A delicious Tarhana Soup/ Turkish bell pepper, tomato and yogurt soup made with roasted red bell pepper, tomato, onions , Greek Yogurt and herbs and spices. Soothing soup for cold winter days.
Even though it is end of February, here the temperature is cold and gloomy, and we go for days without seeing sun. Both hubby and I like soup and especially with this climate, soup is best food you can ask for. I decide to try this instant Tarhana Soup/ Turkish bell pepper, tomato and yogurt soup. I got this recipe from the cook book Turkish delights by John Gregory-Smith.
Tarhana Çorbası is a Turkish Sourdough soup made from a fermented and dehydrated mix of flour, yogurt, onions, tomatoes and red bell pepper. The exact composition of tarhana differs from region to region in Turkey. Some regions use corn flour instead of white flour or chickpeas.
This soup is made from a base made Tarhana powder. Which is prepared by mixing plain yogurt, flour and grated vegetables like red pepper, tomato, and onion into a thick paste that is left to ferment for several days. The paste is then divided up, dried and crumbled to make Tarhana powder. This is usually done during summer month as bounty of vegetables. The powder is used during cold winter months to make soup.
Since I don’t have Tarhana powder in hand, I like this recipe of Instant Tarhana Soup/ Turkish bell pepper, tomato and yogurt soup. In this recipe first, the veggies such as red bell pepper, onion, tomato along with oregano, dry mint, pepper is roasted and then made into puree and mixed in with yogurt. I got hooked to recipe at first because of tempering of butter with mint and chili flakes remind me of curries. Yes, we make curries with tomato and yogurt. I like the addition of sweet red bell pepper also.
I read a story about Tarhana soup I don’t know is it myth or real. It states that once upon a time a king visited a poor farmer’s house. They want to treat the king, as they have nothing in hand other than this Tarhana powder, farmer’s wife made the soup and she named it “Dar hane” soup means poor house soup. That eventually become the Tarhana soup.
I like the recipe as it is simple and made a flavorful Soup. If you are a soup lover, then give it a try, I am sure you will love it?
If you like this soup recipe check other recipes from Turkish cuisine too
Tarhana Soup/ Turkish bell pepper, tomato and yogurt soup
Ingredients
- 2 red bell peppers cut into quarters
- 1 big red onion cut into quarters
- 4 tomatoes cut into halves
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3 teaspoon dry mint
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 tablespoon butter
Video
Notes
Nutrition
15
This is Swathi ( Dr. Ambujom Saraswathy Ph.D) from Zesty South Indian Kitchen who loves to explore cuisines from all over the world. Whenever possible I try to to give an Indian touch to several of the world cuisine, and has weakness for freshly baked bread. All the recipes you see here are created by me and approved after taste-test by my family.
Suja Manoj says
Filling and yummy soup
Calleigh says
Perfect comfort food on a chilly night. Glad to know this is so easy to prepare..Yum!!
Rebecca says
I need to give this a try!
Emily says
We love trying all kinds of new soup recipes. This one sounds delicious!
Allison - Celebrating Sweets says
I've never had anything like this, but I love everything in it, so I'm sure it's great! Can't wait to try it!
Carlee says
Soup is the perfect comfort food, especially when the weather is less than ideal. This looks delicious and I love the legend behind the name!