Tuesday, 18 February 2025
Arabası Soup: A Warming Miracle of Winter

Arabası Soup: A Warming Miracle of Winter

Central Anatolia's "ara aşı" has evolved into today's "arabaşı," a distinctive Turkish soup. Unlike other soups, it is served with cold dough and combined with hot pepper, and meat


The dough and soup are combined with other ingredients such as browned flour, hot pepper, and meat (usually chicken, but sometimes goose or turkey). The cold dough is made with flour, water, and salt, then mixed into a batter and spread in a tray to cool. Once chilled, it is not chewed but swallowed directly with the soup. While chicken is the most common meat used in arabaşı, in rural areas, people sometimes use turkey, goose, partridge, or rabbit.


How to Cook the Soup?

In a large saucepan, melt five tablespoons of butter and add five tablespoons of flour. Brown the mixture. Then, add two tablespoons of tomato paste and one tablespoon of red pepper paste, continuing to brown. Pour in chicken broth, water, and chicken meat pieces. Season with chili pepper, black pepper, and lemon juice. Pour a bowl of soup into the center of the dough tray and serve.


How to Cook the Dough?

In a saucepan, bring three glasses of water and one teaspoon of salt to a boil. In a separate bowl, mix one glass of flour with two glasses of cold water. Once the water on the stove starts boiling, slowly add the flour mixture, stirring continuously for another five minutes. Transfer the dough to a wet tray and let it cool at room temperature for an hour. Then, allow it to rest in a cooler place for three to four hours.


Key Points

  • Continuously stir the dough while cooking.
  • The dough should be completely smooth.
  • Make sure the tray is wet enough; otherwise, the dough may stick.
  • If the soup is too thin, you can add more browned flour.
  • Wet the knife before cutting the dough into pieces.
  • Be quick when transferring the cooked dough into the tray.