Turkish Yogurt Soup

This is Turkish home cooking at its best. It is simple, has few ingridients and it is quite easy to make but the end result is more than satisfying. This is why this soup is made in all regions of Turkey with little differences and is called ''Yayla Çorbası'' which means High Plateau Soup. In the old days it was difficult to keep  the milk fresh so it was turned into yogurt as soon as possible. High plateaus were cool and  the best yogurt came from these high plateaus. That is the story behind the name of this yogurt based soup. When I was a child my mom used to cook this soup whenever we were sick or had an upset stomach. So the smell of this creamy soup brings back memories of comfort and love. 

Yogurt is used very often in Turkish cuisine and it is not only served cold, but is also used in soups or stews. Some of you might find this peculiar but once you taste this soup, it will become a staple soup recipe in your kitchen.It is such an easy soup to make.

Ingredients:

70g rice (rinsed)
650ml water (chicken stock)
400g yogurt
1 egg
1,5 tbs flour
30-40 gr butter
fresh mint
salt&pepper

Add water salt and rice in a large pot. Bring to a boil and let simmer until rice is cooked and soft.

Crack the egg in a bowl, add the flour and beat it lightly. Add the yogurt and whisk until it's smooth. 

Add 2-3 tablespoons of the warm water to temper the yogurt and egg mixture add more water , stir and then carefully pour the mixture in the pot while stirring on low heat. Adjust seasoning and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Chop  fresh mint leaves. You can use dry mint as well but using fresh mint makes a huge difference believe me.

Melt and foam the butter. Add the fresh mint leaves turn the heat off and add the minty butter on top of your soup and  serve.