Fırın sütlaç, kabak tatlısı, baklava: the Turkish desserts at Tuana
In Turkey a meal is not over when the plate is empty. Tea arrives, and tea comes with something sweet: not big, not heavy, just enough to stay at the table a little longer. With us that means three things, and two of them we make ourselves. This is what to expect after the grill.
Fırın sütlaç: rice pudding from the oven
Sütlaç is Turkish rice pudding: rice cooked slowly in milk with sugar until it is thick and creamy. The version we make is fırın sütlaç, the oven version. The pudding goes into an earthenware dish under the hot grill of the oven until the top is brown and lightly caramelised and the edge is just a little firmer than the middle. That crust is the difference from supermarket rice pudding: underneath, everything stays soft and cool. We make it ourselves, in small batches.
It is the lightest of the three desserts and the one most people choose after a big platter: sweet but not heavy, and the milk settles the heat of an adana.
Kabak tatlısı: pumpkin in syrup with walnuts
Kabak tatlısı surprises anyone who does not know it. Pieces of pumpkin are cooked gently in sugar for hours until they are deep orange, glossy and soft but still hold their shape. They are eaten cold, with coarsely chopped walnuts on top. The pumpkin itself is not sweet, the syrup is; together with the slightly bitter walnut it is a combination that belongs to autumn and winter in Turkey, but comes to our tables all year round. This one we make ourselves as well.
Baklava: filo, nuts and syrup
Almost everyone knows baklava: dozens of paper-thin layers of filo pastry with ground nuts between them, baked and then soaked in syrup. Good baklava is crisp, not soggy; the syrup should be drawn into the pastry, not pool underneath it. Making baklava is a craft of its own, and it is not a craft we practise ourselves: our baklava comes from outside. What we do is serve it with the tea that belongs to it.
The tea is on us
Turkish tea, çay, is black tea brewed for a long time in a double teapot and then diluted to taste. It comes in a small tulip-shaped glass, without milk, with sugar cubes on the side for those who want them. At the end of the meal every table is offered a glass of tea; you do not need to ask. If you would like a second one, just say so.
Which dessert after which dish?
- After a mix grill or a big platter: sütlaç. Cool, creamy, light.
- After a dürüm or something small: kabak tatlısı. There is still room, and the walnuts make it a proper dessert.
- With tea, without hunger: a piece of baklava. One piece is enough; two is a decision.
- With children: sütlaç always wins.
Practical: where and how
Tuana Grill is at Bos en Lommerweg 313 in Amsterdam-West, open seven days a week from 9 a.m. Until 1 a.m. on weekdays and until 3 a.m. at the weekend; the kitchen closes half an hour earlier. You can eat in or take away, and delivery is available through Thuisbezorgd, Uber Eats or directly through our own ordering page.
You will find the desserts on our menu; ask at the table what is available today. And if the sütlaç has run out, it is because we really did make it ourselves that day.