A simple and delightful Armenian peasant soup.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Sauté the chopped onion in the butter or oil in a large saucepan until soft. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Add the vermicelli and cook 5 minutes, until tender.
Step 2
Just before serving, beat the yogurt. Pour into the soup gradually, beating vigorously, and heat to just below boiling. Do not allow the soup to boil, or it will curdle. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Serve, garnished with dried crushed mint.
Variations
Step 3
In another version of this soup, the yogurt is stabilized with eggs so that it can be cooked without curdling. Beat the yogurt with 2 lightly beaten eggs in a pan and bring to the boil slowly, stirring constantly in the same direction. Pour this into the stock with the vermicelli and simmer gently until the soup thickens a little.
Step 4
Instead of vermicelli use 1/2 cup pearl barley. Soak it overnight. Then drain, and simmer over low heat for 1 hour, or until the barley is swollen and soft. Continue as above. This is called tanabour.
