Binnur's Turkish Cookbook

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Sunday, September 10, 2006

Tarhana Soup

(Tarhana Çorbası)

Tarhana Soup
2-3 tablespoonful tarhana dough (see below)
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp crushed tomatoes
2-3 cup chicken stock
Crushed red pepper (red pepper flakes), optional
1 tsp butter

Garnish:
Crumbled feta cheese

Place the tarhana and 1/2 cup water in a pot. Leave it alone for 1-2 hours for tarhana to dissolve a bit. Then add in the rest of the ingredients. Cook and stir constantly over medium-low heat. Adjust consistency of the soup to your liking by adding more water if you prefer. Taste for salt.

Place the soup into a bowl, sprinkle some crumbled feta cheese on top and serve while still warm.

Tarhana Soup is great for cold winter mornings as breakfast:)

This recipe makes 2 servings.

Meal Ideas:
- Lady's Thighs Kofte, Egg Noodles with Tomato and Carrot Salad.


Tarhana Dough

Tarhana

2 red bell peppers or long red peppers, discard the seeds, cut in chunks
2 medium sized onions, peeled, cut in chunks
2 large tomatoes, peeled, diced
1 3/4 cup yogurt, plain
7 gr yeast, melt in a little bit of warm water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dry mint
1 tbsp dry oregano
1 tbsp dill, dry or fresh, chopped
1 tbsp salt
7-8 cups flour (the amount of flour can be changed depending on the size of vegetables, add little by little)

Use the food processor to finely chop onions, tomatoes and red peppers. In a large bowl place the melted yeast, onions, tomatoes, red peppers, yogurt, mint, oregano, dill, olive oil and salt. Add flour gradually and knead until it becomes thick. During kneading add a few spoons of water in it.

Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel. Leave it at room temperature to ferment, which takes 5-6 days. Knead the dough every day for about 4-5 minutes, then cover it with the towel every time. Your kitchen might smell a bit sour, which is normal. When the dough puffs up, the bowl might be too small for it, so divide the dough into two pieces and place in different bowls on the 2nd or 3rd day.

It's the end of fermentation when the dough no longer puffs up. Divide them up and place them in Ziploc bags. Store in the freezer.

If you like to keep it dry, divide the dough into small balls, place the pieces on a cloth and let them dry. Turn the balls often. Every day divide the balls into 2 or 3 pieces. It takes a few days. Best way to let it dry is outside under the sun. Then strained through a sieve - use your fingers to crumble. Or you can use the mixer as well. Store them in airtight containers in the fridge.


History of Tarhana

Tarhana is the first instant soup which was invented by Central Asian Turks. In the summer time they mixed fresh vegetables with yogurt to prepare their hearty winter soup. In Turkey, there are several varieties of tarhana. For example some regions use corn flour instead of white flour or they add chickpeas in it.

‘DAR HANE’ SOUP
No exact information is available concerning the provenance of the name of ‘tarhana’, which was brought to Anatolia and the Middle East by the Seljuk Türks. One thing we do know is that tarhana entered Balkan cuisine as well during the Ottoman period. Legends are rife in Türkiye concerning the meaning of the word tarhana. One of the most popular is that it derives from ‘dar hane’ (literally, ‘narrow house’, in other words, ‘house of little means’). Legend has it that one day while on a military campaign the Sultan was a guest in the home of a poor peasant. Having little to offer, the resourceful peasant housewife quickly boiled up a soup. Embarrassed at having to make such a meager offering, she said, “‘Dar hane’ soup is all I have to offer you, my liege. May you eat it with appetite!” In time this ‘dar hane’ soup became known as ‘tarhana’.

Because it is so easy to make and store, tarhana soon came to head the list of staple nourishment's of both settled and nomadic peoples. A product of the summer sun and an abundant harvest, tarhana is served at every meal from breakfast to supper during the remainder of the year. Tarhana also was also a key component of the food rations supplied to the Seljuk and Ottoman imperial armies, and during the Gallipoli campaign in particular it provided the soldiers with the strength they needed. Source- Skylife

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62 Comments:

At 5:24 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is such an interesting recipe! I enjoyed reading about the history!

 
At 4:09 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Nicole,
Thank you:) I love these kinds of little stories that are part of our
culture. That's why I like to share every one:)

 
At 3:02 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Even though this soup sounds complicated to make, it is well worth it. When I am in a hurry, tarhana soup is quick to make (I don't usually soak the powder longer than half an hour). Also, I add crushed garlic and a dried chili pepper for flavor. Thanks for this recipe!

 
At 3:43 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Saskia,
It is a great soup for the winter time. Adding garlic and crushed
pepper will make Tarhana even more irresistible:) Thank you.

 
At 7:29 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Can this soup be reheated, say, in a microwave?

 
At 11:21 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Roko,
Sure it can be reheated on the stove or in the microwave:)

 
At 5:55 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Binnur
My family still makes tarhana in summer and dries it on the roof.
Deniz ipek :)

 
At 11:35 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Deniz,
How lucky they are:) Over here we don't have a roof or even a terrace to
dry them...that's why I keep them as dough in the freezer:)
Sevgilerimle,

 
At 3:57 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Binnur,

I am a Greek girl whos is married to a Turkish guy, and as you can imagine I am very keen to learn as much as possible about your cookery. I have recently discovered your site, and I cannot wait to try out your recipes. Greek cuisine is very similar and very different to Turkish, which ofcourse leads to "heated" arguments with my husband. I come from a family of cooks (grandfather, father and mother!) and I think the best way to describe food in my home is Greek/Turkish fussion. And here comes my question: My family also makes trahana (that's what it is called in Greece) in the summer, but it is completely different dough to the one you described. It is made of pieces of wheat similar to bulgur which is boiled in milk, salt and pepper, and then it is dried in the sun. It is then cooked either with tomato sauce, or with milk. I made this for my husband who was not impressed! I want to use my dough, but how could I adapt Greek trahana to your recipe? Would it work?

Many Thanks,
Chryssa

 
At 6:46 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Chryssa,
We have some similarities with Greek and other Balkan countries,
because during the reign of the Ottoman empire so many dishes of
Turkish cuisine entered Balkan cuisine:) Like dolma (filled), sarma(rolled up), borek, baklava, kebabs, lokum.... Also we have been
neighbours for a long long time..... However, your recipe of Tarhana soup doesn't match our Tarhana Soup. Give my version a try too, you might like it :)

 
At 12:15 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello Binnur, thank you for your meal ideas, and the history & background to these fascinating recipes ad staples, like Tarhana, unknown to me.
I've just read about it thanks to your Meal ideas. I really like reading these explanations, thank you for taking the trouble introducing us to Turkish practices. Have a nic Sunday, Aagje

 
At 4:16 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Aagje,
Thank you for the nice comments, it really made me happy:) I love to
introduce and give some info on the history of Turkish cuisine.
Have a nice week :)

 
At 4:22 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Binnur, what a great site!
I was wondering how you would keep the dried pieces of Tarhana. Is it best frozen ?

Martin

 
At 11:07 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Martin,
Thank you:) Dry Tarhana soup should be kept in the dark and in a cold place. I don't make dry Tarhana for myself, I think they should be refrigerated.

 
At 11:03 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Martin,
Best way to store your dry tarhana in a cloth bag and tied up the so won't get anything in it.Keep in dark and cook place,like in a cupboard.It is best the finish in a year so you can benefit the nise smell of it.
We usually made a cloth bag ourself,It is look like bigger an old money purse:o)
And Binnur ,
Thank you very much of the Tarhana Dough.
I really missed its smell and taste.
I didn't know how I can make it.
Ellerin dert gormesin.
Nurel

 
At 5:49 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Nurel,
Thank you for all the information:) My grandmother used to make tarhana for all our family...and I do it the way I learned from her, she never made dry tarhana:) Simdiden ellerine saglik.

 
At 3:40 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Binnur

Thanks very much for the recipe, I have been on the look-out for this for sooooo long.

One question though. My husband claims that the traditional way of making the tarhana dough is with the actual "wheat seed" (döğme) rather than with the flour. He would really like me to use the seed, as he says it makes the dish perfect, as you are "feeling" the seed when eating the soup. He is however, not sure how to make the dough with seeds rather than flour. He just says, the seeds are soaked in yoghurt for a while and then dried before making the actual dough?

Can you tell me if this is true or whether the process of working with the seed is different?

Thanks again for a wonderful site...

Sidse

 
At 9:49 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Thank you Sidse,
Making Tarhana dough may change from one region to other. I am sure what your husband asks for is his region's traditional Tarhana:) You should follow his direction. It seems he remembers very well:)
Sevgilerimle,

 
At 11:25 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Binnur;
I am Turkish student who studies in Belgium. There will be a special day about international cultures in our school. So, I want to present tarhana in this festival. May I use your recipe and pictures in this site by referring your name in the brochure?, best regards, Serhat

 
At 11:31 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Serhat,
Thank you asking me for permission. You can put recipe and the pictures on the brochure as long as Turkishcookbook.com is linked under the recipe:)
Wish you the best,

 
At 9:21 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Merhaba Binnur Hanim

I have just prepared the Tarhana dough today and put it aside :-)

I am so excited about it and hope it will turn put as good as your other recipes.

Sevgilerimle,

Sidse

 
At 9:17 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Merhaba Sevgili Sidse,
Your tarhana will be delicious, and you will enjoy it especially in cold winter days:)
Sevgilerimle,

 
At 2:34 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I look so much forward to tasting it. It is waiting on the 2nd day know... smelling really delicious. I have a few questions though.

1. The dough is quity sticky. Is that supposed to be that way or should I add more flour now?

2. How long is the dough good for, once finished?

3. Is it important whether the dough dried or freezed? Which method keeps the flavour best?

Thank you once more :-)

Sidse Ünal

 
At 8:23 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Sevgili Sidse,
1) If it is too sticky, you should add more flour. When you touch it, it may be sticky but it shouldn't stick on to your finger.
2) It depends how hot the weather is. If the weather is hot the fermentation will be quicker.
3) The taste is the same if dried or freezed. I always freeze the dough because how my grandmother did, I don't want to change how I learned from her:)
Ellerine saglik:)

 
At 3:36 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Iyi aksamlar Binnur Hanim

Thanks for your response. I have now added some flour, and the texture now feels much "more right". I hope it is not a problem that the flour has been added at a later stage.

I might not have been clear on 2), so allow me to rephrase the question.

What I wanted to know, is how long I can keep the dough for (when freezed or dried) before it becomes old?

Best regards,

Sidse

 
At 6:58 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Merhaba Sidse,
Sorry, I think I wasn't reading your question carefully:) I prepare my tarhana dough end of August. So I cook the last one about a week ago. I don't cook Tarhana soup in Summer time. It means almost 8 months I keep it in the freezer.The amount of the time is also the same for the dry tarhana. Keep the dry one in the cool and dark place.
Sevgilerimle,

 
At 4:00 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I loooove tarhana soup! It's so different. I have wanted to make it myself for the last 5 years, but never have. We are going to Turkey this summer, and I hope to bring some back.

 
At 10:19 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Binnur

I have tasted a bean soup with meat (the soup tastes a little smokey) which Bosnians call Grah (not sure if thats how to spell it). Do u have anything similar in Turkey? If u do would u b so kind as to post the recipe

 
At 7:25 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi,
Grah is a Bosnian bean soup with sausage (Sujuk) or Pastirma. It can also be plain. We cook Kidney Beans with Sujuk or Pastirma. It is a dish not a soup. If you like, you may add more juice in it:)
I have not posted Kidney Beans with Sujuk or Kidney Beans with Pastirma yet, I am going to do it in the future:)
Take care,

 
At 4:25 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Binnur

Just wanted to let you know how the whole tarhana-story turned out. My husband did not like my tarhana at all, and kept on telling me, that I made it the wrong way.

We just came home from a holiday in Adana, where I got a chance to see, how they make their tarhana there.

They use some kind of wheat which is kneeded with yoghurt. Afterwards it is dried (under the sun), and broken up in bits and frozen. When they want to use it, it is taken from the freezer and soaked. Finally when cooking all the spices are added. This is a very different way of making tarhana? It seems like every region cook their tarhana differently :-)

This is the only dish and have had this kind of experiencem so I was wondering whether you know of any other Turkish dishes where the variations are so strong.

Sevgilerimle,

Sidse Ünal

 
At 3:34 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Sidse,
Hosgeldin:) You did not make Tarhana in a wrong way. Many regions make and have Tarhana like this like west side of Turkiye:)For example, Wedding Soup also can be
different from one region to another. Also Adana Style Acili Ezme is different then Antep Acili Ezme, Adana regions Etli Yaprak Sarma is different from West side.... the list is goes on and on.... West is different from East, North is different from South. That's why Turkish
cuisine has a very large variety of dishes.
Sevgilerimle,

 
At 9:57 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Merhaba Bilnur abla,
I am turkish myself however I was never interested in the cooking side of things when it came to turkish food until i married a turk:) However this site is soooo goood I had to at least say thank you. You have saved me on phone bills coz I don't need to ring my mum overseas every time I need a recipe:) Good stuff!!!!

Muge

 
At 11:51 AM, Blogger Sandra said...

Merhaba Binnur,
Buldum! Yayla Corbasi degil, Tarhana Corbasi yapti! Cok, cok tesukker ederim. Esim'nin annesi bir ay sonra gelecek. Benim annegem cok sok olecem.
Elenize saglik.

 
At 2:04 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Merhaba Sandra,
Ben de az once Tarhana Corbasi diye yazmistim:) Geldigi zaman birlikte evde yapabilirsiniz:)
Kendine iyi bak,

 
At 11:56 AM, Blogger logfrogfog said...

Hello Binnur,

Tarhana soup is one of my favorite soups and I often make it with your recipe. I was wondering, however, if you know of a low(er) carbohydrate recipe for tarhana soup. I am wanting to make it for a friend of mine who has to keep a lower carb diet. Would soy or someother meal/flour work well?

Thank you!

 
At 10:52 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi,
I think you should try to make Tarhana soup with non-fat yogurt and low carb flour. But I never use any other flour to make it other than the regular one:)
Take care,

 
At 4:06 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

merhaba binnur hanim
i made tarhana dough two days ago the dough is sticy shall i add more flouer although i put 8 cups of floure
please i want to know how many taple spoons of tarhana powder shall i use for this recipe
sousou
best regardes

 
At 4:07 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Merhaba Sousou:)
You need to use 2 tbs tarhana powder for 2 servings.
Take care,

 
At 5:18 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Merhaba Sousou,
Sorry, I think I forget that one:) Sure, you can add more flour until the dough is not sticky any more.

 
At 12:04 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

Binnur,
I visited Turkey in September with a friend whose son married a Turkish girl. I bought some Tarhana when we spent the day in Sirince, and I had forgotten exactly how to make the soup. Thank you for your recipe! I will serve it tonight. And I also want to say that my friend's Turkish family were the warmest, most generous hosts I have every visited.
Linda

 
At 1:53 AM, Blogger Emily said...

I'm moving to Trabzon in June and since I got my plane ticket, I've been cooking recipes from your site like mad. This recipe seems so interesting, I can't wait to try it! Thanks for all your work.

 
At 12:34 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I would like to know how ev Tarhanasi if bought in package(sera brand) already , since now most items can be found ordering online, i found this and bought ,as I remember in turkey they had package in in refridgrator that they made soup with and was in this color . I was wondering if there special way to prepare packaged ? my email is rhondaswadley@ymail.com if you have time to get back with me

 
At 9:22 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

It is explained under Tarhana Soup recipe. Please go through it:)

 
At 11:50 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hello, I am not sure if I need to put frozen dough in the water for it to disolve or do you unfreeze it first. I've always seen tarhana dry but it seems like a terific idea to keep it frozen.

 
At 12:43 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hello,
Frozen dough doesn't need to be thawed first. Cover the dough with the water, it will dissolve by itself:)

 
At 12:39 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am going to try to make tarhana soup. I notice that a Turkish soup offered on Amazon has rye flour as an ingredient. When you specify flour, can it be rye flour, too? How much does this matter?

 
At 9:48 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi,
I always use all purpose flour. When you use rye flour, you should add gradually. The dough should be soft but not sticky at the end:)

 
At 4:15 PM, Blogger Sahar Hawasli said...

I had the most delicious soup in my life yesterday in Antalya's summer resort, unfortunately it's not written on this list, it's called Tarhana soup made with the yoghurt dough which you call tarhana, it's without tomatos, just white soup with dried mint and lentils. It tasted like heaven, wish i can find the recipe.
I am on a visit to antalya coming from Damascus.

 
At 12:00 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Sahar,
I think what you are asking for is Yogurtlu Yesil Mercimek Corbasi (Green Lentil Soup with Yogurt). I am going to post it for you in the future:)

 
At 1:36 AM, Anonymous Sahar said...

Thank you Binnur, you're so kind to attend to all the questions we post...
from the taste, I don't think it was yoghurt soup, I asked the waiter about the name and he told me it's Tarhana soup, I tasted the tarhana in it which we call "kishke" in Arabic. Could it be the same Tahana soup but without tomatoes?
Thank you for your help.

 
At 12:19 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Sahar,
I wish I could help you. I don’t think it’s tarhana soup as it’s not made without tomatoes.

 
At 5:10 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Binnur...
Thanks for sharing this recipe, for me was the first time to see that you can save the tarhana dough in bigger pieces, I'm used to the powder-like one, I'll try it as soon as I can...sounds convenient and you don't have to spend time with the food processor...
Ilona

 
At 11:06 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi,
I made this dough and over a 2 week period it still kept rising and needed lots of extra flour (something that's not too odd for our area...but it was many cups more flour. I didn't think too much of it since it is winter and the house cooler. I ended up traveling and son kneaded the dough a few more days adding flour each time and gave up and put it in the freezer. Did I do something wrong with the dough? I'll make my first batch of soup tomorrow and insha Allah it'll turn out because it brings back such fond memories of wonderful Turkish girls taking care of me when I first became Muslim. Thanks for your site,
April

 
At 1:36 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi April,
No, you did not wrong, sometimes it happens:)God bless your hands....
Enjoy your meal!

 
At 7:40 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Binnur. I am in the process of making the Tarhana Dough. If stored in the freezer how much do you use per serving when making the soup? All the best, Rita

 
At 1:38 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Rita,
I break in egg size balls from the dough for two servings. Place them in a small size ziplock snack bags (16.5x8.2) flatten and keep in the freezer:)
Take care,

 
At 10:36 PM, Blogger Unknown said...

It is interesting how everyone has an opinion about where things come from or who invented them and who made them first!! It never seizes to amaze me!! If you look at history in Ottoman times you will find that a great deal of people in authority were not Turks in fact they were captives and slaves of other areas and especially Balkans. Most of the Sultans wives were not Turkish! And most important the area we are talking about had a very long and wonderful history and culture, and still does, before the Turks came. These are just plain historical facts. I do not mean any offense to the Turkish folks. Obviously, Trahana or Tarhana whatever you want to call it, is a food that is familiar to many, Balkans and Middle East. And perhaps the person who first made it was a mixture of both Greek and Turkish or Persian and Greek or what ever culture, and we will never know.

 
At 10:53 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Dawn, I think you have some problems with the Turks. It is your problem, so you should figure it out where it comes from:)

Good luck for that!

 
At 7:45 PM, Anonymous Vicki said...

Hi Binnur

Yesterday I found Tarhana in powder form at a local Turkish shop. I was very happy to find this! Trouble is because I never thought I would get Tarhana in Brisbane I never watched my mother in law make it. I have only enjoyed eating it! Would you mind advising how to make the Tarhana from powder? I'm sure it won't be as good as the dough that you have posted, and I will try this one day but for now I wanted to make life simple just by using the powder. Thank you again Binnur for your wonderful catalogue of Turkish recipes.

Vicki

 
At 11:01 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Hi Vicki,

Thank you:) Some brand names are really good:)
For one serving;
2-3 heaping tablespoons of tarhana, powder
1-2 tbsp canned crushed tomatoes
1 tsp red pepper paste
~1 cup or more chicken stock
Salt
Pepper
Red pepper flakes (crushed pepper), optional

Place all the ingredients in a pot except chicken stock. Then slowly pour the chicken stock while stirring constantly at medium heat. Adjust the consistency of the soup to your liking by adding more water if needed.
Sevgilerimle,

 
At 1:04 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Interesting recipe, I look forward to receiving your cookbook, ordered from Amazon. Do you use white or whole wheat flour? And do you use a food processor to chop the vegetables very fine? Thank you!

 
At 2:19 PM, Blogger Binnur said...

Actually, I used the food processor (just corrected) with white all purpose flour. Thank you:)
Happy Holidays!

 

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