EgyptianShorbet lesan asfour (orzo soup)
Shorbet lesan asfour: Egypt's 'bird's-tongue' orzo soup, toasted in butter and simmered in chicken stock
Bowls of this golden broth start the meal on winter nights all over Cairo, and it is one of the first things set on the table at iftar, when a gentle, warm soup comes before anything heavier. Lesan asfour means "bird's tongue", the Egyptian name for the small rice-shaped pasta the rest of the world calls orzo. Fried in butter until nutty and then simmered in a well-seasoned chicken stock, the grains turn plump and silky, and a squeeze of lemon at the table lifts the whole bowl. Children love it, and it is what many Egyptian households cook for anyone feeling under the weather. Chef's tip: toast the pasta until it is the colour of roasted hazelnuts, not just pale gold; that browning is where all the flavour comes from.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Serves
- 4
- Per serving
- 230 kcal
Ingredients
- 1 oz butteror ghee (samna)
- 1 onionsmall, very finely chopped
- 5 ½ oz orzolesan asfour pasta
- 6 ¼ cups chicken stockhot; homemade or shop-bought
- ½ tsp saltadjust to the saltiness of your stock
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 pinch ground cardamom (optional)
- 1 lemon (optional)cut into wedges, to serve
- 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley (optional)finely chopped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 2: Tip in 5 ½ oz orzo and stir constantly for 4–5 minutes, until the grains turn deep golden brown and smell toasty. Keep them moving: they go from brown to burnt quickly at the end.
5 minStep 3: Pour in 6 ¼ cups chicken stock carefully (it will hiss and spit), add ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp ground black pepper and 1 pinch ground cardamom and bring to the boil.
2 minStep 4: Lower the heat and simmer, stirring now and then so nothing sticks, for 9–10 minutes, until the pasta is tender with no hard centre when you bite a grain.
10 minStep 5: Taste and adjust the salt. Serve straight away with 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley scattered over and 1 lemon on the side. The common mistake is cooking it ahead: the pasta keeps drinking the broth and turns into porridge, so if you must reheat, add a splash of hot stock or water.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 31 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does shorbet lesan asfour (orzo soup) take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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