Monday, October 11, 2010

Yayla Çorbası/ Soup of the Mountain Pastures


mint and flaked red pepper: typical Turkish condiments

These two condiments are the condiments of choice for many Turkish soups. They can be sprinkled just as they are or alternatively, mixed with a little heated oil or melted butter and then swirled through the soup.
This soup with the splendid name is one of the top favourites in Turkey: you can just imagine Anatolian herdsmen huddled round a fire with a bowl of this healthy, heart-warming broth! Now that the weather has well and truly changed, I thought it would be a good idea to describe this one.  Years ago it was explained to me that this is the soup that the thrifty Turkish housewife makes when there is just that bit of yogurt left in the container and no-one wants to eat it. This way, there is no waste as it forms the basis of this simple but interesting soup. In this country, yogurt is eaten plain and it is thick and creamy, some makes more so than others.  When I first came here, oh how I missed my fruity ski yogurts. But time moves on and now I only eat plain. Our preference lies with Tikveşli as it comes with a delicious creamy skin and we always have it in the fridge. The variety of container sizes of yogurt in the supermarkets ranges from small to mind-boggling massive tubs, giving an idea of what a staple it is in Turkish households. Traditionally, it is always eaten as an accompaniment to a hot savoury dish, or as part of a meze like cacık or haydari.  It is never a dessert.
Ingredients for Yayla Çorbası (pron: yi- (to rhyme with high)la chor-ba)
Serves 8
½ cup of rice, rinsed and drained
1 cup chickpeas/nohut
2 tbsps plain flour, gently heaped
1 egg
2 cups yogurt
1 chicken stock cube
8 cups water
2 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsps butter
4 tsps dried mint
Flaked red pepper (optional)

Method
§  Cook the rice in 2 cups of the water till softened ( 15 mins). The starch is released and will help to thicken the soup.
§  Add the remaining water to the same pan along with the stock cube, chickpeas, salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15 mins.
§  In a bowl, combine the yogurt, flour and egg and beat till smooth.


yogurt with egg and flour

§  Carefully take a ladle of the hot liquid and mix into the yogurt mixture. Stir until incorporated. Add one more. Then add all the mixture into the pan and simmer gently till thickened.
§  In a separate pan, melt the butter and add the mint. You can also add the pepper flakes at this point if using.  Cook on a very low heat for 30 seconds. Whisk this butter into the soup.
§  Serve hot.
and here is the yayla çorbası
how does it look?

Tips
1.       I usually mix the egg and flour directly into the yogurt in its container as in the picture above.
2.       I also think it is a good idea to make the soup a little bit in advance, say late afternoon, as then you can leave it and it will miraculously thicken to just the right consistency all by itself!
3.       I really like the addition of chickpeas in this soup. Not every variation includes them. You can add as many or as few as you like.
***********************************

We have just come back from a few great if wet days in Lisbon, where you can buy beautiful hand-painted plates and dishes. Here are the ones I bought: they are the ideal shape for mezes. It is always a good idea to seize the moment and buy pretty serving dishes when you travel as they are guaranteed to make any dish look appetizing!
beautiful hand-painted Portuguese dishes
OK not a meze just a stunning bunch of grapes

BEST DIET TIP #5

harap-harap 1 hari nanti body shop ambil sy jd duta mereka :P

salam. selamat mlm semua! akhirnya merajinkan diri menulis. kalau tak, nnt semua berkepam lepas tu tak tulis lepas tu nyanyuk! wuu. dahlah malam2 buta nih gi kunyah kerepek pisang plak! hoiii. ske memberi lemak pd yg terlebeyh lemak. :P *refer to AQILAH AMIN*

malas ckp bnyk. hari Ahad, semalam, bosan2 duduk dpn tv dgn fmly, keluarkan semua brg body shop yg ade. nak tgk jgk ape yg dah disumbangkan kpd body shop yg tercinta sejak muda-mudi lg. nak snap gmbr lah nih, beria nak tulis blog ++ nak tgk stock ape yg da nak abis or available. blh bajet! hee.

sekali faris ckp daa "awk mmg ske brg body shop ke? banyaknye. awk nak jual ke?" GAAA. tak jual! gile ape. hoho. da beribu menyumbang kpd mrka, tidak akan dijual! :P by the way. body shop is a very great product. i mean maybe tak sehebat SKII, etc tapi 100% natural & baik utk kulit sensitif mcm kulit sy. dan dia tidak bertindak sepantas kilat, it takes time, slow2, so mmg die naturally nice.

Photobucket
ini dia shampoo banana banane, diikuti shower gel satsuma. sy jg gune shampoo ginger dia.
elok utk scalp ++ shower gel plak, strawberry is the best! love it!


Photobucket
oh seaweed! cleanser. toner. make up remover. moisturizer. night cream. mask. tp selalu pakai cleanser dgn moisturizer je. :P then ada botol kecik comel2 tu utk travel pack.


Photobucket
lotion comel botol kecik - LOVE rainbow2!, lotion white musk SE, body butter! semuaaa best. skeee :) body butter tu baru je try, dan mmg best. dia pnye texture pun lain skit dgn lotion.


Photobucket
perfumesss! kanan sekali LOVE tu tak guna lg :P strawberry sedang guna. strawberry tu cam kembang2 la gune sbb ta de dkt mlysia lg. oh sungguh keanak-anakkan! 2 lg di tgh tuh, jarang gune. ahah. sbb da bosan dgn bau die. pfttt.


\Photobucket
set eyeshadow & blusher + compact powder + mineral powder + sponge + single blusher. set eyeshadow & blusher tu mcm mane yg blh nmpk, eyeshadow bnyk lg. sbb ta reti pakai! :P compact powder, 1st time try yg round, ta bape seswai la dgn muke sbb die mcm kering. tp yg foundation flawless (bentuk segi4) mmg terbaek! LIKE! mineral powder, mahal, tp ta reti gune sgt. pfttt. blusher, mmg best!


Photobucket
last but not least, lip balm + blusher brush + mineral powder brush + lip stick + lip blam + vitamin e moisture cream + sikat rambut. semuaaaaaa sgt amat nice, soft, smell good! :)


haaa. ni baru sebahagian. kalau blh kumpul semua dr dulu kala, uiyooo, mmg best lah kan masuk pertandingan BODY SHOP BIGGEST FAN :P