Turkish Tarhana Soup with Mint Butter

What you need

• 60 g (1/2 cup) dry tarhana, the fermented powder sold in Turkish shops
• 250 ml (1 cup) lukewarm water, for soaking, plus more to thin
• 2 tbsp butter, plus 1 tbsp for the finish
• 1 tbsp tomato paste, or half tomato paste, half Turkish red pepper paste
• 1 l (4 cups) chicken stock, or meat stock
• salt, to taste
• 1 tsp dried mint
• 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper flakes, pul biber, or sweet paprika for no heat
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving
• crusty bread, for serving

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Put the tarhana in a bowl and whisk in the lukewarm water until no dry pockets remain.

2. 2

   Leave it to soak for 15 min. It will swell into a thick, smooth slurry.

3. 3

   Melt 2 tbsp of the butter in a medium pot over medium heat.

4. 4

   Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1-2 min, until it darkens a shade and smells sweet.

5. 5

   Pour in the stock and bring it to a gentle simmer.

6. 6

   Whisk the slurry once more, then pour it into the pot in a thin stream, whisking all the time so it does not form lumps.

7. 7

   Simmer over low heat for 20-25 min, stirring often and scraping the bottom so the soup does not catch. It is ready when it has the body of thin cream and tastes tangy rather than floury.

8. 8

   If it gets thicker than you like, loosen it with a splash of hot water.

9. 9

   Taste and add salt. Tarhana and stock are both salty, so add it a little at a time.

10. 10

    Just before serving, melt the last 1 tbsp of butter in a small pan until it foams.

11. 11

    Take the pan off the heat and stir in the mint and pepper flakes for 10 seconds, until fragrant and red.

12. 12

    Ladle the soup into bowls and spoon the hot mint butter over each one.

13. 13

    Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing and bread on the side.

Imported from 1001yemektarifi.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.