Sour Meatball Soup (Ekşili köfte)
Overview
Ekşili köfte means 'sour meatballs', and the dish is a brothy soup of small meatballs, often with chickpeas and diced vegetables, finished with a generous egg and lemon liaison. The sourness is the point: plenty of lemon juice gives it a bright, refreshing taste that cuts through the richness of the meat. Dried mint is usually sprinkled on top. Recipes vary between regions, and some versions include rice or bulgur in the meatballs. It is a satisfying family meal often served with bread.
Pictures
History
Sour soups thickened with egg and lemon or yogurt are a long-standing theme in Anatolian and Ottoman cooking. Ekşili köfte is cooked in many parts of Turkey, and versions with different souring agents, such as unripe grape juice or sumac, show how cooks adapted it to local ingredients. It remains a classic of home cooking rather than restaurant fare.
Main ingredients
Small meatballs, chickpeas, lemon juice, egg, flour, dried mint. The soup is built on meat broth and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; not usually gluten-free.
Recipe outline serves 4 · ~60 min
Ingredients
- 300 g minced meat, 1 grated onion
- 1 tbsp flour for rolling
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1 egg, juice of 1-2 lemons
- 1.5 l stock or water
- dried mint
Method
- Season the meat with onion and salt, roll into small balls and dust with flour.
- Bring the stock to the boil with the chickpeas and add the meatballs.
- Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Whisk egg and lemon, temper with broth and stir in off the boil; finish with mint.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.