AI-generated image
Ezogelin çorbası
Red lentil and bulgur soup
Ezogelin çorbası: Gaziantep red lentil soup with bulgur, rice and dried mint
Gaziantep gave Turkey this hearty soup, named after Ezo, a bride from a village near the city whose sad story is still told in folk songs. Unlike the smooth mercimek soup, ezogelin keeps some texture: red lentils, bulgur and a little rice simmer together with tomato and red pepper paste until thick and soft, and plenty of dried mint goes in at the end. In southeast Turkey it is a winter staple, eaten in the morning and as a light supper with bread and a squeeze of lemon. It thickens as it stands, so add a splash of water when you reheat it. Chef's tip: rub the dried mint between your palms over the pot to release its oils just before you serve.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onionfinely chopped
- 2 garlic clovescrushed
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste (biber salçası)mild or hot
- 5 ½ oz red lentilsrinsed
- 1 ⅜ oz fine bulgur wheat
- 1 oz short-grain ricerinsed
- 6 ¼ cups hot vegetable stock
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp dried mint
- 1 lemoncut into wedges
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 2: Add 2 garlic cloves and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in 1 tbsp tomato paste and 1 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste (biber salçası) and fry for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until they darken to brick red and smell rich.
2 minStep 3: Add 5 ½ oz red lentils, 1 ⅜ oz fine bulgur wheat and 1 oz short-grain rice and stir to coat them in the paste. Pour in 6 ¼ cups hot vegetable stock and bring to the boil.
Step 4: Lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 25 minutes, stirring often, especially towards the end. The common mistake is leaving it alone: lentils and bulgur settle and catch on the bottom, and a scorched taste spreads through the whole pot. It is ready when the lentils have melted, the rice is soft and the soup is thick but still pourable.
25 minStep 5: Season with 1 tsp salt. For a creamier soup, give it 3 or 4 pulses with a stick blender, but leave plenty of texture.
Step 6: Warm the rest of ⅞ tbsp olive oil in a small pan over a low heat, take it off the heat and stir in 1 tsp Aleppo pepper (pul biber). Rub 2 tsp dried mint between your palms over the soup, stir, then drizzle over the red oil.
1 minStep 7: Serve hot with 1 lemon wedges and bread.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 14 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ezogelin çorbası take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 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 vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic cloves?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Tiyula itumBlack beef soup
Tiyula itum, 'black soup', is the pride of the Tausug people of Sulu in the far south of the Philippines, cooked for weddings, Eid celebrations and when guests come home. Beef (it is a halal, pork-free dish) is simmered with ginger, lemongrass and turmeric, then darkened with pamapa itum, a paste of grated coconut toasted until almost black and pounded with spices. The broth looks dramatic but tastes smoky, earthy and gently peppery, with heat from chillies. Serve it with plain rice. Chef's tip: toast the coconut slowly, stirring all the time, until it is very dark brown but not ashy; burnt-to-ash coconut tastes bitter and ruins the soup.
Filipino
Ful nabitSprouted fava bean soup
Sprouted beans are ladled out with their cooking liquor in Cairo homes when the weather turns cold or someone is feeling run down, and Egyptians swear by the broth as a pick-me-up. The beans are soaked and left to sprout for a few days, then simmered with onion, garlic and cumin into a light, earthy soup that is sharpened at the table with plenty of lemon. You can eat the beans with a spoon or pop them from their skins. Allow 3 to 4 days for sprouting, although the hands-on work is only about 20 minutes. People with G6PD deficiency (favism) must not eat fava beans. Chef's tip: stop the sprouting when the shoots are about 1 cm long; longer sprouts taste grassy and bitter.
Egyptian
Miso soup
Miso soup (味噌汁) is drunk every day in homes all over Japan, at breakfast as well as dinner, beside a bowl of rice. The base is dashi; this vegan version uses kombu and dried shiitake instead of bonito, which gives it a deep, rounded flavour. Silken tofu and wakame seaweed are the classic fillings. It takes ten minutes; just remember not to boil the miso. Chef's tip: add the miso at the very end and never let it boil. Boiling kills the miso's fresh, fermented aroma; Japanese cooks say the soup should only 'smile', with the surface barely trembling.
Japanese