Recipe: Eastern Anatolian Yogurt Soup (Yogurt Corbasi)

EASTERN ANATOLIAN YOGURT SOUP
(YOGURT CORBASI)
Source: Classical Turkish Cooking, Traditional Turkish Food for the American Kitchen by Ayla Algar

6 cups good chicken or meat stock
2/3 cup hulled wheat (barley also works very well)
3 1/2 cups plain yogurt
3 tbsp flour
2 egg yolks
2 cups cold water
Salt
2 or 3 tbsp unsalted butter*
1/4 cup dried mint leaves**

Bring the stock to a boil in a large heavy pan, stir in the grain, cover, and simmer over medium heat for about 40 minutes, until the wheat is tender.

In a large bowl, wit a wooden spoon, mix the yogurt with the flour and egg yolks until smooth. Gradually mix in the cold water. Stir this into the soup through a sieve. Season with salt. Cover and simmer the soup gently for 10 minutes.

Heat the butter in a small saucepan until frothy. Sprinkle in the mint leaves, crushing with your fingertips as you add them. Stir and let the mixture sizzle a second or two; pour this into the soup. Serve hot.

Variations:

*Sometimes instead of adding the mint to the butter I add it directly to the soup and omit the butter and it is still good. This soup keeps very well and can be reheated for subsequent servings. It thickens as it stands; thin with water.

**Use 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro instead of mint, adding directly to the soup just before removing it from the heat. It gives the soup an entirely different flavor.