Turkish Yogurt Soup with Bulgur and Mint Recipe
A delicate, slightly tangy soup where thick yogurt is combined with fine bulgur and mint. In Turkey, yogurt soups like this are often served as a light lunch or dinner, especially in summer when you don’t feel like heavy dishes. The flavor is a bit reminiscent of cold summer soups, but it’s served warm and gently soothes the stomach.
This soup showcases the classic Turkish combination of tangy yogurt, grains, and fragrant dried mint. It is light yet comforting, budget-friendly, and uses simple pantry ingredients to create a dish with a distinctly Eastern Mediterranean character.
Chef's tips
Use full-fat, thick yogurt for the best texture and flavor—low-fat yogurt is more likely to curdle and will taste less rich. The key step is tempering the yogurt with hot liquid and then heating the soup very gently; constant stirring and avoiding a strong boil are crucial. If you like a more pronounced mint flavor, add a pinch of dried mint directly to the soup as well, not only to the butter.
How to serve
Serve the soup as a light main course with warm pita or flatbread and a simple salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, and red onion. It also works well as a starter before grilled vegetables or kebabs. A squeeze of lemon at the table can brighten the flavor for those who like extra acidity.
Ingredients
- yogurt - 500 g
- bulgur - 80 g
- water - 1.2 l
- egg - 1 piece
- wheat flour - 1.5 tablespoons
- butter - 2 tablespoons
- mint dried - 1.5 teaspoons
- paprika sweet, ground - 1 teaspoon
- salt
- black pepper freshly ground
Preparation
- Rinse the bulgur in a sieve under running water. In a pot, bring 1 liter of water to a boil, lightly salt it, add the bulgur, and cook for 10–12 minutes over low heat, until the grains are soft but not falling apart.
- In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, egg, and flour with a whisk or fork until the mixture is smooth and lump-free.
- Gradually add 200 ml of cold water to the yogurt mixture, stirring constantly to thin it out.
- When the bulgur is tender, remove the pot from the heat. Ladle one scoop of the hot cooking liquid with some bulgur and very slowly pour it into the bowl with the yogurt mixture, whisking vigorously the whole time—this helps prevent the yogurt from curdling.
- Then pour the entire yogurt mixture back into the pot with the bulgur, stirring continuously. Place the pot over very low heat and warm for 5–7 minutes, stirring all the time, until the soup thickens slightly, but do not let it come to a strong boil.
- Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. If it is too thick, add a little hot water.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. When it starts to foam lightly, add the dried mint and sweet paprika, and stir for 30–40 seconds, until the spices become very fragrant but do not darken.
- Ladle the hot soup into bowls and drizzle each portion with a spoonful of the butter with mint and paprika. Serve immediately.
Storage
Zupa po wystudzeniu jeszcze gęstnieje, więc przy podgrzewaniu dolej trochę wody i mieszaj na małym ogniu, nie dopuszczając do wrzenia, żeby jogurt się nie zwarzył.
