Since ancient times Oriental cuisine has been famous for incredibly tasty interesting dishes with a stunning aroma of their spices. It is not for nothing that they say that the East is a delicate matter. Today we will plunge into the world of Turkish cuisine, we will open all the secrets of cooking turkish soup with bulgur and tell you a lot of interesting things about this dish. Eastern cuisine is loved in every corner of the planet not only for its enchanting aromas and fantastic tastes, but also for the interesting stories of making recipes for many dishes.
The history of the appearance of Turkish soup with bulgur
In the homeland of this soup it is called "Ezo Chorbasi", which is translated into Russian as "Bride Soup". The history of the Turkish soup with bulgur and lentils has more than a dozen years. According to ancient Turkish customs, every bride must prepare this soup right before the wedding. It is like a kind of rite for attracting happiness in family life. The recipe for this Turkish soup with bulgur was invented by the Turkish girl Ezo, in the early 1900s. Her parents gave her to marry an unloved guy, having lived with her in marriage for one year, she could not stand it and fled to her father's house. A few years later, she again married her distant Syrian relative. But even in this marriage she was unhappy, because her mother-in-law disliked her. Ezo, while away from home, she really missed her family. That's why I cooked this thick and rich soup, remembering my parents and my father's house.
What is bulgur?
Many of us do not even know what kind of cereal this is - bulgur? Someone mistakenly believes that this is couscous or crushed unsteamed wheat. In fact, this is an independent kind of cereals, with its own merits and useful trace elements. Bulgur - groats, incredibly rich in fatty acids, beta-carotene, saccharides and vitamins of group B, K, E and PP. Thanks to the excellent digestion of the body, it improves the condition of the skin and hair, and also greatly contributes to the strengthening of the nervous system. In most eastern countries bulgur is used instead of pearl barley and rice, because although it is increased by cooking three times, but keeps the friability, not turning into a mess. That is why it is used when cooking soup or as an independent garnish.
Ingredients for turpentine soup with bulgur
In order to make your soup very tasty and aromatic, it is very important to use only fresh and quality products. To make a Turkish soup with bulgur and lentils you will need:
- 3 liters of vegetable or meat broth;
- 150 grams of bulgur;
- 150 grams of lentils, it is best to use a red variety;
- Onion - one piece;
- 50 grams of ground paprika;
- 10 grams of dried mint;
- 2 tomatoes or two tablespoons of tomato paste;
- 60 milliliters of vegetable oil;
- black pepper.
Step-by-step description of soup preparation
The recipe for Turkish soup with bulgur is quite simple and does not require special skills for its preparation. First, pour the cold broth into a saucepan, pour lentil, bulgur, bell pepper, paprika into it and bring to a boil. Bulgur do not have to be washed. Cook lentils and croup with spices on a small fire and under a closed lid. The next step is preparing the toast. To do this, peeled onions must be finely chopped and fried in vegetable oil. To the onions, add the tomato paste or tomatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes. To facilitate the process of removing peel from a tomato, just scald it with boiling water. Stew a few minutes onions with tomatoes and send the fry to lentils and bulgur. Do not forget to salt and season the soup with a mint. Close the pan tightly and simmer the soup on the lowest heat until bulgur and lentils are ready. Cook the soup with fresh herbs.
The Benefits of Soup
Due to its high enough caloric content, Turkish soup with bulgur is unlikely to become the basis of dietary nutrition. After all, only the calorie content of Bulgur itself is three hundred and forty kilocalories. If you want to at least slightly reduce the total calorie content of the dish, then replace the meat broth with vegetable and use only fresh vegetables instead of frying. The main advantage of this soup is a large number of easily assimilated nutrients and valuable microelements. In addition to the incredibly useful bulgur, the basis of the soup is red lentils, which has long been loved by the Turks. Because it is rich in protein and iron, lentils are excellent for those who suffer from anemia. And thanks to the tomato and onion included in the soup, it is also rich in fiber, which is useful for the digestive tract.
Tips and Tricks
Do not leave cooked soup for the next day, as lentils and bulgur absorb the whole broth very strongly, so in the morning you'll just get a dish that looks like porridge with vegetables. Turkish soup with bulgur must be eaten freshly, in hot form. Therefore, do not prepare a lot at once, it is best to calculate the required number of servings in advance. In this case, you and your guests can enjoy this fantastic tasty dish!
To give the dish a special piquancy, you can add a pinch of turmeric. It not only saturates the dish with essential oils, but also gives the soup a pleasant color and an interesting taste.
From fresh greens to turkish soup with bulgur, coriander is best suited, which adds its flavor and makes the dish even more original and tasty.
Ready-made mixtures for soup
To date, there are a number of manufacturers that help to facilitate the cooking process. After living in a big city, sometimes it's so hard to find time and energy after a long hard working day to just cook a delicious lunch or dinner. Ready mixes consisting of vegetables, cereals and spices will come to the aid. For example, the company "Fair", engaged in the production of environmentally friendly food, recently included this recipe of soup in its production of food semi-finished products. A special advantage of this product is a completely natural composition without preservatives, sodium glutamate and genetically modified components. And thanks to the transparent packaging you can make sure of the purity of the selected ingredients and the absence of foreign impurities. The colorful label shows not only the composition, but also the method of preparing the soup.
But not only the company "Fair" produces this soup. There is a much more famous brand - Yelli, which managed to repeat the taste and aroma of this original soup as accurately as possible. In the next section, it will be about him.
Soup with bulgur from Yelli
If you decided to diversify the daily menu with this Turkish soup, you probably wondered: "How to prepare a Turkish soup with bulgur Yelli?". In fact, everything is incredibly simple! You will only need packing with dry ingredients, salt and broth or water. For one package weighing 250 grams, you need 2 liters of water or broth. If you want to get a thicker dish, then it will be enough to have one and a half liters of liquid. Bring to the boil your broth and pour the contents of the package. Cook under a tightly closed lid for twenty five minutes. It is very important to cook soup with minimal fire, because this is how soup will turn out to be delicate, tasty and beautiful, and the ingredients will not boil too much. At the very end of the preparation, lightly season the soup and serve with fresh herbs. Bon Appetit!