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Dowina (Kurdish yogurt soup)
Warm yogurt soup with rice, chickpeas, dried mint and fresh herbs
Dowina, called ash-e doogh in Persian, is warming spring food in Kurdish homes around Newroz, when yogurt is plentiful and the first herbs are cut from the garden. Rice and chickpeas simmer in a tangy, lightly thickened yogurt broth, finished with fresh dill, coriander and a sizzle of dried mint in oil. It is eaten warm, never boiling hot, with flatbread. The common mistake is to heat the yogurt too fast without stirring, which makes it split into grainy curds. Chef's tip: whisk an egg yolk and a spoonful of rice flour into the yogurt before it goes on the heat; it holds the soup smooth all the way to the simmer.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ lb plain full-fat yogurt
- 3 ¼ cups water
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp rice flour
- 2 ⅝ oz short-grain ricerinsed
- 8 ½ oz cooked chickpeasdrained (1 tin)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ⅜ oz fresh dill, coriander and parsleychopped
- 3 spring onionssliced
For the mint oil
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp dried mint
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: In a large pan, whisk the 1 ⅔ lb plain full-fat yogurt, 3 ¼ cups water, 1 egg yolk and 1 tbsp rice flour until completely smooth.
5 minStep 2: Set the pan over a medium heat and stir constantly in one direction until it comes to a gentle simmer. Keep stirring the whole time; this is what stops the yogurt splitting.
15 minStep 3: Add the 2 ⅝ oz short-grain rice and 1 tsp salt and simmer gently, stirring every few minutes, for 25–30 minutes until the rice is very soft.
30 minStep 4: Add the 8 ½ oz cooked chickpeas, 1 ⅜ oz fresh dill, coriander and parsley and 3 spring onions and simmer 5–10 minutes more until the herbs are soft and the soup is creamy. Add water if it is thicker than single cream.
10 minStep 5: Warm the 2 tbsp olive oil in a small pan, take it off the heat and stir in the 1 tbsp dried mint until it smells strongly. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle the mint oil over.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does dowina (Kurdish yogurt soup) take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- 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 plain full-fat 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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