Lepe Soup (Lepe çorbası)
Overview
Lepe is a quick, rustic bulgur soup from Adana in southern Türkiye. Chopped onion and green peppers are fried in butter until soft, then fresh tomatoes, salt and red pepper go in and cook down into a sauce. Fine bulgur is stirred in and toasted briefly, hot water is added, and the soup simmers until the grains swell and the broth thickens. Some cooks add pepper paste, diced potato or a little minced meat to make it heartier. It is served hot with a squeeze of lemon. In many Adana homes it is cooked thicker as a side dish, but the soup version is a common everyday lunch.
History
Lepe belongs to the home cooking of Çukurova, the fertile plain around Adana where wheat, tomatoes and peppers grow in abundance. It is a thrifty dish made with ingredients found in every pantry. A very similar soup is made in Erzincan under the name pıh pıh, and Türkiye's Ministry of Education includes lepe in its collection of regional recipes.
Main ingredients
Fine bulgur, tomatoes, green peppers, onion, butter, red pepper. The soup is built on water and is usually served hot. Diet: vegetarian; not usually gluten-free.
Explore: Tomato soups · Barley and grains soups · More soups from Türkiye
Recipe
Method
- 1
Fry the onion and peppers in the butter until soft.
- 25 min
Add the tomatoes, salt and red pepper and cook for 5 minutes.
- 3
Stir in the bulgur, then add the hot water.
- 415 min
Simmer for 15 minutes until the bulgur is soft and serve with lemon.
- ✓
Serve. About 40 min from start to bowl.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
