Lebeniye Corbasi Pazili, Turkish for “a savory soup with meat, rice and chard,” might sound difficult to pronounce but it is actually very simple to prepare. This “yogurty” soup is packed with flavor with the ground beef and fresh chard. Plus surprise topping at the end that makes this soup look like a work of art, it is truly a Turkish delight!
Here’s the recipe:
- 250g ground beef
- 10 stalks of chard (chopped)
- 2 onions (diced)
- 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 1 cup chickpeas
- 1 cup rice (rinsed and drained)
- 1400g thick yogurt (suzme is a good one!)
- 1 egg
- 3 TBSP butter
- 2 TBSP dried mint
Preparation:
In a large stock pot, cook the ground beef until browned.
Then add the onion and garlic and sauté until soft. Then add the rice, chickpeas and 3 cups of water and simmer for about 15 minutes.
Add in the chard and cover with a lid.
Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt and 1 egg until smooth. Transfer to a pot and cook on low heat, whisking from time to time.
Slowly, add ladle by ladle of the soup into the yogurt while whisking. NOTE: Approximately 7 ladles of the soup to the yogurt.
Stirring constantly, add the yogurt mixture to the pot of soup until completely combined and turn off the heat.
In a small frying pan, melt the butter. Then add the dried mint.
Slowly pour the butter and mint mixture into the soup to form a beautiful green topping for the soup. DON’T STIR. Simply serve the soup and enjoy!
Afiyet Olsun!
This recipe is from the culinary classes at the Gaziantep Mutfak Sanatlar? E?itim Merkezi. For more information or to take a class, visit their website.