Chalop
Cold yogurt and cucumber soup
Chalop: cold Uzbek summer soup of thinned yogurt, cucumber, radish and herbs
When Tashkent summers reach 40 °C, families eat chalop: chilled katyk or suzma loosened with cold water and filled with diced cucumber, radish and a pile of fresh dill, coriander, basil and spring onion. It is served in bowls with torn non bread, alongside plov or grilled shashlik, and some like a little ice in it. A common mistake is using thin, runny yogurt, which makes the soup watery; start with a thick yogurt and thin it to taste. Chef's tip: salt the cucumbers lightly and leave for 5 minutes before adding them, so they season through and stay crisp.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 ⅛ lb thick plain yogurt or katyk
- 1 ¼ cups ice-cold water
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2 cucumbersdiced
- 8 radishesdiced
- 3 spring onionssliced
- ½ oz fresh dillchopped
- ½ oz fresh corianderchopped
- ⅛ oz fresh basilchopped
- ¼ tsp black pepper
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Method
0/4 doneStep 2: Whisk 1 ⅛ lb thick plain yogurt or katyk with 1 ¼ cups ice-cold water and the rest of ⅝ tsp salt until smooth, like buttermilk. Common mistake: starting with thin yogurt; it ends up watery.
Step 3: Stir in the cucumbers, 8 radishes, 3 spring onions, ½ oz fresh dill, ½ oz fresh coriander and ⅛ oz fresh basil.
Step 4: Chill for 20 minutes, season with ¼ tsp black pepper and serve in bowls, with bread to tear in.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 120 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does chalop take?
- About 15 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of cucumbers?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
- What can I use instead of spring onions?
- Chives, or a little finely sliced onion.
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