Balkan Tarhana Soup with Tomato Yogurt and Paprika 🍲✨

Description

Balkan Tarhana Soup is a thick, tangy, comforting soup made with tarhana, tomato, garlic, yogurt, paprika, and a glossy butter or olive oil finish. It is creamy without feeling heavy, gently sour from the fermented grain base, warm with paprika, and deeply nostalgic in the way only old Balkan pantry soups can be. ✨

Hook ✨

Tangy tarhana, tomato, garlic, yogurt, and warm paprika turn this simple Balkan soup into a creamy bowl of old-fashioned comfort. 🍲

Ingredients

• Soup base 🍲
• 🌾 120 g dried tarhana (1 cup / 4.2 oz)
• 💧 300 ml cold water, for soaking (1¼ cups / 10 fl oz)
• 🫒 30 ml olive oil or sunflower oil (2 tbsp / 1 fl oz)
• 🧅 120 g yellow onion, finely chopped (¾ cup / 4.2 oz)
• 🧄 10 g garlic, finely chopped (3 cloves / 0.35 oz)
• 🍅 250 g crushed tomatoes (1 cup / 8.8 oz)
• 🌶️ 5 g sweet paprika (2 tsp / 0.18 oz)
• 🧂 7 g fine sea salt (1¼ tsp / 0.25 oz)
• ⚫ 1 g black pepper (½ tsp / 0.04 oz)
• 💧 1 l vegetable broth or water (4 cups / 34 fl oz)
• Creamy finish 🥣
• 🥣 180 g plain yogurt, room temperature (¾ cup / 6.3 oz)
• 🥄 20 g butter or olive oil (1½ tbsp / 0.7 oz)
• 🌶️ 2 g sweet paprika, for blooming (1 tsp / 0.07 oz)
• 🍋 10 ml lemon juice, optional (2 tsp / 0.34 fl oz)
• Serving 🌿
• 🌿 10 g fresh parsley or mint, chopped (¼ cup / 0.35 oz)
• 🌶️ 1 g chili flakes, optional (½ tsp / 0.04 oz)
• 🥖 300 g warm crusty bread, for serving (10.6 oz)

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Soak the tarhana 🌾
2. Place the dried tarhana in a bowl with cold water. Stir and let it soak for 15 min so it softens and dissolves more smoothly into the soup.
3. 2️⃣ Start the onion base 🧅
4. Warm olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 6–7 min, stirring often, until soft and lightly golden.
5. 3️⃣ Add garlic and tomato 🍅
6. Add garlic and cook for 30 sec. Stir in crushed tomatoes, sweet paprika, salt, and black pepper. Simmer for 5 min until the tomato base turns glossy and aromatic.
7. 4️⃣ Simmer the soup 🍲
8. Add the soaked tarhana with its soaking water, then pour in the broth. Whisk well. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 18–20 min, stirring often, until thick, creamy, and smooth.
9. 5️⃣ Temper the yogurt 🥣
10. In a bowl, whisk the yogurt with 2–3 tbsp hot soup until warm and loose. Stir it back into the pot off the heat, so the soup becomes creamy without curdling.
11. 6️⃣ Bloom the paprika finish 🌶️
12. Warm butter or olive oil in a small pan for 45 sec. Add sweet paprika and stir for 10 sec, then immediately drizzle it over the soup. Add lemon juice if you want a brighter finish.
13. 7️⃣ Serve warm ✨
14. Ladle into bowls and finish with parsley or mint, chili flakes if using, and warm crusty bread on the side. Serve hot while thick and glossy.

Total Time

⏱ Prep: 15 min
🔥 Cook/Bake: 35 min
🛋 Rest: 5 min
⏰ Total: 55 min

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