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Azeri Warm Yoghurt + Chickpea Soup
Anna is an Iranian-American chef + food writer, and this is an exclusive recipe from her cookbook - Silk Roads.
"I was 19 when I first tasted yogurt soup—cold, cucumber-studded, and, to me, impossibly sophisticated. I ate it during a summer internship at the Azerbaijani Mission to the UN, feeling very grown up in my first suit. Years later I discovered dovga, an Azeri yogurt soup that stands apart. Unlike most yogurt soups I've encountered, dovga is traditionally served warm; in fact, it's a wedding soup, refined yet comforting. And, though a warm yogurt soup may sound unexpected, it’s wonderfully strange, deeply satisfying, and a genuine culinary surprise. Kind of a game-changer, if you ask me, and I hope you're into it as much as I am" - Anna.
Photo credit: Laura Edwards
Ingredients
1 jar Queen Chickpeas - with their bean stock
750g (1lb 10oz) full-fat plain yogurt
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp chickpea flour or plain flour (use chickpea flour to make this gluten-free)
70–100g (2¼–3½oz) risotto rice
80g (3oz) chopped spinach
75g (2½oz) fresh mixed herbs, chopped (e.g. dill, parsley, chives, coriander, tarragon, and mint; if using the final two, discard their stems), plus extra to serve.
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
dried chilli flakes, to serve (optional)
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Directions
In a medium heavy-based saucepan, whisk together the yogurt, egg, flour, and rice. Once everything is nicely combined, place your pan over a medium heat,and gradually add 950ml (4 cups/1½ pints) of water, stirring all the while.
Stir constantly until the mixture comes to a gentle boil. I’m serious here. Constant. Stirring. For a good 10–15 minutes. If you don’t, this soup will fail – the yogurt will curdle and split, and you’ll be deprived of something pretty incredible. And you don’t want that.
Once the yogurt mixture is bubbling, reduce the heat to low and add the spinach, herbs, and chickpeas with their bean stock. Let the soup simmer for a further 15 minutes, or until the rice is cooked through. Constant stirring isn’t required at this stage, but very frequent stirring is – and you know what? If you want to stand and constantly stir the pot, no one will stop you.
Another important caveat to this soup – don’t add salt or pepper until you’re about to eat it. Again, the salt could cause the yogurt to curdle and the soup to be ruined. And, don’t forget: this is a wedding soup. You don’t want to ruin a wedding soup, do you? No. I didn’t think so. So, remember: constant stirring until it comes to a boil, and salt and pepper at the end
Enjoy your dovga warm or cold, but either way, top it with salt and pepper to taste, some more fresh herbs, and maybe even some chilli flakes.


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