Vermicelli Soup (Şehriye çorbası)
Overview
Şehriye çorbası is a quick, light soup of short, thin vermicelli cooked in chicken stock, usually coloured with a little tomato paste and finished with lemon and parsley. The vermicelli is often toasted in butter first, which gives the soup a gentle nutty flavour. It is one of the simplest soups in the Turkish repertoire and is ready in about twenty minutes, so it is a favourite for busy evenings, children and anyone feeling under the weather. A squeeze of extra lemon at the table is common.
History
Thin noodles called şehriye have long been used in Turkish kitchens for soups and for cooking with rice in pilaf. The word comes from Persian, reflecting old culinary exchanges across the region. Vermicelli soup is found in many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, and in Turkey it became a standard home soup made from pantry staples.
Main ingredients
Vermicelli, chicken stock, tomato paste, butter, lemon, parsley. The soup is built on chicken stock and is usually served hot. Diet: contains meat; not usually gluten-free.
Recipe outline serves 4 · ~20 min
Ingredients
- 100 g short vermicelli
- 1.3 l chicken stock
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 20 g butter
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- chopped parsley
Method
- Toast the vermicelli in butter until golden.
- Stir in the tomato paste, then add the stock.
- Simmer for 8-10 minutes until the vermicelli is tender.
- Season, add lemon juice and parsley and serve.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.