipes to write down, maintain, and document for future generations. Sadly, my paternal grandfather was a talented baker, but he never passed on his recipes to other family members, and now they are lost forever,” says Helen.
“Lentils are a major part of many Mediterranean kitchens and menus. This dish is one that I was raised on, but I have changed the recipe slightly to suit my tastes because I use a lot of curry in my home cooking. If you don’t care for the taste of curry, feel free to omit it from this recipe. We always have plenty of leftover rice from our family dinners, so on busy nights I make this dish to serve with rice and other fresh vegetables. It takes about an hour to prepare, not to mention that it is meatless and affordable. Best of all, this is a dish that many Armenians make for Lent but it can really be enjoyed any time of year.”
Ingredients:
1 cup split red lentils
