Yahoo Lifestyle The Turkish Way to Make Pasta 10x Better
For every recipe I have bookmarked in a cookbook or website, I have one saved on TikTok to match. The social media app is where I often go when I need a quick hit of fresh cooking inspiration, whether it’s a new way to use a familiar ingredient, a celebrity recipe or a fun cooking hack. It’s incredible how the food inspiration never runs dry on social media.
It’s through TikTok I’ve found such ideas as the Pickle Juice Diet Coke and the Five Guys Grilled Cheese Cheeseburger ordering trick, among so many other gems. The latest TikTok recipe I (and the entire internet) have become fixated on is wildly simple but looks amazing: Turkish pasta.
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What is the Viral Turkish Pasta?
TikToker Anna Paul—the German-born, Australian-based vlogger with 7.2 million followers on TikTok—posted her first video about her mama's 10-minute Turkish pasta last month, explaining that everyone in the family gets super excited when her Turkish mom says it’s for dinner. With a few videos with many million views focused on the recipe, it has had a star-turn online, being dubbed the 'Anna Paul Turkish pasta.'
We were intrigued by the idea of Turkish pasta but what is it? Based on Paul's posts, it's an easy pasta dish with yogurt sauce. Paul and her mom top warm cooked pasta with a cold, garlicky Greek yogurt sauce then garnish the base with ground beef, chopped tomatoes, fresh parsley and a final kiss of melted butter.
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Cold yogurt on hot pasta may sound unusual, until we remember how much we enjoy cold sour cream on steamy chili and cool cream cheese on a toasted bagel. Anna's mama's pasta can best be described as a deconstructed version of the traditional Turkish dish, manti, or little beef-filled dumplings coated in a yogurt sauce. The Anna Paul pasta is saucy, meaty and hearty and we can see why it went viral.
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How to Make the Viral Turkish Pasta
To make Turkish pasta, start by cooking a short, cut pasta according to the package directions. We've seen Paul's mom make this with bowtie pasta and fusilli, but something like penne or rigatoni would work well too. Next, make the sauce by mixing plain Greek yogurt, minced garlic and salt. Season ground beef with curry powder, salt, onion powder, sweet paprika and a good amount of freshly ground black pepper. Let the meat cook for a bit, then add in some chopped onion and cook the meat until it's browned and a bit crispy. Next, chop up tomatoes and fresh parsley. Finally melt some butter with some paprika powder (or smoked paprika). To assemble the dish, divide the cooked among serving bowls, then top with the yogurt sauce, the meat and veggie toppings, then drizzle with the paprika butter. Serve immediately.
Paul says her family makes this so often because it's so easy (she says it takes about 15 minutes from start to finish) and has "kebab vibes." And we must admit that the combination of the warm pasta, cool sauce, fresh toppings and warm butter does sound incredible.
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More Internet-Famous Pasta Recipes to Try
You can fill a whole week’s worth of meals just with viral pasta dishes. Don’t believe us? Here are six more pastas to make for dinner.
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