🇹🇷 Türkiye · Turkey
Düğün çorbasıTurkish wedding soup
Turkish wedding soup of bone-in lamb simmered to a broth, thickened with a flour, egg and lemon (often yogurt) mixture, and finished with red pepper melted in butter.
Origin and history
According to the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, düğün çorbası was served to guests at wedding ceremonies that lasted days and nights, hence its name, 'wedding soup'. Milk Street notes that it is distinct from ezogelin, the red-lentil soup.
Make it at home
- Makes
- 6 servings
- Total time
- 2 h 30 min
- Hands-on
- 40 min
Ingredients
- 500 g1.1 lb bone-in lamb neck or shank, the bones give the body of the broth
- 1 l4 1/4 cups water, for simmering the lamb
- 2 tsp salt, adjust at the end
- 1 small onion, peeled, left whole; optional, not in the ministry recipe
- 35 g1/3 cup plain flour
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 125 g1/2 cup plain yogurt, optional, as in the Milk Street style; see notes
- 250 ml1 cup cold water, for the thickener
- 20 g1 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp pul biber or Aleppo pepper (Turkish red pepper)
- 250 ml1 cup hot water, added to the broth after the meat is returned
Method
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1. Put the lamb, the 1 l of water, the onion and half the salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil and skim the foam for the first 10 minutes.
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2. Simmer, uncovered or only partly covered, for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat falls from the bone.
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3. Lift out the lamb, discard the onion and bones, and shred or dice the meat. Strain the broth if it is cloudy and return it to the pot with the meat.
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4. Add the cup of hot water and bring to a gentle simmer.
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5. In a bowl, beat the egg with the lemon juice, flour and the cup of cold water (and the yogurt, if using) until there are no lumps.
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6. Whisk a ladle of hot broth into the mixture, then pour it slowly into the pot while stirring constantly.
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7. Simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring, until the soup is lightly thickened and creamy. Do not boil hard. Taste and adjust the salt.
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8. Melt the butter in a small pan, stir in the red pepper until it turns red and fragrant, and spoon it over each bowl.
Notes
- The Ministry of Culture and Tourism's recipe uses lamb, egg, lemon, flour and red pepper butter, with no yogurt. Milk Street's version adds yogurt and tops the soup with garlic and Aleppo pepper oil; both are accepted ways to make it.
- Lamb neck is the traditional cut, according to Milk Street; beef shank also works.
- The soup is named for the weddings, lasting days and nights, at which it was served to guests. It is not Italian wedding soup (greens and meatballs), and Milk Street stresses that it is not Turkish bride's soup (ezogelin, made with red lentils).
- Make-ahead: the broth and meat keep for 2 days; add the thickener when reheating.
Adapted from Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Wedding Soup (Düğün Çorbası) and Milk Street, Turkish Wedding Soup.
At the festivals
No festival we list has printed it on a menu yet.