This dish can be a first course or a main course. It is a great winter warmer but the herbs are also refreshing in summer time. Some versions leave out the meatballs, so if you are vegetarian I am sure you will find it a satisfying and healthy dish. One great benefit is that it is basically a one-pot meal (not counting the pan you use at the end for the garnish). Since reading so much about the benefits of turmeric lately I have been intending to find ways to add it to my diet regularly
I first saw this in my book, The Around the World Cookbook published by Hermes House. Unfortunately here in Turkey it is difficult for me to find all the ingredients, especially chives and coriander leaves, even though Iran is next door so to speak. I have seen chives in my in-laws' garden but they live about 800 km away, so their chives are not very useful when I have an impulse to cook this.
I have never known anyone dislike this dish. I was once serving it up to a student in England when the gas fitter called. It was a cold winter evening and he was at the end of a long day so I gave him a bowl too. He really raved about it and asked me for the recipe for his wife. I never learned her reaction to this but I hope she made it.
Ingredients
Cooking oil
half a cup of yellow split peas or red lentils
1 onion
1tbsp turmeric
5 glasses water
salt
black pepper
250g minced beef (optional)
1 small cup rice
3 tablepoons each parsley, coriander leaves, chives, mint leaves
1 large clove garlic
1 knob butter
a few strands saffron
1 cup yoghurt plus 1 tsp corn starch if adding yoghurt to soup.
Heat oil in the pan. Finely chop onion and add half to the oil fry until onion is clear. Rinse lentils or peas and add to the oil, stir and add turmeric. Fry for a minute then pour on the water, add salt and pepper. Put lid on the pan and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare the meatballs if using meat. Mix up the minced meat with the remainder of the onion and a little salt and pepper. Form into small balls and place in the simmering pan. Cook until browned then add the rice. Add all the herbs except the mint. Leave to cook with the lid on for about half an hour.
Sometimes the soup is served with yoghurt and sometimes the yoghurt is put in the soup. I have tried both successfully. If you decide to add yoghurt to the soup I suggest you add half a cup and mix in the teaspoon of corn starch to stabilise it before mixing into the soup. Reserve the rest of the yoghurt to serve cold.
Finally put the knob of butter in the frying pan and fry the mint leaves, crushed garlic cloves and saffron. Swirl on top of soup before serving.
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