AI-generated image
Kurban chorba
Lamb and rice feast soup
Kurban chorba (курбан чорба): village feast soup of lamb with rice, onion, peppers and herbs
On saints' days such as St George's in May or St Dimitar's in October, Bulgarian villages set big cauldrons over fires in the churchyard or square, and the kurban, the shared offering, is ladled out as a rich lamb soup to everyone who comes, neighbours and strangers alike. Lamb on the bone simmers gently with onion until tender, then the meat is pulled into pieces and returned to the broth with rice, carrot, red pepper, tomato, paprika, dried mint and plenty of parsley. It tastes deep, meaty and herby, sharpened with a squeeze of lemon, and bread on the side is traditional. The usual slip is skipping the skimming at the start; grey foam left in the pot muddies the broth. Chef's tip: rub the mint and savory between your palms over the pot in the last five minutes, so the herbs stay bright.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 10 ½ cups cold water
- 2 onions
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 carrotdiced
- 1 red pepperdiced
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 2 ripe tomatoesgrated, skins discarded
- 3 ½ oz long-grain ricerinsed
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp dried mint
- 1 tsp dried savory
- 1 bunch fresh parsleychopped
- 1 lemon (optional)cut into wedges
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (6)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Put the 2 ⅝ lb lamb neck or shoulder on the bone in a large pot with the 10 ½ cups cold water, 2 bay leaves and one of the 1 onions, halved. Bring slowly to the boil over a medium heat and skim off the grey foam for about 10 minutes, until the surface stays clear.
20 minStep 2: Lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for about 1½ hours, until the meat falls away from the bone.
90 minStep 3: Lift out the lamb and strain the broth. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding bones, gristle and excess fat.
10 minStep 4: Chop the remaining 1 onions. Heat the 2 tbsp sunflower oil in the cleaned pot over a medium heat and fry the onion, 1 carrot and 1 red pepper for 8 minutes, until soft.
8 minStep 5: Take the pot off the heat, stir in the 1 tbsp sweet paprika, then add the 2 ripe tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes over a medium heat until pulpy.
3 minStep 6: Pour in the broth, add the lamb and the 3 ½ oz long-grain rice and simmer for 15 minutes, until the rice is tender.
15 minStep 7: Season with the 2 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper, rub in the 2 tsp dried mint and 1 tsp dried savory and simmer for 5 minutes more.
5 minStep 8: Stir in the 1 bunch fresh parsley and serve hot with 1 lemon wedges to squeeze over.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kurban chorba take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 130 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 gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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.
JapanesePerfect for:Eid