VideoNEW
Podcasts
Blogs
Watch Video
- Cuisine: Turkish
- Serves 6-8
Featured as part of our Cooks and their Books series, this recipe comes courtesy of Greg Malouf, master of modern Middle Eastern cuisine.
More Greg Malouf Recipes
Ingredients
1 large chicken breast on the bone
1 small onion, cut into quarters
1 stick celery
½ lemon
1 sprig thyme
2 bay leaves
1 small stick cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns
1.5 litres chicken stock
100 g short-grain rice
1/2 cup sweetcorn kernels
500 g thick natural yoghurt
2 teaspoons cornflour
60 ml water
1 egg, lightly beaten
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
40 g unsalted butter
1 tablespoon dried mint
Dried red pepper flakes to serve (optional)
Preparation
Versions of creamy hot yoghurt soup can be found across Turkey, and it’s thought to have originated with the nomadic herdsmen that settled in Anatolia a thousand years ago. At its simplest, it is flavoured with dried mint and may be thickened with rice, chickpeas, bulgur or barley. For this recipe I add sweetcorn kernels and threads of chicken to make it more substantial.
Put the chicken, vegetables, lemon, herbs, cinnamon, peppercorns and stock into a large, heavy-based saucepan. Bring to the boil, skimming away any fat and impurities that rise to the surface, then lower the heat immediately. Simmer very gently, covered, for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the chicken in the stock for 20 minutes.
Pull the chicken meat off the bone and shred it as finely as you can. Reserve for later. Strain the stock into a large, heavy-based saucepan, then add the rice and slowly bring to the boil. Simmer gently, covered, for 30 minutes until the rice has broken down and begun to thicken the soup. Add the corn kernels.
To stabilise the yoghurt, beat it in a large bowl until smooth. Mix the cornflour with the water, then stir it thoroughly into the yoghurt with the egg. Gently stir a spoonful of the hot soup into the yoghurt mixture, then pour this back into the barely simmering soup. Cook at a bare simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring in one direction only. Be sure not to let the soup boil or the liaison will curdle.
When ready to serve, add the shredded chicken to the soup and season with salt and pepper, then ladle the soup into warmed serving bowls. Quickly sizzle the butter in a small frying pan, then add the mint and heat until foaming. Swirl the sizzling butter into each bowl of soup, sprinkle with red pepper flakes, if using, and serve.
Recipe from Turquoise by Greg and Lucy Malouf, with photographs by Lisa Cohen and William Meppem. Published by Hardie Grant Books.
If you enjoyed this Hot yoghurt soup with chicken threads and corn recipe then browse more Turkish recipes, soup recipes and our most popular hainanese chicken rice recipe.
Turkish Restaurants
Displaying 10 of 88 Turkish Restaurants.
| Restaurant | Book Online | Suburb | |
| 1. | Turkish Delight | Belconnen | |
| 2. | Turkish Pide House | Jamison | |
| 3. | Pasha's | Hobart | |
| 4. | Efes One Turkish Restaurant | Albion | |
| 5. | Pinarbasi Restaurant | Coburg | |
| 6. | The Kilim Turkish Restaurant | Richmond | |
| 7. | Erciyes Restaurant | Redfern | |
| 8. | Sahara Turkish Restaurant Burwood | Burwood | |
| 9. | Ottoman Cuisine | Barton | |
| 10. | Merhaba Turkish Cuisine Restaurant | Auburn |
Featured Food & Recipes
Hot Tips
Potato storage
Store in a thick brown paper bag, in a cool, dry, dark place. Discard any potatoes that have developed a green tinge, indicating a rise of (potentially dangerous) solanine levels. Opt for unwashed potatoes where possible as the dirt protects the potatoes.
Glossary
Rock Salt
Rock salt is a larger crystal type of salt. Sea or table salt could also be used.
