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Dovga
Herb and yogurt soup
Dovğa: Azerbaijani herb and yogurt soup with rice
Dovğa is green, tangy and cooling, the soup Azerbaijanis drink cold from glasses on hot Baku afternoons and eat hot in bowls when the Absheron wind turns chilly. Yogurt is thinned, thickened with rice and egg, then packed with chopped spinach, dill, coriander, mint and sorrel, until the soup is more herbs than dairy. It is served at weddings and at Novruz to settle the stomach after rich food, and many cooks add chickpeas. Unlike Armenian spas, there is no fried onion or wheat; the flavour is all fresh herbs and sour yogurt. Chef's tip: add the herbs only once the yogurt is boiling steadily and stable; they wilt in seconds, and the colour stays bright green.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb plain yogurtfull-fat, not Greek
- 3 cups water
- 2 ⅛ oz short-grain ricerinsed
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 ¼ tsp salt
- 5 ½ oz spinachfinely chopped
- 1 ¾ oz sorrel (optional)finely chopped; or extra spinach
- 1 ⅜ oz dillfinely chopped
- 1 ⅜ oz corianderfinely chopped
- ⅔ oz fresh mintfinely chopped
- 8 ½ oz cooked chickpeas (optional)drained
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: In a large heavy pan whisk 2 ¼ lb plain yogurt, 1 egg and 1 tbsp cornflour until completely smooth, then whisk in 3 cups water.
Step 2: Add 2 ⅛ oz short-grain rice and set over a medium heat. Stir constantly in one direction with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom, as the soup heats.
10 minStep 3: A classic mistake is to stop stirring before it boils: the yogurt splits into curds and whey. Keep going until it bubbles, then lower the heat and stir for 15 minutes more, until the rice is soft and the soup slightly thick.
15 minStep 5: Add 1 ⅜ oz dill, 1 ⅜ oz coriander, ⅔ oz fresh mint and 8 ½ oz cooked chickpeas, stir, and take off the heat after 1 minute. The soup should be speckled vivid green and smell fresh and sharp.
1 minStep 6: Serve hot in bowls, or cool, chill for at least 3 hours and serve cold in glasses. It thickens in the fridge; loosen with a splash of cold water.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 200 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dovga take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 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.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain yogurt?
- Sour cream or buttermilk, same amount.
- What can I use instead of short-grain rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
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