Master the Perfect Kazandibi Recipe | Traditional Turkish Dessert with Caramel & Walnuts

Hello everyone. Welcome to Chef Salim's recipe YouTube channel. Wishing you all a happy new year in advance. In this year's final recipe video, we are making a special dessert. In this video, I will prepare Kazandibi, a traditional Turkish dessert and share all its details with you. This is a great recipe for those who love milk-based and caramel-flavored desserts. Tip! For Kazandibi, it's best to use fresh and full-fat milk. If using pasteurized milk, ensure it's full-fat for better results. I will show all the ingredients used in the recipe in detail, provide their measurements, and share key tips. Additionally, to make it extra delicious, I will include walnuts and demonstrate how to shape it for its original appearance. For this recipe, I'm using original cow's milk. We have a total of 3,300 grams of cow's milk. I will use one kilogram of granulated sugar. If you prefer it sweeter, you can add up to 1,250 grams. Tip! Adding more sugar might thicken the dessert, so don't forget to stir frequently to achieve a smooth consistency. 240 grams of cornstarch. I'll use a separate bowl of sugar for caramelizing. The amount of walnuts is up to you. I'll use a full bowl of walnuts. One packet of vanilla sugar. 100 grams of margarine. I'll use two trays, one weighing 1 kilogram and the other 1,250 grams. They must be aluminum trays. Tip! Aluminum trays work best as they distribute heat evenly and hold the caramel well. If using glass trays, the caramel might not stick. First, I add a small amount of cold milk to the cornstarch. I also add one packet of vanilla sugar to the cornstarch and mix it. The milk in the pot needs to be boiled, so let's heat it over medium heat. Tip! Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon to prevent the milk from sticking to the bottom of the pot. We add 100 grams of margarine. When it approaches the boiling point, we can add the sugar. Once the milk mixture starts boiling, slowly add the prepared cornstarch mixture while stirring. Tip! Add the cornstarch mixture gradually and keep stirring to avoid lumps. After adding the cornstarch mixture, you need to stir continuously. What we are making here is a milk-based pudding. Once our dessert reaches the right consistency, we'll remove it from the heat. Now, let's place the 1,250 gram aluminum tray on the stove. After adding a bowl of sugar to the aluminum tray, rotate the tray to caramelize the sugar until it browns slightly. Tip! Keep moving the tray to prevent the sugar from burning. Stop when the caramel turns light brown. If you've watched the video up to this point, I'd appreciate your support. Please like and comment on the video. Check out my other videos. Watch them from start to finish, share them on your page, and recommend them to your friends. Don't forget to turn on the notification bell, and feel free to leave us tips. Thank you for your attention. For first timers, be careful with the heat. Sugar can burn quickly, so aim for the color you see here. I've made it a bit darker caramel brown. Now we've removed the tray from the heat and we'll add some of the mixture. Tip! Be quick when adding the mixture. Hot caramel hardens rapidly as it cools. Our dessert wants to send us a message here, and I think it's smiling. I'm adding a thin layer of milk pudding over it. Let's put the tray back on the heat and boil it thoroughly. Tip! This step balances the caramel's bitterness and makes the dessert tastier. The reason we're doing this is to reduce the intense bitter taste of the caramel and enhance its flavor. Now, let's mix it well while also letting it stick to the tray on the stove. The burnt sugar stage of Kazandibi is almost complete. I place the tray on the counter, and now I'm adding a thin layer of milk pudding over it. After adding the white layer, I gently smooth it out with a spatula. Tip! Lightly wet the spatula to smooth the surface more easily. I'm pouring the remaining pudding from the pot into the one kilogram tray. After slightly grinding a bowl of walnuts in the blender, I evenly sprinkle them over the dessert. Now we have two trays of dessert, but we'll combine them to create the form you saw at the beginning of the video. I press the walnuts lightly into the dessert to mix them in slightly. Before shaping the dessert, these need to cool completely. It must be very cold to make shaping easier. For this, I'll add ice to a large tray and place the dessert tray on top of it. Tip! Keeping the dessert chilled on ice helps it maintain its consistency, making it easier to shape. Since I'll make 25 desserts, I'll divide this tray into 25 equal pieces and do the same with the other tray. Both trays will be cut into 5 by 5 pieces, making 25 desserts in total. You'll need a steel spatula and a bit of water. After wetting the spatula, take a piece from the walnut mixture. Now take a piece of kazandibi and place it on top of this piece. This is how the shaping process works. Since I'm doing it by hand, the shapes might be a bit uneven. If you use a plate, you can make neater and more uniform shapes one by one. First, roll the walnut mixture on the plate, then place the kazandibi over it to create a smooth shape. Don't forget to wet the spatula in between. Tip! Wetting the spatula each time prevents sticking and allows for cleaner shapes. Here I'm showing you. I pressed the walnut mixture by hand, broke its square mold, and then shaped it into a circle. After cleaning and wetting the spatula, take it and place it on the other tray. It's that simple. Anyone can do this. See how easy it is? Try it. Practice and master it. Send me pictures and make yours even better than mine. Before serving, you can optionally sprinkle cinnamon on top. Friends, after adding cinnamon, you can serve it. If you don't like cinnamon, simply skip it, serve, and enjoy. Tip! Besides cinnamon, you can also try cocoa or shredded coconut as toppings. A coffee would pair beautifully with this dessert, especially unsweetened iced coffee. See you in a new recipe video. This version keeps the original lines and integrates tips naturally.