Chef Rakhee Vaswani gives classic summer recipes a Turkish hazelnut twist

In my kitchen, summer changes everything. The way we shop changes, the way we think about a meal changes, and the ingredients I reach for most often change too. Hazelnuts are one that I keep coming back to at this time of year — not because these are a summer ingredient in any obvious sense but because these do something that very few things do — these nuts add richness without weight.

Turkish hazelnuts, which come from the world’s largest hazelnut-producing country — have an oil content that is remarkably high. This oil is almost entirely monounsaturated fat, the kind your body genuinely uses. But what that means in the kitchen is simpler than any nutrition label: these taste deep and rounded, hold up to spice, and do not disappear into a dish the way a lighter nut might.

The three recipes I am sharing here are summer recipes — quick, flavourful, and each one built around the hazelnut doing real work. A taco, a barfi, a spiced snack. Different meals, different moments, one ingredient tying them together. This is how I cook with something I genuinely believe in.

Hazelnut Tacos

I developed this recipe because I wanted a starter that felt light on the table but did not taste light. The dough is made with yoghurt and grated feta, which gives the fried pieces a tang that plain flour dough simply does not have. The hazelnuts go in twice — into the dough for crunch, and into the dip, beaten through with hazelnut oil until the sauce becomes something creamy and quietly extraordinary. Turkish red pepper paste brings a warmth that makes the whole thing feel like a dish with a point of view. Serve it warm, straight from the pan.

Ingredients

Dip sauce

Drained yoghurt 1 cup

Hazelnuts (roasted, coarsely chopped) ½ cup

Hazelnut oil or olive oil 1 cup

Dough

All-purpose flour 2 cups

Yoghurt (whisked) ½ cup

Feta cheese (grated) ½ cup

Turkish hazelnuts (roasted, chopped) ½ cup

Red pepper paste 2 tsp

Turkish red pepper flakes 1 tsp

Dill (chopped) 1 tbsp

Garlic (crushed) 2 cloves

Salt To taste

Hazelnut or olive oil ½ cup

Method

Combine drained yoghurt and Turkish hazelnuts in a mixing bowl. Gradually add hazelnut/olive oil, beating constantly until well blended. Season with salt and refrigerate.

Sieve flour into a working bowl. Create a well in the centre. Add yoghurt, feta cheese, hazelnuts, red pepper paste, red pepper flakes, dill, garlic and salt. Knead until it forms a medium-stiff dough. Cover and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Divide the dough into egg-sized pieces. Roll out each piece on a lightly floured surface to 8-10 cm diameter rounds. Cut each round into 4 equal smaller pieces.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Drizzle with hazelnut oil and fry dough pieces, turning occasionally. Drain on paper towels.

Arrange fried tacos around a serving tray. Place dip sauce in the centre. Serve warm and fresh.

Chocolate Hazelnut Barfi

Chocolate Hazelnut Barfi

What happens when you take a mithai that everyone already loves and give it an ingredient that actually deserves to be there, rather than just decorating the top?

Mawa and cocoa is a combination I have made many times, but the hazelnuts change the experience entirely. They add a crunch that breaks through the fudginess of the mawa, and bring a natural nuttiness that makes the chocolate taste less sweet and more complex. The recipe takes less than 30 minutes to prepare but it is one of those things that tastes like you spent the afternoon on it.

Ingredients

Grated mawa 700 gm

Powdered sugar 1 cup

Cocoa powder 4 tbsp

Hazelnuts (roasted, chopped) 1 cup

Method

Dry roast the hazelnuts over low heat, stirring until golden. Cool and chop.

In a pan, cook grated mawa on low heat until it melts and releases ghee.

Stir in cocoa powder and cook until the mixture thickens and pulls away from the pan.

Add powdered sugar and mix until combined. Fold in three-quarters of the chopped hazelnuts.

Transfer to a lined tray, pressing down evenly. Sprinkle remaining hazelnuts on top. Let it sit for 30-45 minutes, then cut into desired shapes.

Masala Hazelnuts

Masala Hazelnuts

Every kitchen needs a snack like this — something that takes almost no time, uses things you already have, and produces results that are genuinely hard to stop eating. The masala coating here is besan and rice flour with ginger, garlic, green chilli and lime, which clings to the hazelnut and crisps up in the air fryer into something quite addictive. The chaat masala and chilli powder go on at the end, once they have cooled slightly, the flavour sits on top rather than baking in. I make a big batch at the start of the week and the container is usually empty by Wednesday.

Ingredients

Turkish hazelnuts 1 cup

Besan (gram flour) ¼ cup

Red chilli powder 1 tsp

Turmeric powder (haldi) 2 pinches

Rice flour 2 tbsp

Ginger-garlic-green chilli paste 2 tsp

Lime juice 2-3 tbsp

Oil For brushing

Salt To taste

Seasoning

Chaat masala ½ tsp

Red chilli powder ½ tsp

Method

Combine hazelnuts with all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add ginger-garlic-green chilli paste and mix well.

Gradually add lime juice until the mixture becomes sticky and adheres to the hazelnuts.

Cook by air frying, baking or deep frying. If air frying, brush with oil after 2-3 minutes.

Once cooked, sprinkle with chaat masala and red chilli powder. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Store in an airtight container. Serve as a snack.

— Chef Rakhee Vaswani is a Mumbai-based restaurateur and author. These recipes were developed in partnership with Turkish Hazelnuts