JANUARY 2021 103
pepper, crushed red pepper, and remain-
ing^1 / 4 teaspoon kosher salt. Season with
additional salt to taste. Let stand at room
temperature until ready to use, up to 3
hours. Wipe skillet clean.
- Make the soup: Bring broth to a boil
in a large Dutch oven over medium-high.
Stir in barley. Reduce heat to medium-
low; cover and cook, stirring occasion-
ally, until barley is tender, about 30
minutes. - Stir chickpeas into barley. Whisk
together yogurt, flour, and egg yolks
in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in
2 cups cold water until well combined.
Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh
strainer into barley mixture; stir to com-
bine. Cover and cook over medium-low,
stirring occasionally, until slightly sim-
mering, 6 to 10 minutes. Season with
salt to taste. Remove from heat; cover to
keep warm. - While yogurt soup is cooking, make
the velibah dough: Stir together warm
milk,^1 / 4 cup warm water, powdered
sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Add 2
cups flour,^1 / 2 cup at a time, stirring with
a wooden spoon until fully incorporated
after each addition. Stir in kosher salt.
Add remaining 2 cups flour,^1 / 2 cup at a
time, stirring until mostly incorporated
after each addition, to form a shaggy
dough. Knead in bowl until a sticky
dough forms, about 2 minutes. Cover
bowl with a towel; let stand at room
temperature until dough is slightly puffy,
about 30 minutes. - Turn dough out onto a lightly floured
work surface; divide into 3 (10-ounce)
pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time
and keeping remaining dough covered,
gently roll dough into a 10-inch circle
(a b o u t^1 / 3 inch thick). Mound about^1 / 4 cup
velibah filling in center of circle. Gather
outer edges of dough up and in toward
center over filling, pleating dough into
folds to create a purse. Shape into a ball;
gently flatten. Roll into a 10-inch circle
(a b o u t^1 / 3 inch thick). Repeat process
using remaining dough and filling. - Add 1 tablespoon oil to cleaned stain-
less steel skillet over medium; swirl to
coat. Gently fold 1 dough circle (velibah)
in half (this helps avoid tears in the
dough and reduces splattering); place
in skillet, and unfold. Fry until golden
brown and lightly puffed, 2 to 3 minutes.
Flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove
from skillet; rub top of velibah with 1 but-
ter piece until melted. Sprinkle with^1 / 4
teaspoon flaky sea salt. Cut into wedges.
Wipe skillet clean; repeat process with
remaining oil, velibah, butter, and flaky
sea salt. - Reheat yogurt soup over low until
warm, 5 to 10 minutes, if needed.
Garnish with mint and Urfa biber; serve
with hot velibah. —FERUZET ABAY MÜJDECI
MAKE AHEAD Velibah filling can be chilled
in an airtight container up to 5 days.
WINE Earthy red: 2017 Sella & Mosca
Cannonau di Sardegna RiservaCoconut Shrimp Curry
with Bara
PHOTO P. 97
ACTIVE 50 MIN; TOTAL 2 HR 15 MIN
SERVES 8Light, airy, and slightly sweet, bara is per-
fect for sopping up this spicy curry. A
quick Scotch bonnet hot sauce is intense
on its own, but it adds the perfect punch
of heat and acidity drizzled over the curry.BARA
Vegetable oil, for oiling and frying
11 / 2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6^3 / 8
oz.)
1 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. active dry yeast (from 1 [^1 /^4 -
oz.] envelope)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 /^2 tsp. ground cumin
1 / 2 tsp. ground turmeric
1 / 2 tsp. ground white pepper
2 / 3 cup warm water (about 100°F)
SCOTCH BONNET HOT SAUCE
2 medium-size fresh Scotch bonnet
chiles or fresh habanero chiles
(about^1 /^4 oz.), stemmed
(unseeded)(^1) / 2 cup white balsamic vinegar or
apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 / 4 tsp. kosher salt
COCONUT SHRIMP CURRY
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 small yellow onions, finely
chopped (about 2^3 / 4 cups)
1 medium-size green bell pepper,
finely chopped (about 1 cup)
5 small scallions, thinly sliced (about
(^1) / 2 cup), plus more for garnish
3 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
3 Tbsp. curry powder
4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
31 / 2 cups lower-sodium chicken broth
1 (14-oz.) can unsweetened coconut
milk, well shaken and stirred
2 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more
to taste
11 / 2 lb. peeled and deveined tail-on raw
extra-large shrimp
- Make the bara: Lightly oil a medium
bowl; set aside. Stir together flour, sugar,
yeast, salt, cumin, turmeric, and white
pepper in a separate medium bowl. Stir
in^2 / 3 cup warm water to form a soft,
sticky dough. Using oiled hands, knead
dough in bowl until smooth and stretchy,
about 2 minutes. Transfer dough to oiled
bowl; cover with a dish towel, and let
stand at room temperature until doubled
in size, 30 minutes to 1 hour.- Meanwhile, make the Scotch bon-
net hot sauce: Process Scotch bon-
net chiles, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a
blender until smooth, about 20 seconds.
Transfer mixture to a small bowl; set
aside until ready to serve. - Make the coconut shrimp curry:
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over
medium-high. Add onions and bell pep-
per; cook, stirring occasionally, until
softened, about 8 minutes. Add scal-
lions, thyme, curry powder, and garlic;
cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant,
1 to 2 minutes. Add tomato paste; cook,
stirring constantly, until beginning to
caramelize on bottom of Dutch oven,
1 to 2 minutes. Stir in broth, coconut
milk, and 1^1 / 2 teaspoons salt; bring to a
boil over medium-high. Reduce heat to
medium-low; simmer, uncovered, stir-
ring occasionally, until flavors meld and
curry sauce reduces slightly, 10 to 15
minutes. Toss shrimp with remaining
(^1) / 2 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add to
curry mixture; cook, stirring occasion-
ally, until shrimp are opaque and cooked
through, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with salt
to taste. Reduce heat to low, and cover to
keep warm.
- Fry the bara: Pour oil to a depth of^1 / 2
inch in a large skillet; heat over medium
to 350°F. Turn bara dough out onto a
lightly oiled work surface. Divide dough
evenly into 18 pieces (about^5 / 8 ounce
each). Using lightly oiled hands or a
lightly oiled rolling pin, flatten 1 dough
piece into a 4^1 / 2 -inch circle. Repeat pro-
cess with a second dough piece. Add
flattened dough pieces to hot oil, and fry,
carefully basting dough with hot oil, until
puffed, 20 to 30 seconds per side. Using
a slotted spoon, carefully transfer fried
bara to a baking sheet lined with paper
towels. Repeat process with remaining
dough pieces. - To serve, garnish coconut shrimp
curry with additional scallions. Drizzle
Scotch bonnet hot sauce over curry, and
serve with warm bara for dipping. —ERIC
ADJEPONG, WASHINGTON, D.C.
MAKE AHEAD Scotch bonnet hot sauce
can be stored in an airtight container in
refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
WINE Melon-scented, full-bodied Rhône
white: 2018 Domaine de la Solitude
Côtes du Rhône Blanc