Turkish Soups and Recipes

Tarhana Corbasi (Dried Curds Soup)

Ingredients;

* 3 tablespoons dried curd
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 600 ml water
* 10 grams tomato paste
* 3 garlic cloves
* 1 teaspoon mint
* salt to taste

1- Place curd into a mixing bowl and add 250 ml of cold water, allow to stand for 10 minutes.
2- In a large saucepan, place butter, tomato paste, crushed garlic and 600 ml of water. Place on heat and bring to a boil.
3- Add curd mixture to boiling liquid. Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly.
4- When soup thickens remove from heat.
5- Decorate top of soup with dry mint.

Note: Dried curd is a mixture of flour, yogurt, tomatoes,red pepper, onions, salt and yeast. The mixture is rubbed together, sieved and allowed to dry and ferment for 10 days in a cool place.


Yayla Corbasi (Yoghurt Soup)

Ingredients:
1.5 Litres beef or chicken stock

* 50 grams flour
* 70 grams rice
* 250 grams yoghurt
* 60 grams butter or margarine
* 1 egg yolk
* salt
* dry mint
* cayenne pepper

1- Place rice in stock and boil until rice is soft.
2- Brown flour in butter and gradually add rice and stock, stirring constantly.
3- Lightly whisk yogurt and egg yolk. Add to soup mixture gradually, stirring constantly.
4- Cook until ready to boil. Add salt and mint, remove from heat.
5- In a small pan melt a tablespoon of buttter and add cayenne pepper. Brown lightly and pour over soup. Stir through and serve.

Ezo Gelin Corbasi (Red Lentil "Bride" Soup)

Ingredients:

* 75 grams red lentils
* 1 onion
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1 teaspoon red pepper paste
* 1.5 Lt water
* 75 grams fine bulgur
* 2 tablespoons butter
* 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
* 2 teaspoons dried mint
* salt

1- Chop onion finely and lightly brown in butter.
2- Add water, washed lentils, bulgur, tomato and pepper pastes and salt. Stir and cook until lentils and bulgur are soft.
3- Remove from heat, add cayenne pepper and dried mint, serve.

Pirinc Corbasi (Rice Soup)

Ingredients:

* 100 grams rice, washed
* 1.5 Lt beef stock or water
* 2 large tomatoes, chopped finely
* 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
* salt

1- Cook rice in beef stock until very soft, add salt.
2- In a small frypan saute tomaotes in butter until soft.
3- Add tomatoes to rice and stock. Stir through for a few minutes and remove from heat.
4- Before serving, chopped parsley may be added to the soup.

Mercimek Corbasi (Red Lentil Soup)

Ingredients:

* 75 grams red lentils, washed thoroughly
* 1 Lt beef stock or water
* 1 tablespoon flour
* 1 onion. quatered
* 1 carrot, sliced into small pieces
* 1 tablespoon butter
* salt

1- Lightly saute onion in butter. Add flour and lightly brown.
2- Add water, lentils and carrot pieces. Cook until carrot and lentils soften.
3- When cooked, remove from heat and place soup mixture through a sieve or blender.
4- Return to heat and allow to come to a boil.

Note: This soup tastes wonderful with a little lemon juice added prior to consuming.